Karabec named new captain of Prague's Sparta

Prague's Sparta have officially unveiled their new team captain — 22-year-old midfielder Adam Karabec. He first wore the armband last Saturday in the match against Artis, where he converted a penalty that sealed the club's 4:0 win, though at the time no decision on permanent captaincy had yet been made.

"Kara is a Sparta product who came through our academy, and the club mentality runs in his blood. Over the past two seasons at Hamburg and Lyon he clearly matured, and he's come back a more grown-up player and person. Despite his young age, he's already played a great many matches for Sparta and is part of the core group we want to build around. The captain's armband is a logical result of his journey," said the first team's sporting director, Tomáš Sivok.

A change of leadership after summer departures

This summer Sparta bid farewell to several key players from recent seasons. Lukáš Haraslín, who had worn the captain's armband since last season, moved to a club in Saudi Arabia. His deputy, Asger Sørensen, who took over the armband for a few matches, left for a Copenhagen club. As a result, coach Brian Priske's side found itself in a transitional period with no clarity over who would become the next captain.

"Every club needs a captain and its own leaders. When Šuly and Asgi left us in this transfer window, we had to rebuild the whole leadership group from scratch and find a new leader who would guide not just the team, but in a sense the whole club," the Sparta boss said of the decision.

From uncertainty to the armband

At the start of pre-season, Karabec's future at Sparta was still an open question — he had spent the previous two seasons on loan at Hamburg and Lyon. In the end, he stayed at the club and took on a key role in central midfield.

Karabec made his first-team debut for Sparta in February 2020, at just 16 years old. Since then he has played 148 matches for the club, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists. His trophy cabinet already includes two Czech league titles and a MOL Cup triumph.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz