Patrik Schick wins Golden Ball for first time

Striker Patrik Schick, who plays for German club Bayer Leverkusen, has won the Golden Ball award for the best Czech footballer of the season for the first time in his career, the Czech News Agency reports. He has knocked the winner from 2020 and 2021, midfielder Tomáš Souček, who plays for West Ham, from the top spot.

Schick, who is 26, also won the title of Czech Footballer of the Year 2021 in a poll organised by the Czech Football Association in May.

The winner of the Golden Ball is decided each year by a poll of Czech sports journalists. The organisers of the competition announced the winners in Prague on Tuesday.