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Samuel Mráz

Samuel Mráz (born 13 May 1997) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a forward for Polish club Motor Lublin.

Club career

Senica

Mráz started his football career at hometown club ŠK Malacky, before first moving to TJ Záhoran Kostolište and later to the youth academy of Senica. In July 2013, Scottish club Celtic showed their interest in him, but in the end he chose to stay in Senica. In February 2014, he won a poll for Best Athlete in the City of Senica in 2013 in the collective category of under-17s.

Mráz made his professional debut for Senica against AS Trenčín on 12 April 2014 as a starter, before being substituted in the 62nd minute. That year, he was in the starting lineup eight times under head coach Pavel Hapal. On 30 June 2014, he signed a new contract with the team until the end of the 2016–17 season. He scored his first goal for Senica that season in a league match 28 November 2014; a regional derby against Spartak Trnava, which ended in a 1–1 draw. On 25 February 2015, was awarded Best Athlete in the City of 2014 in the under-19 collective category. He made 15 appearances that year.

Empoli

On 19 July 2018, Mráz joined newly promoted Serie A team Empoli. Empoli's coach Aurelio Andreazzoli fielded Mráz for his first league fixture on 26 August 2018, against Genoa in a 2-1 defeat. Mráz came on in 77th minute for Antonino La Gumina. He also became the first Slovak to score in his Serie A debut, when he scored against Federico Marchetti in the 94th minute, after a cross from Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

On 30 September 2018, he was selected in the starting XI of a game in Italy for the first time. He played 60 minutes of the game against Parma, which Empoli lost 0-1.

Loan to Crotone

On 30 January 2019, Mráz joined Serie B club Crotone on loan until 30 June 2019. On 10 February, he made his debut in a home match against Verona while scoring his first goal for I Rossoblu two weeks later in a 3–0 home win over Palermo.

Loan to Brøndby

In August 2019, Mráz moved to Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF on a one-season loan while his new club secured an option to sign him on a permanent basis. On 1 September 2019, he made his Superliga debut for Brøndby as a substitute in a 0–1 loss against FC Midtjylland. Mostly a substitute through the fall of the 2019–20 season, Mráz made two subsequent starts during regular forward Kamil Wilczek's two-match suspension. In the second fixture, a league match against Esbjerg fB, Mráz scored a brace to secure a 2–1 home win and thereby helped consolidate Brøndby's third position in the league table.

After Wilczek left in January 2020, Mráz made more appearances and scored his first goal of the new decade on 23 January in a 2–3 loss to AaB. On 30 June 2020, Mráz and teammate Simon Hedlund tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic, ruling them out for at least a week. He left the club at the end of the season with 23 appearances and five goals to his name, as his loan deal expired.

Loan to Zagłębie Lubin

On 13 August 2020, Mráz joined Polish Ekstraklasa club Zagłębie Lubin on a season-long loan with an option to buy. He made his debut as a starter on 21 August in 2–1 home win over Lech Poznań, before being substituted in the 67th minute for Rok Sirk. On 7 December, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 home draw against Piast Gliwice.

Spezia

On 9 August 2021, after his loan with Zagłębie Lubin ended, Mráz moved to Serie A club Spezia on a permanent deal, signing a three-year contract. He made his debut on 13 August in a Coppa Italia match against Pordenone. On 23 August, he made his first league appearance for the club as a substitute in the 69th minute for Emmanuel Gyasi in a 2–2 draw against Cagliari.

Loan to Slovan Bratislava

On 2 September 2021, Slovan announced the signing of Mráz on a one-year loan with a subsequent option for a permanent transfer. The move occurred less than a month after his signing with Spezia. Slovan had signed him to increase the internal competition ahead of Europa Conference League group stage as well as domestic duties and to allow Mráz to regain the form, which earned his initial transfer to Serie A.

Loan to Mirandés

On 1 September 2022, Mráz moved on a season-long loan to Mirandés in Spain. He made his debut for the club two days later, replacing Roberto López in the 81st minute of a 3–0 league loss to Villarreal B. The loan was terminated early on 24 January 2023.

Loan to Anorthosis Famagusta

On 24 January 2023, Mráz moved onto another loan, this time to Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta.

Volos

On 7 July 2023, Mráz moved to Super League Greece club Volos. On 30 November 2023, Volos announced the mutual termination of Mráz's contract. During his brief tenure, marked by only three appearances, he failed to make a significant impact during his time at the club.

Motor Lublin

On 12 February 2024, Mráz returned to Poland to join I liga side Motor Lublin, signing a deal until the end of the season, with an option for another year. He scored six goals in sixteen appearances, as Motor went on to win the 2023–24 I liga promotion play-offs and returned to the Ekstraklasa after 32 years of absence. On 6 June 2024, his contract was extended for a further year.

International career

Mráz has played for every national team youth team from the U15 team through the U21 team.

Mráz was first called up to Slovakia's senior national team on 2 October 2018 by the coach Ján Kozák for matches against Czech Republic (a part of 2018–19 UEFA Nations League) and a friendly against Sweden later in October. However, Mráz was also an alternate for friendly games against the Netherlands, Morocco, Denmark and Slovakia's first UEFA Nations League match against Ukraine. Nonetheless Kozák faced questions from the press and criticism from the fans on social media for not calling Mráz up earlier in the year, especially for May/June fixture, as Mráz became the top scorer in the finishing Fortuna Liga season.

Mráz, however, did not debut under Kozák. Slovakia's most successful coach resigned on 14 October 2018 after a 1–2 derby match loss to Czech Republic. Nonetheless, he debuted on 16 October 2018 in a 1–1 draw in Solna against Sweden, in a game managed by caretaker manager Štefan Tarkovič, coming on as a substitute for Adam Nemec in the 71st minute.