Viktor Baier
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-01-16) 16 January 2005
Place of birth Příbram, Czech Republic
Height 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Viktoria Plzeň
Number 32
Youth career
2011–2020 Příbram
2020–2023 Viktoria Plzeň
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Viktoria Plzeň B 6 (0)
2023– Viktoria Plzeň 1 (0)
International career
2021 Czech Republic U17 1 (0)
2022–2023 Czech Republic U18 4 (0)
2023– Czech Republic U19 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:44, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

Viktor Baier (born 16 January 2005) is a Czech professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Viktoria Plzeň.

Early life

Baier was born in Příbram to former volleyball player Petr Baier, who played for the local side.[1] As a child, he took an interest in volleyball himself, as well as playing ice hockey.[1]

Club career

Baier began his career in the academy of Příbram, where he was coached by former professional goalkeeper Radek Sňozík, before moving to Viktoria Plzeň at the age of fifteen.[1] After Viktoria Plzeň qualified for the UEFA Champions League ahead of the 2022–23 season, the under-19 side automatically qualified for the UEFA Youth League, and despite beginning their campaign with losses to Inter Milan and Barcelona, they recorded their first victory against German opposition Bayern Munich, with Baier establishing himself as the team's first-choice goalkeeper with impressive performances.[2]

The following year, in June 2023, he was invited to join a select group of international players as part of Bayern Munich's World Squad, where they would play in friendly matches against a number of youth sides.[3][4] Baier later revealed that he had already been invited to trial with the German side by goalkeeping coach, and former Czech Republic international, Jaroslav Drobný after watching him in the UEFA Youth League, but he had been unable to attend after Viktoria Plzeň rejected the approach.[5]

Though he was linked with a move to Bayern Munich, he decided to return to Viktoria Plzeň, stating that if he were to make the move, he would have to train with the club's under-19 side, and this would be a step back from training with the first team at Viktoria Plzeň.[5] In late October 2023, with first-choice goalkeeper Jindřich Staněk ruled out due to concussion, Baier was named as a starter in Viktoria Plzeň's UEFA Europa Conference League tie against Croatian opposition Dinamo Zagreb. Viktoria's coach Miroslav Koubek, a former goalkeeper himself, decided that Baier would start following usual reserve goalkeeper Marián Tvrdoň's poor performance in the team's 3–0 loss to Slovan Liberec the previous week.[1][6]

Having kept a clean sheet in Viktoria's 1–0 win, he remained a starter for the next fixture - a Czech First League fixture against Karviná. Despite surprisingly losing the game 1–0, Baier was commended for his performance.[1] His next appearance would again come in the UEFA Europa Conference League, keeping a clean sheet in another 1–0 win, this time against Kosovan side Ballkani.[7]

International career

Baier has represented the Czech Republic from under-17 to under-19 level.[8]

Style of play

Standing at 2.01 m tall, Baier has earned comparisons to legendary Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech.[1]

Career statistics

Club

As of 12 December 2023.[9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Viktoria Plzeň B 2021–22 Czech National Football League 20––0020
2022–23 20––0020
2023–24 20––0020
Total 6000000060
Viktoria Plzeň 2023–24 Czech First League 101[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]00040
Career total 70102000100
Notes
  1. ↑ Appearances in the Czech Cup
  2. ↑ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hrabě, Stanislav (30 October 2023). "„Pořád si myslím, že je to sen." V brance Plzně roste velký talent" ["I still think it's a dream." Great talent is growing in the Plzeň goal] (in Czech). Seznam Zprávy. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Viktor Baier: Brankářský talent z Příbrami nakukuje do světa velkého fotbalu" [Viktor Baier: Goalkeeping talent from Příbram peeks into the world of big football]. pribram.cz (in Czech). 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Mladý Gólman Viktor Baier absolvuje v Argentině kemp s Bayernem Mnichov" [Young Goalkeeper Viktor Baier will attend a camp with Bayern Munich in Argentina] (in Czech). FC Viktoria Plzeň. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Soukup, Zdeněk (19 June 2023). "Mladého brankáře Viktorie si vybral Bayern do týmu světa pro kemp v Argentině" [The young Viktoria goalkeeper was selected by Bayern for the world team for the camp in Argentina] (in Czech). Plzeňský deník. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Viktor Baier je blízko podpisu smlouvy s Bayernem Mnichov" [Viktor Baier is close to signing a contract with Bayern Munich]. pribram.cz (in Czech). 1 August 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Bartoš, Jonáš (25 October 2023). "Odvážný tah? Plzeň si chystá talent (18): byl v Bayernu, má dva metry" [A bold move? Plzeň is preparing a talent (18): he was in Bayern, he is two meters tall]. isport.blesk.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Soukup, Zdeněk (1 December 2023). "Mladý fotbalový gólman Plzně oživil vzpomínky na legendárního Čecha" [The young football goalkeeper of Plzeň revived the memories of the legendary Czech] (in Czech). Plzeňský deník. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Viktor Baier at WorldFootball.net
  9. ↑ Viktor Baier at Soccerway
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