Kinsky's composed debut drew comparisons with Czech legend Petr Cech.
21-year-old Czech goalkeeper Antonín Kinský captured the hearts of the goalkeeping world when he was video celebrating with his family following a debut 1-0 victory and clean sheet over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Semi-Final first leg.
‘That was my sister,’ he explained, speaking to the Tottenham Hotspur website. ‘She has supported me all the way through, for 21 years, and I’m so grateful that I have her. There have been many ups and downs, and I always had the goal to get to such a club and play these games.
'Sometimes it wasn’t looking good and there were some problems that everyone has, but she was the one always by my side, supporting me, and I hope she enjoyed this.’
Kinský had only joined Tottenham Hotspur from Slavia Prague in a deal worth £12.5 million three days earlier, and showed a calmness and solidity beyond his years - and time in North London - against the Reds.
But who is the Czech shot-stopper who has already staked a claim as strong competition for Spurs’ number one Guglielmo Vicario?
Born on March 13, 2003, in Prague, Czech Republic, Kinský has risen through the ranks to become one of Europe's most promising young goalkeepers.
Kinský is the son of former Czech international goalkeeper Antonín Kinský Sr. whose career included a league title with FC Slovan Liberec and recognition as the Russian Premier League's best goalkeeper in 2007. The younger Kinský has been compared to former Chelsea number one Petr Čech.
Kinský began his football journey with local clubs FC Tempo Prague, Bohemians 1905, and FK Dukla Prague. He made his senior debut with Dukla in July 2020 before signing for Slavia Prague in July 2021. Initially part of Slavia's B team, he gained experience with loan spells at MFK Vyškov and FK Pardubice, where he showcased his shot-stopping abilities and composure under pressure.
During the 2024/25 season, Kinský returned to Slavia Prague as the first-choice goalkeeper, delivering exceptional performances that included 14 clean sheets in 29 appearances across domestic and European competitions. His impressive form earned him call-ups to the Czech Republic senior national team for UEFA Nations League fixtures in October and November 2024.
Spurs secured Kinský's services within only days of the January window opening, signing him on a lengthy contract to 2031. The move was expedited due to an ankle injury to Spurs' first-choice goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario. Reports have suggested that Kinský's ball-playing skills and composure stood out for Spurs and manager Ange Postecoglou.
Kinský’s debut for Spurs on January 8th the league cup was undeniably promising. The Czech goalkeeper made a string of important saves against Arne Slot’s side.
After his debut, Kinský expressed his elation, stating, ‘this is the best night of my life’ in an interview with the club. Postecoglou praised Kinský's performance, noting that his assured presence provided much-needed stability to the injury-hit Spurs defense.
Kinský revealed his assured ball-playing display was in part thanks to his work so far with goalkeeper coach Rob Burch, whilst also thanking his team-mates for helping him to settle in so quickly.
‘To be honest, I like to play a lot [with the ball at my feet] – I would say I play with confidence, but I don’t like to risk, because I still feel there is a difference between playing smart and playing with confidence and playing with risk. The goalkeeper coach spoke to me a lot and gave me the vision on what the games look like, so that helped me a lot to have this information and I could t work with it’ he continued.
“I arrived three days ago, I had two training sessions with the team, one with the goalkeeper coach, so I was slowly getting to know the pace.The first half was so-so, but in the second half I felt confident, and this is the way I want to play. I have to say the boys helped me a lot in the game because they wanted to play, they were confident.’
Kinsky has also brought a new goalkeeper glove brand to the Premier League. This brand is called UPgloves and is based in the Czech Republic.
