In February 2017, Matej Hradecký, a promising midfielder at SJK Seinäjoki in Finland’s top flight, suffered a devastating knee injury. A Finland international, and recent trialist with 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC, this injury threatened to completely derail his career. The Veikkausliiga, Finland’s top tier, hadn’t even started, yet he would miss the entire season.
He wouldn’t return to the pitch for another two and a half years.
When Hradecký finally did return, it wouldn’t be in the top flight. After rejoining his hometown club Turun Palloseura, better known as TPS, the midfielder finally was able to play again, being subbed on in the 60th minute against FC Haka. He would score a late goal in a fitting show of his determination to come back to full strength.
Recovering from injury, says Hradecký, was “the hardest thing I’ve faced in my career. There are so many people who helped me in that process. My family helped me a lot and of course, [physiotherapist] JP Malka, who was the guy behind everything.”
Transfers and Position Change
Of course, a lot would change as a result of the injury. Two and a half years away from the game meant that he would have to take a step back, and his return to the field with TPS would come in the second tier. He would eventually help his side to a second-place finish before moving back to the top flight with SJK and then Helsingfors IFK, where he would move from midfield to center-back.
While a position change can be difficult, it’s worked out well for Hradecký. He’s a giant at 6’4” — taller than his goalkeeper brother Lukáš — and his aerial presence, already valuable in midfield, is one he can utilize more in defense. His on-the-ball abilities, which he lists as a strength, make him valuable in possession, and he’s strong in defense as well. Another strength of his? Spice tolerance, apparently.
Now in his new role, Hradecký would return to SJK yet again, enjoying two seasons and playing Europa League qualifiers with the side. When he finally left for Slovakia, he had made 118 appearances for SJK in three separate spells, winning the Finnish Cup and captaining the club.
Move to Slovakia
In January 2024, Hradecký made a move abroad for the first time, signing for MFK Skalica in the Niké Liga, Slovakia’s top flight.
“There was an opportunity to go to Slovakia and in that time, it felt like a right step in my career,” explains Hradecký. “Then one friend who played with Tomas [Hradecký] in Bohemians also said it’s a good step, so now we are here.”
Matej Hradecký is familiar with Slovakia, to say the least. He is of Slovak descent through his father, and brother Lukáš was born in Bratislava, now present-day Slovakia. But while his brothers have both played in foreign leagues — Tomas in the Czech Republic and Lukáš in Denmark and Germany — Matej hadn’t, at least not until he joined Skalica.
Skalica had been promoted just two years earlier and enjoyed a solid first season back in the Niké liga, finishing nine points clear of relegation. When Hradecký joined midway through the following season, they were again trying to stay in the top flight, heading to the Relegation Group.
After 22 games — with every team playing each other twice — the league splits into a Championship Group, where teams fight for the title and European spots, and the Relegation Group, which is just what the name implies. The top six teams head to the Championship Group, while the bottom six head to the Relegation Group. Every team plays only the teams in their group twice, adding the points total to what they had in the normal league stage.
The idea is that teams play teams closer to their level and scenarios, preventing top teams from being flat-track bullies (beating up on smaller teams but failing to beat top teams) and giving struggling teams a chance to fight against teams on their level.
Club and National Team
The Finnish center-back and the rest of the team found their form in the Relegation Group. They would win five of their last ten games to finish with forty points: a comfortable thirteen above the drop. Hradecký scored twice during that time, surprisingly not headers but well-placed rebounds, including a winner on the final day of the season.
This season hasn’t been quite so successful yet. As of writing, Skalica currently sits last in the league with twelve points from sixteen games — although in the tightly contested Niké liga, the club is also only a few games back from reaching the Championship Group. Despite the club’s current form, Hradecký has a positive mindset about his time in Slovakia and with Skalica.
“I have been enjoying it very much,” says Hradecký. “New experiences and a change of scenery are a good thing.”
This move also gives him a chance to find his way back into the national team. Hradecký has two caps, both before his injury and before his move to center-back, but the growing strength of the Finnish national team makes it harder and harder for players in the Veikkausliiga to get into the squad. The move to the stronger Niké liga potentially opens a door for his return.
Hradecký aims to return to the Finnish national team, which qualified for their first-ever major tournament in 2020 when they reached the European Championship. At the same time, he’s already achieved the goal that so many people have by representing his national team, both at youth and senior levels — and he was just 20 years old when he debuted at senior level.
“Of course I felt proud,” says Hradecký. “Not many people have the opportunity to play for their country.”
Family Matters
The Hradecký family is part of a rare club: brothers who have both played for their national team. According to Transfermarkt, just 115 brother pairs have played more combined international appearances than Matej and his brother Lukáš. In history.
The three Hradeckýs have had very successful careers. In addition to Matej, Tomas had spells with successful Finnish clubs like SJK (and the brilliantly named FC Santa Claus) and Czech side Bohemians, while Lukáš starts in goal for Bayer Leverkusen. Yes, the same invincible Leverkusen that seemed to have all of Europe in its clutches until a thrashing at the hands of Atalanta. It’s no coincidence that Lukáš wasn’t in goal that day for the club’s first and only loss of the season.
So do their achievements and competitiveness as brothers push each other to be better? The answer is a resounding yes.
“We played every sport you can imagine when we were young and you didn’t want to lose because then you would hear about that for the rest of the week,” says Hradecký. “I think that’s why we are where we are.”
But while Matej has played alongside his brother Tomas on two separate occasions — with SJK and TPS — he somehow has never played with Lukáš. He’s played with many of Finland’s current stars like Teemu Pukki, Jesse Joronen, Joel Pohjanpalo, and Glen Kamara, but not Lukáš — something he wants to correct.
“One of the dreams is that I still get to play with Lukáš. If it’s the national team or somewhere else, I don’t know.”
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All images proved by MFK Skalica. This article has been edited for brevity & clarity so it’s easier to read. All statistics are via Transfermarkt unless otherwise specified.
