Jakub Jankto

Jakub Jankto (pronounced [ˈjakup ˈjaŋkto]; born 19 January 1996) is a Czech professional footballer who plays 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.

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 (age 29)
Place of birth	Prague, Czech Republic
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder, full-back
Team information
Current team	Cagliari
Number	21
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–	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, correct as of 9 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:39, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

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.^[2]

Club career

Jankto signed for Udinese from Slavia Prague in 2014 for a reported fee of €700,000.^[3] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[4] On 12 August 2018, Jankto scored on his debut for Sampdoria in a 1–0 Coppa Italia win against Viterbese.^[5] Sampdoria later made the transfer permanent.^[6]

On 20 August 2021, Jankto signed a two-year contract with La Liga club Getafe CF.^[7][8] On 10 August of the following year, he returned to his home country after joining Sparta Prague on a one-year loan deal.^[9]

On 15 July 2023, Jankto signed a two-year contract with option with Serie A club Cagliari.^[10][11] Jankto made his debut with Cagliari on August 21, 2023 in a 0-0 draw against Torino FC. On March 3, 2024, Jankto scored his first goal for Cagliari in a 1-0 win against Empoli FC.

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).^[12] The same year on 22 March, he debuted against the former opponent with his first goal that ended in a 3-0 victory.^[13]

Personal life

Jankto was in a relationship with model Markéta Ottomanská and had a son.^[14][15] They separated in 2021.^[16]

On 13 February 2023, Jankto publicly came out as gay in a social media statement,^[2] becoming the first active senior international men's footballer to do so.^[17][18][19] Jankto's move received support from football clubs, footballers and other athletes.^[20][21]

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.^[22][23] He also drove without a driver's licence, which had been taken away by the authorities earlier in 2023.^[24][25] In response, club management initiated a meeting with Jankto, and it was decided that he will not participate in training sessions with the First Team.^[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 March 2024^[6]

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		90	8	7	1	97	9
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	15	1	2	0	17	1
Career total			233	24	16	3	249	27

1. Includes Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey, Czech Cup

International

As of match played 5 June 2022^[27]

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^[27]

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

Club

Sparta Prague

• Czech First League: 2022–23^[28]

References

1. "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 258" [Official Statement No. 258] (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 9 July 2020. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
2. "Czech footballer Jakub Jankto comes out as gay". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
3. "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. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
4. "Jankto joins Samp on initial loan deal". U.C. Sampdoria. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
5. "Sampdoria vs. Viterbese Castrense 1–0". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
6. "J. Jankto". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
7. "Comunicado Oficial | Jakub Jankto" [Official Announcement | Jakub Jankto]. Getafe CF (in Spanish). 20 August 2021.
8. "Jakub Jankto: Getafe's on-loan midfielder comes out as gay in social media announcement". Eurosport. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
9. "Comunicado Oficial (2) | Jakub Jankto" [Official Announcement (2) | Jakub Jankto]. Getafe CF (in Spanish). 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
10. "Jankto se vrací do Serie A, podepsal s ligovým nováčkem". Sport.cz (in Czech). Právo. Czech News Agency. 15 July 2023.
11. Campanale, Susy (8 July 2023). "Jankto returning to Serie A for Cagliari". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
12. "Nominace na Litvu a San Marino: Poprvé Jankto". Football Association of the Czech Republic (in Czech). 14 March 2017.
13. "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.
14. 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.
15. "Who is Markéta Ottomanská ex-girlfriend of Jakub Jankto, her son and Instagram?". The SportsGrail. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
16. 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.
17. Foster, Matt (13 February 2023). "Czech footballer Jakub Jankto becomes first active international men's player to announce he is gay". CNN.
18. "Il calciatore Jakub Jankto ha detto di essere gay". Il Post (in Italian). 13 February 2023.
19. ""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.
20. Neumann, Robert (13 February 2023). "Respekt, brácho! Stojíme při tobě! Kluby, sportovci i média vyjadřují Janktovi sympatie". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis.
21. "Football world supports Jakub Jankto after he comes out as gay". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
22. Zemen, Jiří (18 April 2023). "Fotbalista Jankto měl řídit pod vlivem. Test na drogy odmítl". PrahaIN (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2023.
23. "Traffic incident sidelines Czech footballer Jankto". Associated Press. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
24. 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.
25. "Czech footballer Jankto suspended after refusing drug test". Punch Newspapers (in Czech). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
26. "Jakub Jankto apart from the First Team". AC Sparta Prague (Press release). 19 April 2023.
27. "Jakub Jankto". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
28. "Sparta v euforii! Remíza na Slovácku odstartovala mistrovské oslavy". Sport.cz (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.

External links

• Jakub Jankto – Czech First League statistics at Fotbal DNES (in Czech)
• Jakub Jankto at FAČR (in Czech)
• Jakub Jankto at Soccerway