A football star who went through hell

Filip Panák celebrated a successful debut in the Champions League last week – after having survived years of martyrdom.

For the first time in 20 years, Sparta Prague celebrated a victory in the Champions League last week – for him it was a special personal milestone.

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Filip Panák, captain of the Czech champions, was named “Man of the Match” by UEFA after the 3-0 win against RB Salzburg for his assist for the second goal and for successfully organizing the defense and build-up play.

For other players, the award is a routine matter, but in Panák’s case, it has attracted more attention than usual: the 28-year-old has endured a bitter ordeal, at the peak of which more was at stake than just his sporting career.

“It was about my life”

Looking back: In October 2018, the young Panák was at the peak of his career: He had already signed his contract in Prague, and the central defender was playing his last games at his youth club MFK Karviná before his winter transfer.

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In the league duel against SK Sigma Olomouc, a serious accident occurred: After a foul, Panák limped off the pitch with a sore knee – and a real nightmare began.

As a result of the first operation, his knee became inflamed, Panák suffered liver and kidney failure and at times feared for his life. “At that point, it was no longer about football. It was about my life,” he recently reflected in an interview with Sparta Prague’s club magazine.

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The fight was worth it

Panák had to undergo a total of three operations, and new complications kept setting him back. Endless treatments also wore him down: “I thought I would never recover from it,” he recently told Sparta Prague’s club magazine about his thoughts at the time. Retirement was also a recurring topic at the time.

In autumn 2021, the first glimmer of hope came – a return to the football field. But a concussion and an ankle injury set Panák back again. His injury history reads like horror statistics: Panák fought for a comeback for a total of 820 days, 135 games or three seasons.

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Sparta remained loyal to him and supported him throughout the entire time. That seemed to help. Panák has been fully fit for action again for over a year now and has even been promoted to captain of the team.

The successful Champions League debut was a new high point – and the late reward for a grueling fight.