He did his A-levels last spring, then successfully got admitted to university, and in November he celebrated his twentieth birthday. Before joining Prague's Slavia last February, he did less than 160 minutes in the first league, otherwise he’d played for Olomouc reserve team. During one season in Slavia he became a mainstay of the defensive ranks - David Zima
It may seem like a dream come true. However, the well-started season got abruptly slowed down by the current enemy No. 1 - coronavirus. It not only spoiled his Christmas, but also slowed him down already when starting this year's part of the league.
How did it feel to have covid?
I had moderate symptoms, which were, nevertheless, not very pleasant, but at the same time it could have been even worse. Fortunately, I'm fully recovered, which I'm very happy about. I'm slowly getting in shape again. I hope to never come across covid again. It's a really terrible illness.
What stage of preparation are you in now?
I have already started training fully, without restrictions. Of course, it will take some time before I get back to my best shape. Nothing is limiting me medically and physically; I am done with covid.
The first trainings were probably very demanding...
In the first post-quarantine training, I was not able to breathe slowly or properly. Fortunately, it improved quickly and in a week’s time I was, so to speak, fine.
Before joining Slavia, you were in Olomouc. Is the training process there different in any way?
Indeed, the biggest change after the transfer was the way of training. Here we train with much greater intensity and a little differently than what I was used to in Olomouc. As for the other aspects, such as the organization of the game or the preparation for the match, these are quite similar.
There’s been a lot of praise for you from the fans and the coach. Doesn’t it stress you out?
No, I don't feel much nervous or so. I always focus on the match and I don't really notice what is going on around me. For me, the most important thing is that the team is successful, that we win. The moment the match begins, my only focus is on succeeding. I'm not interested in anything else at that moment.
You managed to pass the admission exams to the University of Economics. What pathway are you studying?
I got into Management. I just don't know how much longer I'll study it. The conditions at the University of Economics do not suit me at all. I would rather go to another school in the summer.
What makes you want that?
It feels like choosing this pathway was a bit of a premature choice. I mainly want to study the school of life. I would definitely like to keep working in the football sector in the future, but I don't know yet what area would be best. We will also see, depending on which school I go to, what I will be able to study. I could be a coach or an official. There are an awful lot of professions around football that aren’t directly related to football, but are part of it.
CV BOX
David Zima (born 8th November) is a defender of Slavia Prague football.
He is academy graduate of Sigma in Olomouc, in which he played mostly for the reserve. He had his first league premiere in November 2019.
He quickly established himself in Slavia, together with Ondřej Kúdela he formed a stable defensive duo in the current season. He also regularly took part in Europa League matches.
He is also a long-term member of the youth national team. In the autumn of 2020 it also earned an invitation to the senior national team.