What does Martin Fenin’s football story look like? From Teplice to the top, then a rapid decline

Martin Fenin was one of the greatest Czech football talents for a time. He was a hero at the World Junior Championship, he had the interest of the leading European clubs and he had a promising career ahead of him. What turned his life upside down?

Thestart of his career in Teplice and the famous World Under-20 Championship

Martin Fenin was born on 16 April 1987 in Cheb, he spent his childhood in Teplice, where he also started playing football. He went through all youth categories with FK Teplice. He made his debut in the first team when he was 16 years old.

From his debut he gradually worked his way into the first team line-up until he settled there permanently. He was in the A-team of Teplice from 2003 to 2008.

In 2007, Martin Fenin had a very good showing at the World Under-20 Championship in Canada. The Czech national football team finished silver there, losing the final against Argentina. Fenin scored the opening goal in the final. Thanks to the successful championship, many European giants have shown interest in the Czech talent.

His career-ruining stint in Germany

Many leading European clubs were interested in transferring Martin Fenin. Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus were among them. However, the Czech youngster opted for a smaller team, choosing to play in the Bundesliga. At the beginning of 2008, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt.

Arsenal or Juventus could have been interesting destinations, but Fenin opted for a smaller move. Perhaps he was afraid that a move to a big club would slow down his development. However, his time at Frankfurt did not help his development and career either.

It all started fantastically. He scored a hat-trick in his first competitive match. It was Fenin’s first Bundesliga match, Frankfurt won 3-0 and he scored all the goals.

Frankfurt sent 120 million crowns to Teplice for the Czech striker and probably expected more for that kind of money. Apart from a great start, Fenin didn’t shine in Germany. In total, he played 90 games for Frankfurt and scored 15 goals.

During his time at Frankfurt he made several appearances for the Czech national football team. In 16 matches he scored three times. He scored one goal in a World Cup qualifier and two more in friendlies.

In 2011, he transferred to FC Energie Cottbus playing in the second German league. Apart from the famous fall out of the window that caused him to bleed into his brain, he hasn’t experienced anything major in Germany. Due to depression, he interrupted his career for a while.

He tried to restart his career in the Czech Republic

In January 2013, Martin Fenin joined SK Slavia Prague, where he was given the number 10 jersey. However, once again he did not live up to expectations. He played a total of 12 games for Slavia, but did not score any goals. In February 2014, he terminated his contract with the team.

He got help from his parent club in Teplice. He signed only an amateur contract there, but still made several appearances for the team. In the opening game after his return he managed to score a goal.

In 2014, he transferred to French side FC Istres. He played 8 matches and scored one goal. He did not prove himself in the team and the team terminated his contract. The same was the case at German Chemnitzer, where he played only two games.

End of career

After failures in France and Germany, Zbrojovka Brno showed interest in Martin Fenin. However, he did not convince the club’s management enough to offer him a contract.

In 2017, he started training with the second league FK Varnsdorf, where he spent the entire 2017/18 season. After this unsuccessful season, he finally ended his professional career.

However, he returned to football in 2020. He became a player of FK Řeporyje, which play in Prague’s I.A class.

Why didn’t he fulfil his talent?

When Martin Fenin transferred from Teplice, he decided not to go to a European big club to develop himself. However, he scored a hat-trick in his opening game in Frankfurt and fame quickly rose to his head.

He couldn’t handle the fame and his form gradually declined. He dropped out of the line-up and lost motivation to fight for a place in the starting line-up. He stopped trying in training and alcohol replaced football in his favourites. In Germany, he once set his apartment on fire while barbecuing and also fell out of a window due to depression, suffering a brain haemorrhage.

He overcame the depression and quit alcohol on the restart. However, his career failed to recover and he returned to alcohol. He now works only with the team in Řeporyje and is at peace with his career. He looks back on the past with a smile.

Sources used: Martin Fenin, Livesport