Pavel Kaderabek: Who is the Czech Republic and Hoffenheim right-sided raider?
A mainstay of the Hoffenheim team that has enjoyed three top-six finishes during his time at the club, Czech Republic full-back Pavel Kaderabek is a reliable performer who loves deep and rampaging runs down the right.
bundesliga.com brings you up to speed with the all-action defender impressing at UEFA Euro 2020...
Age: 29
Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Right-back/wing-back
Country: Czech Republic (48 caps, 3 goals)
Key Stats
Hailing from the Czech capital, Kaderabek first made his name with local giants Sparta Prague. He got on for his debut as an 18-year-old in a UEFA Champions League qualifier in August 2010, and was soon making strides at international level too. He was a European U19 Championship runner-up in 2011, and a goalscorer at the U21 edition in 2015. The dynamic 5"10' wide player had already made his senior debut by that stage, having featured for the Czech Republic against Finland in May 2014. He got his first goal for the Czechs in a European Championship qualifier against Iceland in November 2014, and was included in the Euro 2016 squad in France.
Kaderabek won a Czech league and cup double in 2014, and also picked up plenty of personal accolades: he was defender of the year two seasons in a row in his homeland and was named the Czech First League's player of the year for 2014/15. That consistency earned him a move to Hoffenheim in June 2015, where he continued to impress by raiding from deep. He helped Hoffenheim finish 4th in 2016/17 and 3rd in 2017/18 while excelling as a hard-running wing-back under Julian Nagelsmann, earning UEFA Europa League and Champions League group-stage experience as a result. Heading into the 2021/22 campaign, Kaderabek had played over 150 Bundesliga games for Hoffenheim, chipping in with seven goals and 22 assists.
Plays a bit like: Achraf Hakimi
When he joined Hoffenheim, Kaderabek said that the team's aggressive pressing against the ball and fast breaks would suit his style. Although his top speed in 2020/21 (20 mph) is a couple of clicks down on the fastest that former Borussia Dortmund full-back Hakimi was clocked at, Kaderabek's industrious nature in defence combined with his constant desire to get forward and contribute at the other end of the pitch - both as a regular full-back or more advanced wing-back on either the right or left - is reminiscent of the Morocco international.
Did you know?
Kaderabek's is not the first professional footballer in the family. His grandfather Vaclav Vrana was a left-footed winger who also played for Sparta Prague in the 1960s and '70s as well as with the Czech national team.
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What they're saying
"Pavel draws a lot from his extraordinary character on the field. That also helps him, if he thinks for a moment that he's worn out, to manage two or three more sprints. He was a real will to win, no matter what position he plays… Pavel is a player where you know what you're getting every match day." - Julian Nagelsmann speaking in September 2016 after Kaderabek had filled in at left-back for several games
"He relies on me and gives me the trust that I need. He believes in me even when I haven't played a very good game. Julian was definitely the most important factor in my sporting development." - Kaderabek speaking in 2017 about Nagelsmann's influence on him at Hoffenheim
"He's a tireless fighter and it's great to have such characters in the team for the long term." - Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen - who previously praised Kaderabek's "power, attacking ability and determination" - speaking after the Czech signed another contract extension in 2018. It will keep him at the club until 2023.
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