On Wednesday night, Tomas Soucek will sit in the spot where he always sat. He’ll change where he always changed and see the faces he always saw.
He’ll consider how far he’s come. He’ll think about his family in the stands and how much they sacrificed for him to get here.
He’ll think about what he might achieve. And then, after all that, he thinks he will probably cry.
For when West Ham face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League, they will do so inside the Fortuna Arena, the home of Slavia Prague, the club where Soucek spent 15 years of his life. The club he joined at the age of 10.
The club with whose first-team stars, such as former striker Adauto, he posed for pictures. The club where he went on to make more than 100 appearances and won two Czech titles and a stadium where he also walked out for the national team.
Tomas Soucek says his side are motivated to undo the ‘pain’ of last season’s European cup heartache on Wednesday night
His side will take on Fiorentina in the Europa conference League final at the home of his former club Slavia Prague
UEFA gave 5,000 West Ham fans tickets for the final at the Eden Arena in Prague
‘When I was 10, it was a massive dream just to play there for the first team of Slavia Prague,’ says Soucek. ‘Now I’m going there for the final with West Ham.
‘It will be very emotional for me when I arrive. I know we get the home changing room. I have so many photos in there when I lifted trophies a few years ago. Maybe I will see some of the old guys who were there then.
‘I know every single piece of the changing room. I will have to speak with the kit man to make sure I have the same seat. Maybe I will get some secret keys to get in!’
As soon as he knew where the final was being held, he knew West Ham had to get there. He told his team-mates there was no option but to make it.
‘When I knew that we were in this competition, with the chance of playing the final in Prague, I immediately said to all the guys, “Come on, we need to get to the final because it’s my home stadium”. It’s massive for me.
I wanted everyone to be even more on it. We needed to be there. I’m so happy that we got it.’
Soucek will be home again. Thirty of his friends and family will be there to watch, including his parents Iva and Frantisek, who used to drive him 75 miles to training camps when he was 10.
‘My family did a lot for me. It was difficult for them. I am so proud of them and happy I can give back. I think they will be crying lots to see me on the pitch. I would cry if we played anywhere but to be at the Slavia stadium is like two homes for me. I have West Ham now and I was a player at Slavia for 15 years so I can connect the two teams and do something special.’
He hopes this final can match his memories of the end of the 2018-19 season when Soucek scored against rivals Sparta Prague to confirm their title.
He hopes, too, to share this one with the West Ham fans.
UEFA gave West Ham fewer than 5,000 tickets but more than 25,000 are expected to turn Prague claret and blue. He expects, as many of the other tickets have gone to Czech nationals, that they’ll be Hammers on the night too.
He’s got some advice for the travelling supporters. Go to Wenceslas Square, he says. Visit Prague Castle. Try some of the restaurants along the river.
‘English people should try Czech food, it’s very different,’ he says. ‘Our typical food is not very healthy, it’s quite heavy. It’s about knedliky (dumplings) and special sauces that I don’t know how to describe in English. You have knedliky, sauce and meat.
Soucek also lifted the lid on what it’s like playing along side Declan Rice (pictured) in midfield
The Czech of his team-mate ‘He (Rice) deserves to lift the trophy with West Ham as captain’
‘They will also love Czech beer, that’s for sure.’
When the beer in Prague is often cheaper than water, they certainly will.
It’s been a mixed season for Soucek and for West Ham. The 28-year-old lost his place in the side as relegation worries consumed a club that had spent £165million on new players but fought his way back for the run-in and started both legs of the semi-final.
‘Maybe that helped me get more motivated and passionate for football because I’d played a lot of games in a row before,’ he says.
‘After we escaped relegation, I think we got a good connection with our new players and got a good spirit again because at the beginning the spirit wasn’t so good.
‘But we have shown on the trip in Portugal this week how we love each other — and that’s great for success. We can feel the passion and connection between us.’
Soucek hopes it’ll drive them to European silverware. He’s still hurting from last season when West Ham reached the semi-finals of the Europa League only to lose to Eintracht Frankfurt.
‘It’s still painful — I think it will be nearly my whole life,’ he says. ‘But I am so happy that we have extra motivation for this year from that semi-final. We thought about last year when we got to this season’s semi-final. Now is the last piece to go and win. We want to do everything we can to remember this moment for our whole life in a good way.’
The final in Prague is expected to be Declan Rice’s final game for West Ham. A summer move to Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Manchester United beckons.
Soucek will lose his midfield partner. They have such a close bond that at West Ham they call the pair ‘Rice and Potato Salad’. Soucek loves the classic Czech dish. He likes to take three weeks off over Christmas and gorge himself on the stuff.
‘Declan is more healthy food — like rice — and I am more potato salad — not that healthy!’ laughs Soucek.
They’ve played nearly every game together since Soucek joined the club. He’s seen Rice grow from a promising young midfielder into one of the best in Europe, from just a part of the team into a leader and a captain.
‘It’s great for me to see how he’s changed not just as a player but also as a leader,’ says Soucek. ‘He deserves to lift the trophy with West Ham as captain. It will be massive for us but for him even more special.’
Rice’s numbers stack up against the best in central midfield. There’s a reason the biggest clubs want him. Soucek thinks he’s one of the best, too, but admits there’s one thing holding him back from greatness, one thing he can put right on Wednesday.
‘In that position, I don’t know many who are better,’ says Soucek. ’To be like the best of all time, let’s be honest, he needs to win something. Now he has the chance to win something. If we speak only about his quality, he’s perfect.’
He also said his manager David Moyes (pictured) deserves to win a trophy too after having not won major honours throughout his mangerial career
He also claimed that winning in Prague would add even more value ‘connecting the players and the fans for the future
Soucek believes victory in Prague would have a similar impact on David Moyes’s career.
‘It can be a first [major] trophy for him. We all want to get the trophy for the players, the fans, for everyone but for him after what he’s achieved as a manager this would give him something different. Last season, Jose Mourinho won this trophy, now Moyes can put himself on another level.’
For the fans, too. They’ve waited 43 years for a major trophy.
‘It’s special when you win trophies every year,’ says Soucek, who won two Czech titles and two Czech Cups with Slavia Prague. ‘It’s great, everyone celebrates, and everyone is happy, but if you can get this chance to win after nearly 50 years it is massive for everyone.
‘We can see how everyone will fly to Prague even if they can’t get a ticket and how many will watch at home and support us. That will be special. We will connect with the fans for our whole life.’
