Jakub Jankto

Jakub Jankto
Jankto playing for Czech Republic in 2019
Personal information
Full name Jakub Jankto[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-19) 19 January 1996
Place of birth Prague, Czech Republic
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, full-back
Youth career
2002–2014 Slavia Prague
2014–2015 Udinese
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 Udinese 65 (9)
2015–2016 → Ascoli (loan) 34 (5)
2018–2019 → Sampdoria (loan) 25 (0)
2019–2021 Sampdoria 65 (8)
2021–2023 Getafe 14 (0)
2022–2023 → Sparta Prague (loan) 15 (1)
2023–2025 Cagliari 18 (1)
International career‡
2012 Czech Republic U17 2 (0)
2014 Czech Republic U18 7 (8)
2014–2015 Czech Republic U19 6 (0)
2015 Czech Republic U20 4 (1)
2016–2017 Czech Republic U21 7 (3)
2017–2022 Czech Republic 45 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2024
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:39, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

Jakub Jankto (pronounced [ˈjakup ˈjaŋkto]; born 19 January 1996) is a Czech professional footballer who last played for Serie A club Cagliari, and the Czech Republic national team. A versatile player, Jankto can play as a full-back, left midfielder or left winger.

Jankto came out as gay in a social media post in 2023, making him the first active male international footballer to come out as gay.[3]

Club career

Jankto signed for Udinese from Slavia Prague in 2014 for a reported fee of €700,000.[4] Without making his league debut for the team, he went on loan to Serie B side Ascoli in 2015, debuting on 15 September in a Serie B 1–0 home win against Virtus Entella.

On 6 July 2018, Sampdoria announced that Jankto had joined the club on an initial loan deal with an obligation to make the transfer permanent for €15 million.[5] On 12 August 2018, Jankto scored on his debut for Sampdoria in a 1–0 Coppa Italia win against Viterbese.[6] Sampdoria later made the transfer permanent.[7]

On 20 August 2021, Jankto signed a two-year contract with La Liga club Getafe CF.[8][9] The following year on 10 August, he returned to his homeland after joining Sparta Prague on a one-year loan deal.[10]

On 15 July 2023, Jankto signed a two-year contract with option with Serie A club Cagliari.[11][12] He made his debut with Cagliari on 21 August 2023 in a goalless draw against Torino FC. On 3 March 2024, he scored his first goal for Cagliari in a 1–0 victory against Empoli.

International career

In March 2017, Jankto received his first call-up by coach Karel Jarolím to the Czech senior squad for two matches against Lithuania (friendly) and San Marino (2018 FIFA World Cup qualification).[13] The same year on 22 March, he debuted against the former opponent with his first goal that ended in a 3–0 victory.[14]

Personal life

Jankto was in a relationship with model Markéta Ottomanská and had a son.[15][16] They separated in 2021.[17]

On 13 February 2023, Jankto publicly came out as gay in a social media statement,[3] becoming the first active senior international men's footballer to do so.[18][19][20] Jankto's move received support from football clubs, footballers and other athletes.[21][22]

On 18 April 2023, Jankto was stopped by police near the Sparta Prague Strahov training center. He submitted to a breath test behind the wheel of his vehicle, but refused to take a drug test and a medical examination.[23][24] He also drove without a driver's licence, which had been taken away by the authorities earlier in 2023.[25][26] In response, club management initiated a meeting with Jankto, and it was decided that he would not participate in training sessions with the first team.[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2025[7]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ascoli (loan) 2015–16 Serie B 34 5 1 0 35 5
Udinese 2016–17 Serie A 29 5 1 0 30 5
2017–18 36 4 3 2 39 6
Total 65 9 4 2 69 11
Sampdoria (loan) 2018–19 Serie A 25 0 3 1 28 1
Sampdoria 2019–20 Serie A 30 2 1 0 31 2
2020–21 35 6 2 0 37 6
2021–22 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 65 8 4 0 69 8
Getafe 2021–22 La Liga 14 0 1 0 15 0
Sparta Prague (loan) 2022–23 Czech First League 15 1 1 0 16 1
Cagliari 2023–24 Serie A 18 1 2 0 20 1
Career total 236 24 16 3 252 27

International

As of match played 5 June 2022[28]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Czech Republic 2017 10 1
2018 7 1
2019 9 1
2020 4 0
2021 11 1
2022 4 0
Total 45 4
Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jankto goal.
List of international goals scored by Jakub Jankto[28]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 22 March 2017 Městský stadion, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic  Lithuania 2–0 3–0 Friendly
2 15 November 2018 Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland  Poland 1–0 1–0 Friendly
3 10 June 2019 Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czech Republic  Montenegro 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
4 24 March 2021 Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland  Estonia 6–1 6–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Sparta Prague

References

  1. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 258" [Official Statement No. 258] (PDF) (in Italian). Serie A. 9 July 2020. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ https://cagliaricalcio.com/giocatore/jakub-jankto
  3. ^ a b "Czech footballer Jakub Jankto comes out as gay". Deutsche Welle. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Jankto nikdy nehrál ligu, teď jde slávistický talent za miliony do Udine" [Jankto has never played in the league, now the Slavia talent goes to Udine for millions]. Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). 16 July 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Jankto joins Samp on initial loan deal". U.C. Sampdoria. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Sampdoria vs. Viterbese Castrense 1–0". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. ^ a b "J. Jankto". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Comunicado Oficial | Jakub Jankto" [Official Announcement | Jakub Jankto]. Getafe CF (in Spanish). 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Jakub Jankto: Getafe's on-loan midfielder comes out as gay in social media announcement". Eurosport. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Comunicado Oficial (2) | Jakub Jankto" [Official Announcement (2) | Jakub Jankto]. Getafe CF (in Spanish). 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Jankto se vrací do Serie A, podepsal s ligovým nováčkem". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Czech News Agency. 15 July 2023.
  12. ^ Campanale, Susy (8 July 2023). "Jankto returning to Serie A for Cagliari". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Nominace na Litvu a San Marino: Poprvé Jankto" (in Czech). Football Association of the Czech Republic. 14 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Jankto, nováček bez ostychu: Cítím formu, snad jsem si řekl o místo" [Jankto, a rookie without shame: I feel the form, maybe I claimed a place]. Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). Mafra. 23 March 2017.
  15. ^ Rizvi, Mohamed (13 February 2023). "Jakub Jankto Comes Out As Gay: Ex-girlfriend Marketa Ottomanska Cleans Up Social Media". Sports Manor. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Who is Markéta Ottomanská ex-girlfriend of Jakub Jankto, her son and Instagram?". The SportsGrail. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  17. ^ Sandeep, Saha (14 February 2023). ""I Don't Care About Our Past Anymore", Jakub Jankto's Ex-girlfriend Speaks Out Following Recent Announcement". Sports Manor. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  18. ^ Foster, Matt (13 February 2023). "Czech footballer Jakub Jankto becomes first active international men's player to announce he is gay". CNN.
  19. ^ "Il calciatore Jakub Jankto ha detto di essere gay". Il Post (in Italian). 13 February 2023.
  20. ^ ""I no longer want to hide": Jakub Jankto, Czech international, comes out as gay". The Guardian. 13 February 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  21. ^ Neumann, Robert (13 February 2023). "Respekt, brácho! Stojíme při tobě! Kluby, sportovci i média vyjadřují Janktovi sympatie". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis.
  22. ^ Jiwani, Rory (13 February 2023). "Football world supports Jakub Jankto after he comes out as gay". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  23. ^ Zemen, Jiří (18 April 2023). "Fotbalista Jankto měl řídit pod vlivem. Test na drogy odmítl". PrahaIN (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Traffic incident sidelines Czech footballer Jankto". Associated Press. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  25. ^ Vaculík, Radim; Dosadil, Pavel (19 April 2023). "Jankto mimo tým! Moje zdraví a mentální rozpoložení mi nedovolí pokračovat, reagoval hráč". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Czech footballer Jankto suspended after refusing drug test". Punch Newspapers (in Czech). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Jakub Jankto apart from the First Team". AC Sparta Prague (Press release). 19 April 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Jakub Jankto". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Sparta v euforii! Remíza na Slovácku odstartovala mistrovské oslavy". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Czech News Agency. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.