Tomáš Souček has reflected on his achievement of reaching 250 West Ham United appearances, having become the 54th player to hit the landmark for the Club during September’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Souček’s memorable journey with the Irons began in January 2020, after a loan switch from Czech First League side SK Slavia Prague, and has seen him lift the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League trophy on the way to becoming a bonafide Club great.
His list of achievements with West Ham is as long as his 6ft 4in frame. First, he was thrown straight in at the deep end after signing, and scored three goals in 13 appearances to help ensure we retained our Premier League status in the 2019/20 season, at the end of which he penned permanent terms in July 2020.
His form in front of goal has remained strong, with only captain Jarrod Bowen (59) and Michail Antonio (41) having netted more in the top flight for West Ham than Souček (38) since February 2020. Of course, he is currently on a run of two goals in two games for the Hammers, after striking in wins over Newcastle United and Burnley earlier this month, while he also scored in the memorable, pulsating UEFA Europa League round-of-16 second-leg win over Sevilla in March 2022.
Souček is one of only three non-British or Irish players to reach the 250-appearance landmark and joins Antonio and fellow Czech Luděk Mikloško as part of our 250 club. Last month, at Leeds United, he became just the ninth West Ham player and third Czech to reach 200 Premier League appearances, while his goal against Burnley saw him draw level with former Liverpool star Patrik Berger as the Czech player with the most goals in England's top-tier competition.
Czechia captain Souček, alongside Bowen, was presented with a special 250-appearance shirt by Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo in our dressing room following the Clarets clash, where he took time to reflect on the adventure which has been beyond his wildest dreams…
Tomáš, what comes to mind when you hear 250 games for West Ham United?
“Honestly, something unbelievable. I was dreaming of this moment when I came to West Ham, and it was nowhere near the number I could’ve imagined.
“Now we are here, and if I look back at what I have done, or as a team what we have done, it's unbelievable.
“Everything that I remember is only nice, and it will be in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Did you ever imagine that you would get to 250 appearances?
“It's a big number, and also for this Club it's even bigger, because I came from the Czech Republic to play football in the best league in the world, and for one of the best Clubs in the world, then I played 250 games here, so it's great for me, every game that I have played here.
“I now have a connection with the fans, and I know a lot about the Club. I know they care about me, and I care about them, too.
“I think it's just amazing how we got connected.”
And when you think about all those matches, all 250 of them, how does it feel?
“I think I would remember each of them, because I remember some tough seasons, and I remember some of the best seasons in the Club's history.
“I remember nearly each of the games we played, and I think one day I will recalculate all of them. When I look back, I have so many memories from the games, so I just want to enjoy the life I am living in.”
What moments or matches stand out most?
“It’s hard to pick from 250 matches, but obviously we all remember the final in Prague, which for me was special because it was in my club, so it was a great memory, and we won the trophy after that many years, so it has to be number one.
“I would say number two is the game we played against Chelsea at home [in July 2020], and we won 3-2 at London Stadium.
“That was my first Premier League goal, and I remember that this win was so great, because of that win, we were out of the relegation zone, so that's number two.
“Number three is against Sevilla [in the UEFA Europa League], because the stadium at home was the best I've seen.
“The atmosphere was just unreal, we won and went through [to the quarter-finals]. I also scored in this game, so this is number three for me.
“Next would be Everton away, in March 2024, when I took my shirt off because it was a winning goal in the 90th minute!
“It was the first time, and probably the last time in my career, I will take my shirt off, because there was a lot of emotion inside of me. I celebrated with our fans, so that was a great moment for me.
“It has to be the Potato Salad moment, which was also at Everton, in January 2021. I scored this goal, and from that moment I have had this nickname here, Potato Salad, so it was also a good goal for people to remember.”
What's a moment that you would say sums up your time at West Ham?
“When I came to West Ham I had only one child, and now I have three, so it's not only that I am more experienced on the pitch, but maybe as a dad and as a person as well.
“I feel like half an English person and half a West Ham United home as well, so I feel this a lot.
“I have lots of scars from different games, which I can't count because I have only two hands, and I don't think it's enough for the number of seasons here!
“It's all lovely moments, because I just say that everything I have done, I remember only in the best way.”
The fans love you here, Tomáš, so how does it feel when you hear them chant your name from the stands?
“It's always a pleasure when they chant my name, and I want to give them back straight away whatever, with the claps, with the waves, with the signings and with the photos for the fans, and obviously the best move I can do is on the pitch as well.
“I always want to make a good performance or score the goals. All of this is for them, because I know that we have a great connection, and I just hope that this will stay forever.”
You’ve mentioned big nights under the lights at London Stadium. What do those nights mean to you?
“It means a lot, because it was a privilege for me to play these games, to be part of this history, and it's not just one or two games, so it means a lot.
“Half of them were at home in the London Stadium, and there were more than 60,000 people there every game, so that means a lot for me, and I know that there are millions of people and supporters around the world.”
What makes West Ham special for you?
“West Ham makes me feel at home, because at Rush Green, we have more of a family relationship with each other. We go to the stadium, and West Ham, from their history, is more like a warrior, and that's a big part of me, so I like that a lot, because this is what suits me.
“When I came to the Club, I never knew that West Ham was that big, that massive around the world, and now I know, and I feel it, and I want to be here even longer.”
What does the Club mean to you personally?
“On a personal level, it means a lot for me, for my wife and for my kids, because when I came, only my oldest daughter was one year old, but now I have three kids, and everyone knows how to only live in London.
“I just believe they will have so many experiences, so many good memories for their futures.
“For me, playing for West Ham, they know only this Club, and they support only this Club because of me, so that means a lot that we spent a whole life here.”
How would you describe your relationship with the Club's fans?
“I would say it's a great connection and a big respect from both sides, me to them and them to me, and I know that they are a big part of the West Ham history, and they are here for us, whatever happens.
“If we were down, if we won the trophy, they are still here, so this is what I appreciate the most, and on the other hand, I appreciate them and how they are supporting me through the even tough times and through the best times.
“I always want to give a light for them, because they really deserve it.”
When you put on the West Ham shirt, what does it represent?
“Always when I put on the shirt, straight away, I have two superstitions, and one of them is to kiss the badge, so that's all I can say to describe what West Ham means for me.
“This wasn't obviously the case on my first day. I appreciated the first day when I came to this Club, but as time went on, it created something special, something bigger, and this will be with me for the rest of my life.”
And what do you still want to achieve in the West Ham shirt?
“I'm happy that West Ham plays in the Premier League and has so many opportunities, and I hope that I still can achieve something we haven’t done already. Now, even in this season, we have the FA Cup, so it's to put everything in the FA Cup.
“In the league, we want to get out of the relegation zone, because obviously West Ham belongs much higher [in the table], and we want to play in the Premier League. We want to be successful in the Premier League, so this is the time to get out of the relegation zone and then to be ready for the FA Cup, because it's another chance to be successful this season.”
