Slovakia’s progress to the last 16 of Euro 2024, where a meeting with England in Gelsenkirchen awaits, has been a team effort, but the displays of one man in particular have especially stood out. Stanislav Lobotka has been central to Slovakia’s success in Germany, literally as well as figuratively, delivering man-of-the-match displays in the 1-0 win over Belgium and the decisive 1-1 draw with Romania. It is little surprise that the 29-year-old defensive midfielder is being linked with a big move away from Napoli this summer, but what is perhaps a shock is that his relationship with Slovak supporters has not always been easy going. Lobotka has always been well-known in Slovakia for his hard work and humble attitude but, before the previous European Championship, some of the national team’s supporters did not want him involved. He was not in good form and was reportedly overweight when coming back from injury. It was not the best of times for Lobotka or Slovakia, who were eliminated from Euro 2020 after a 5-0 loss against Spain. Slovakia have significantly improved since then and Lobotka has been key to that. A crucial moment came in the summer of 2022 when the Slovak Football Association appointed Francesco Calzona as national team coach. The Italian had never previously worked as a head coach but had broad experience in coaching, most notably as Maurizio Sarri’s assistant at Napoli. Calzona was recommended to Slovakia’s FA by Marek Hamsik, the country’s all-time record appearance holder and record goalscorer, who is now part of the national team’s coaching staff. After Hamsik retired from playing in 2023, Calzona needed to find fresh creative input and new leaders – he turned to Ondrej Duda and to Lobotka. “Lobotka isn’t great just at collecting balls; if you want to play a style of football where you will be dominant, building up from the back, going through opponent’s lines with dribbling, in Lobotka you have one of the best European players in his position,” says Adrian Gula, a Slovak coach who knows Lobotka better than most given, in 2010, he brought him into the first-team setup at AS Trencin. After training, Gula also provided Lobotka with lifts back home, to Mala Hradna, a village near Trencin with fewer than 400 inhabitants. They built a great relationship, even when the teenage Lobotka challenged his coach’s ideas. “After a year or so, he came to me and said: ‘Coach, you want me to play me as a midfielder with one or two touches, but I need to dribble too,’” remembers Gula. “Then I changed my approach to him as a defensive midfielder. In training he was then also allowed to dribble.” That side of Lobotka’s game has become crucial for Slovakia, a side who previously parked the bus at major tournaments but now look to press high and be more courageous in possession. Lobotka is crucial to that approach and, in that regard, has developed a great understanding with Juraj Kucka and Duda, the No 8s in Calzona’s 4-3-3 system. “Slovakia adapted their playing style to Lobotka. He’s irreplaceable,” says Gula. Lobotka played a crucial role in Napoli’s scudetto success of 2022‑23 and has been on the radar of many leading clubs, including Barcelona, ever since. In a recent interview with the Slovak broadcaster RTVS, Lobotka’s agent, Branislav Jasurek, said he had already agreed terms with the Catalan club but that a move there was being complicated by their financial situation and change of head coach, from Xavi Hernández to Hansi Flick. “The situation is developing. They know what kind of player he is, they also know it in Madrid and England,” said Jasurek. “Stano might return to Napoli and everyone will be happy, and in this moment that’s the most probable option, too, as Napoli won’t sell one of their best players cheaply.” Given he turns 30 in November, time is not on Lobotka’s side as he seeks a lucrative transfer away from Naples. Gula for one, however, believes any club would be lucky to have a player he describes as “world-class”. “For a super club which wants to play football, he would be perfect,” Gula says. “If there is a team that wants to control the ball, then Lobotka has to be one of the first choices on their list. I said it a long time ago – he’s on the level of Barcelona, of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, the players we’ve been admiring from the couch. That’s Lobotka, too.”