Matěj Kovář – Czechia
Kovář joined Manchester United from 1. FC Slovácko as a teenager, but his senior football came elsewhere. Loans at Swindon Town, Burton Albion and Sparta Prague were followed by Bayer Leverkusen, where he collected Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal honours, before moving to PSV.
You would be forgiven for forgetting Kovář, but he was in goal for Michael Appleton’s first game in charge at Sincil Bank. We lost 1-0 to Manchester United Under 21s, a side featuring a couple more future World Cup stars.
Kovář represented the Czech Republic through the youth ranks before making his senior debut in 2024. Later that year, he played at Euro 2024, making his competitive debut against Turkey, and he has since become part of their 2026 World Cup squad.
Czechia are in Group A, so there is immediate host-nation pressure around them. They open against Korea Republic in Guadalajara on June 11, face South Africa in Atlanta a week later, then meet Mexico in Mexico City on June 24.
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