Patrik Schick

Written by Martin Vait (Denik Sport) for the Guardian’s Experts’ Network:

It's as if every Euros generation needs a cult Czech players to come up with a unique way of lobbing the ball past a keeper. Boomers had Antonin Panenka in the 1970s vintage, Generation X saw Portugal’s goalkeeper Vítor Baía searching for the ball in the air in panic after an improbable Karel Poborsky scoop in the 1996 quarter-final. And then, Patrik Schick came up with possibly one of the technically most accomplished ways to hit the ball from the halfway line to send not only the ball into the net but Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall with it. With that, and other four goals last time round, he shared the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with Cristiano Ronaldo. Such a shame injuries have halted his further career progress although he's admittedly not the first one to press at all times. But Schick is that excellent No 9 destined to be most effective at international tournaments. Always able to read a situation as it evolves, he used to be primarily a scorer of great goals in his formative years. Now he's added some scrappy ruthlessness around the box too.