Václav Černý (footballer)

Václav Černý (born 17 October 1997) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and the Czech Republic national team.

AFC Ajax
Černý was born in Příbram. He joined the youth ranks of AFC Ajax in January 2013 from FK Příbram. He made his professional debut at Jong Ajax on 13 March 2015 in an Eerste Divisie game against VVV Venlo replacing Robert Murić after 78 minutes in a 1–0 victory.

On 15 August 2015, Černý made his Ajax senior debut in a 3–0 victory against Willem II. He scored his first goal on 26 November in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League against Celtic, in which Ajax won 2–1. Černý left the club in 2019 after five seasons at Ajax, during which time he regularly played for their reserve team Jong Ajax in the second-tier Eerste Divisie.

Utrecht
Černý joined Utrecht in July 2019, signing a three-year contract with Eredivisie side.

Černý spent the 2020–21 Eredivisie on loan at Twente before transferring permanently in July 2021. On 2 June 2023, Černý was named Eredivisie player of the month for May 2023. On 14 January 2022, he suffered a knee injury after an Eredivisie match against his former club, Ajax.

Vfl Wolfsburg
On 23 June 2023, VfL Wolfsburg announced the signing of Černý on a four-year contract. The same year on 3 November, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 2–2 draw against Werder Bremen.

Youth
Černý represented Czech national youth football teams from the under-16 level. He was called up to the Czech Republic under-21 team in August 2015 at the age of 17. This call-up drew media attention as if Černý played in the against Latvia or Malta in early September, he would become the youngest player to represent the team. Černý made his U21 debut on 4 September, starting in the 4–1 victory against Malta.

Senior
Černý debuted for the Czech senior national team on 11 November 2020 in a friendly match against Germany. He started and was substituted at half-time in the 1–0 loss.

After missing out the UEFA Euro 2020 due to health issues, Černý returned to the national team in June 2022 for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A matches against Spain, Switzerland, and Portugal. He played only half an hour against the former and assisted on Jan Kuchta's goal, ending in a 2-2 draw.

On 17 November 2022, Černý scored his first goal in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Faroe Islands, ending in a 5-0 victory for the Czech Republic.

Style of play
Former manager of VfL Wolfsburg, Niko Kovač, described Černý as a left-foot player with speed and technical skills.

Personal life
Černý's father, also named Václav, is the head coach of FK Příbram.

International

 * Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Černý goal.

Honours
Ajax
 * Eredivisie: 2018–19
 * KNVB Cup: 2018–19
 * UEFA Europa League: runners-up 2016–17

Jong Ajax
 * Eerste Divisie: 2017–18

Individual
 * Czech Talent of the Year: 2015
 * Eredivisie Player of the Month: May 2023
 * Eredivisie Team of the Month: May 2023