Miroslav Stoch

Who is Miroslav Stoch?

Miroslav Stoch is a Slovak international footballer who plays as a winger for Al Ain who has signed from the Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce. His father realized his talent at an early age and placed him with his local club's academy Nitra. His hard work paid off as he was drafted into Nitra's first team after scoring a hat-trick in an under-17 match, at only 15 years old.

Due to age restrictions in the Slovak First League, he could not play until his 16th birthday. He made his first-team debut at the age of 16 and by this time he was already being watched by European scouts. On 7 January 2013, he won the FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of 2012, as voted for by the general public. He saw off competition from Neymar's mazy dribble from the halfway line and Falcao's extravagant bicycle kick to win the award for his sweet volley from just outside the penalty box.

Chelsea had scouts in one of the international competitions he played in and offered him a trial around the same time that Nice was about to sign him. He duly impressed and was signed by Chelsea's youth academy in 2006. He was a regular for the under-18s in the 2006–07 season and scored 11 goals.