Patrik Schick

Patrik Schick (born 24 January 1996) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Czech Republic national team.

Born in Prague, Schick began his career with local club Sparta Prague, rising through their youth ranks, before making his senior debut as a teenager. He spent the 2015–16 season on loan with Bohemians 1905, from where he moved at the age of 20 to Sampdoria in Italy. After his debut season in Italy, he moved to Roma in 2017. Having spent three years in Italy, Schick moved to Germany in 2019 to join RB Leipzig on a season-long loan before moving to Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent basis in September 2020. There he won a domestic double of the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in 2024.

Formerly an international at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels, Schick made his senior debut for the Czech Republic in May 2016 at the age of 20. He has since helped the national team reach the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2021, where he won both the Goal of the Tournament and the Silver Boot awards as the joint-highest goalscorer of the tournament.

Club career

Sparta Prague

Patrik Schick was born in Prague and spotted by Sparta Prague when he was 11 years old. He made his top-flight debut for Sparta on 3 May 2014 in a 3–1 away loss at Teplice. Sparta would win the domestic double that campaign but four appearances over two campaigns meant Schick crossed town to join Bohemians 1905 on loan for the 2015–16 season. He scored 8 goals in 27 outings for Bohemians during a relegation battle. Schick returned to Sparta and was expected to feature prominently for the club during the 2016–17 season, but David Lafata was preferred and when Sparta offered Schick a new contract, his agent turned it down.