Stanislav Lobotka has enjoyed a thrilling life on and off the pitch – partly due to his marriage to a former Eurovision star.
The Slovakia international is his nation’s danger man in their Euro 2024 last 16 clash against England on Sunday (June 30) as his influence with the national team has only grown through the years.
The Napoli star became Slovakia’s most expensive transfer when the Serie A club signed him for €24million (£20million) in 2020 from Celta Vigo – and the 29-year-old has also had a colourful career off the pitch too.
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He married Daniela Nizlova, nine years his senior, who — alongside her twin sister Veronika — represented Slovakia at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest under the name TWIINS. The couple, who have a child, have now split.
As part of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia conquered Europe when they won the 1976 European Championships, largely thanks to an audacious penalty from Antonin Panenka – who has since lent his name to the technique.
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The good times, however, didn’t last; since Slovakia became an independent nation they had only qualified for one Euros, the 2016 edition, prior to their qualification for this year’s tournament.
Marek Hamsik and Martin Skrtel remain the only household names the country has produced – but neither of them were able to command a transfer fee like Lobotka who prior to his split to Nizlova had his first daughter Linda in January 2020, the same month he joined Napoli.
During his spell at Celta Vigo, he received high praise from Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs who bore witness to his excellence in a game against Wales. “He first takes the ball, pulls it, pre-brakes, and then stops. It’s not easy to play against a football player like him,” the ex-Wales manager said.
(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
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Lobotka will have the weight of a nation on his back as Slovakia will look to conduct perhaps the biggest upset in their history against England on Sunday.