Vladimír Darida (born 8 August 1990) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Super League Greece club Aris Thessaloniki. He represented the Czech Republic national team between 2012 and 2021.

Club career

Early football career in the Czech Republic

Born in Plzeň, Darida came through at Viktoria Plzeň whilst also spending time on loan at FK Baník Sokolov in 2011.

SC Freiburg

In late summer 2013, Darida transferred to SC Freiburg for a transfer fee reported as four million Euros, joining up with his compatriots Pavel Krmaš and Václav Pilař. According to Viktoria Plzeň owner Tomáš Paclík, Freiburg paid 6.2 million Euros for Darida and a 30% share of the next transfer. On 24 October 2013, Darida debuted for SC Freiburg in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage match against Estoril Praia, scoring a goal in the 11th minute which ended in a 1–1 draw. The same year on 27 October, he made his Bundesliga debut in a 0–3 home defeat against Hamburger SV. On 2 November 2014, Darida scored a penalty for the only goal of the game away to 1. FC Köln to give the club their first win in their 10th game of the season, moving them out of the direct relegation places.

Hertha BSC

Darida signed for Hertha BSC following Freiburg's relegation ahead of the 2015–16 Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee, wearing number 6 shirt. He made an immediate impact for his club by scoring on his debut in the first round of DFB-Pokal against Arminia Bielefeld, which ended in a 2–0 victory. Darida got his first assist of the season through setting up Salomon Kalou in a 3–1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. On 27 September he got his first league goal of the season scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw away to Frankfurt.

Aris Thessaloniki

Darida signed for Aris Thessaloniki in December 2022.

International career

On 26 May 2012, Darida debuted for the Czech Republic national football team in a 2–1 friendly victory against Israel. Two days later, he was included in the Czech squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 to replace the injured defender Daniel Pudil. In the UEFA Euro 2012 quarter-final against Portugal, Darida earned his second international appearance as well as first in a competitive tournament, replacing the injured Tomáš Rosický before coming off as a substitute after 61 minutes for Jan Rezek, ending in a 1–0 loss for the Czechs. Darida was included in the Czech Republic squad for UEFA Euro 2020, serving as captain, after which he retired from international football as he wanted to focus on spending time with his family. Tomáš Souček was named as his successor as national team captain.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Viktoria Plzeň Czech Republic Individual