Still just 20, Miroslav Stoch is rightfully regarded as the new boy wonder of Slovak football. An exciting future lies ahead of the pint-sized attacking midfielder, who continues to improve with each game, laying on and scoring classy goals with a nonchalance that belies his age. Currently on loan from Chelsea at Twente, in the Dutch Eredivisie, he hopes to see his star rise even further at 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Miroslav Stoch began his career at Nitra, in the town of his birth. Skilful yet hard-working, it did not take long for the local coaching staff to grasp the extent of his talent, and a first-team place in the top tier of Slovakian football became his, at the tender age of 16. However, with the scouting networks of the major European clubs already alerted to the highly rated youngster, his playing time at home was cut short by a transfer to Chelsea in the run-up to the 2006/07 season. Stoch duly entered the London club’s youth academy, in which he made excellent progress. He was given his full debut two years later, but was hungry for more minutes on the pitch than Chelsea could offer him, and it was at that stage that Twente stepped in.
Pacy, incisive in his passing, and a top-notch finisher, Stoch played as much of a key role in Twente’s glorious league title-winning season as he did in Slovakia’s march to the FIFA World Cup finals. Clearly one of the men to watch in South Africa, he will aim to reproduce his recent outstanding domestic success at international level.
