Jakub Holúbek returned to his hometown club in the summer following spells with MŠK Žilina and Ekstraklasa side Piast Gliwice.
When Jakub Holúbek’s contract expired last summer, it marked the end of his five-year spell in Poland. The left-back had an enjoyable stay in the Ekstraklasa, playing 103 times for Piast Gliwice, but his native Slovakia beckoned. For Holúbek, there was only one real option: a return to his hometown club AS Trenčín.
The decision was as quick as it was easy.
“The only offer at that time was from Trenčín and I didn’t want to risk waiting for another offer,” said Holúbek. “The second factor was my desire to play for Trenčín again.”
Beyond Trenčín being his hometown, AS Trenčín was where Holúbek first broke onto the Slovak soccer scene. He was just 20 when he made his first team debut, playing all ninety minutes against Slovan Bratislava, the record champions of the Slovak top flight. Two months later, he would score his first professional goal, also against Bratislava — a powerful, well-hit volley.
For the next five seasons, Holúbek would be a regular on the left side for the club. He would prove to be a creative threat, scoring 22 goals and assisting 19. During that time, he also helped the club win the league — then called the Fortuna liga — twice. The first, in the 2014/15 season, was the club’s first-ever title, and they repeated the feat a year later as the club recorded an incredible 81 points, finishing twelve points clear of second-placed Slovan Bratislava.
Holúbek would leave Trenčín that summer, joining fellow Slovak Niké Liga side MŠK Žilina, widely regarded as one of the best clubs in the country. Despite switching clubs, he won his third consecutive league title, while his previous club slumped to fourth. His debut saw him face off against none other than Trenčín, where he would come off the bench and score.
Shortly after joining Žilina, Holúbek earned his first appearance for the Slovak national team after coming on as a substitute in a World Cup qualifying loss to Slovenia in October 2016. In the next qualifying match, he would start for the first time, assisting Slovakia’s second in a 3-0 win over Scotland. He would earn ten caps throughout his career, with the most recent of those coming in 2022.
“For any athlete, artist or any industry, representing your country is the greatest honor,” Holúbek said. “I also regret not having played more matches for the national team.”
Holúbek spent three years in Žilina, making a total of 74 appearances — an amount limited by injury issues throughout his time with the club. In 2019, he would fall just short of winning some parting silverware, losing the Slovak Cup final to Spartak Trnava on penalties. Holúbek was the only Žilina player to score his penalty. Just one month later, he signed for Piast Gliwice in Poland’s Ekstraklasa.
Piast Gliwice had undergone a rapid change of fortunes. In the 2017/18 season, they were one of the worst sides in the Ekstraklasa, finishing a single point above relegation. The following season, they would nearly double their point tally, winning the league for the first time in their history. This meant that Piast also would be participating in the Champions League if they could advance through qualifiers. Spoiler: they could not.
Unfortunately for the Slovak international, his first season in Poland would not go entirely to plan. His first game — and first chance to win a trophy in Poland — was in the Superpuchar, the Polish Super Cup, where he would start as Piast lost 3-1 to Lechia Gdańsk. Piast would then be eliminated in quick succession from Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, with Holúbek not in the squad for the latter.
Just months later, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the Ekstraklasa season, both derailing Piast’s title chase and limiting Holúbek’s chances. The next season, however, would be different, with Holúbek cementing his place as a crucial starter as the club finished fourth. They would also reach the semi-finals of the Polish Cup, losing on penalties to Arka Gdynia.
Holúbek would continue to play a major role the following season, starting regularly as Piast finished fifth in the league. His role would soon shrink as he started only seven games, and eight in his last with the club. He did, however, enter the club’s history books in his final season, as he is one of just 32 players to make more than 100 appearances for the club.
“I am proud to have been a part of Piast Gliwice, so I will only remember this period in the best possible way,” Holúbek said. “My only regret is that I didn’t manage to win a trophy because we were very close to it twice.”
This season, Holúbek has been getting to grips with a much-changed Niké Liga. Since he last played in the league, Slovak soccer has grown significantly, qualifying for two European Championships — coming seconds away from upsetting England in the Round of 16 in the 2024 edition. The league has also developed some stars, with Andraž Šporar becoming their new record sale after his €6 million move to Sporting CP.
“The quality of the league has definitely improved, especially in terms of stadium infrastructure,” said Holúbek. “The only thing that hasn’t changed is the interest of football fans.”
That is not entirely true. There is one more thing that has not changed.
March 9, 2025. AS Trenčín are playing MFK Zemplín Michalovce in the first match of the relegation stage of the Niké Liga. After just four minutes, Trenčín find themselves down 1-0. A loss would leave them tied with MFK Ružomberok on 20 points — and just ahead of them in the relegation play-off on goal differential.
Twenty-five minutes later, Holúbek scored to level things up with a well-timed header. Shortly after, Trenčín would take the lead, but, with just eight minutes left, it looked like Michalovce had stolen a late equalizer. That was, until the 93rd minute, when Holúbek pounced on a loose ball into the box, firing home a dramatic winner and giving Trenčín a crucial three points.
Much has changed about the Slovak Niké Liga in recent years. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that, fourteen years after he first made his debut, Jakub Holúbek is still coming in clutch for AS Trenčín.
