The reality of his impending departure from West Ham United certainly hit home for Vladimir Coufal as the curtain fell on the 2024/25 Premier League season.
So much so that the long-serving right-back even found himself saying goodbye to the West Ham United themed microphone with which he delivered his farewell message to the club’s supporters following Sunday’s final day win at Ipswich Town.
“I love this microphone,” an emotional Vladimir Coufal chuckled. “And I will probably never see him again!”
One sight he will still see a lot of, though, is that of Tomas Soucek.
In fact, the joined-at-the-hip duo will meet up again as early as next week, when the Czech Republic prepare to take on Montenegro and Croatia during June’s World Cup qualifiers.
Soucek and Coufal have spent the last seven years sharing a dressing room, first at Slovan Liberec, then at Slavia Prague and eventually at the London Stadium.
They will spend next season apart for the first time since 2017, then, with West Ham confirming that Coufal will depart alongside Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski when his contract expires in July.
Tomas Soucek pays Vladimir Coufal tribute as West Ham teammate departs
West Ham signed Coufal for a bargain £4.5 million in the summer of 2020, shortly after Soucek joined in a £19 million deal of his own.
Coufal did not score a single goal in 177 West Ham appearances. In an era of flashy full-backs, he was something of a throwback. If anything summed him up, it was his desire to battle through the pain barrier and make himself available for the club’s Europa League semi-final with Eintracht Frankfurt back in 2022.
This, Coufal said, was what ‘West Ham DNA’ stood for. And arguably nobody epitomised that better than the lieutenant of Ludgerovice.
At least Soucek, while paying a gracious tribute to an excellent teammate and an even better friend, may have it a little easier on the ping pong table from now on.
“Obviously, [Coufal] has been here for five years. It’s unbelievable, not only how he played but how he was successful. Since he came, he played like nearly every minute,” Soucek smiles.
“It’s unbelievable, and he was a massive part of all of these victories and successes. For me, he will be a big miss because we are together all the time around West Ham and around London.
“But, in this club, I am the luckiest one because I will still see him! I’ll see him next week! I think all West Ham should appreciate what he has done for the club.”
“In the training sessions, when I am in [Coufal’s] team, I always win! He’s like a warrior all the time. If we play table tennis, he’s a competitor! He wants to win all the time.”
Coufal reflects on ‘incredible’ Conference League triumph
One year after Coufal limped and winced his way through a devastating semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt, the dependable right-back was parading the Europa Conference League trophy around the streets of Prague.
A moment which will live eternally in the memory of a man who lived his dream during half-a-decade in claret and blue.
“It is so difficult to find the right words and express how happy I am that I could be part of this beautiful Football Club,” Coufal told the official West Ham website. “I came here five years ago and didn’t know what to expect. A new country, new league, new life.
“I can say with all honesty in my heart that I enjoyed every minute of being at West Ham and wearing the Claret and Blue shirt was always the biggest honour for me. I tried to represent these colours off the pitch in the best possible way and always left my best I could on the pitch.
“We brought the European trophy back to East London after many years which was absolutely incredible. I am taking a lot of unforgettable memories with me and will never forget how it is to be part of West Ham.
“I will always be a fan of this Club and will come back to London Stadium to cheer for these colours.”
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