Erik Jirka

Erik Jirka
Jirka with Real Oviedo in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-09-19) 19 September 1997
Place of birth Trnava, Slovakia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 GKS Katowice
Number 97
Youth career
2005–2016 Spartak Trnava
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Spartak Trnava 76 (12)
2019–2021 Red Star Belgrade 6 (0)
2019 → Radnički Niš (loan) 16 (4)
2020 → Górnik Zabrze (loan) 17 (4)
2020–2021 → Mirandés (loan) 32 (5)
2021–2022 Oviedo 19 (0)
2022–2024 Viktoria Plzeň 61 (10)
2025–2026 Piast Gliwice 32 (5)
2026– GKS Katowice 16 (1)
International career
2015–2016 Slovakia U18 5 (0)
2017 Slovakia U19 6 (1)
2017–2018 Slovakia U21 11 (1)
2021–2023 Slovakia 10 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:24, 12 August 2026 (UTC)

Erik Jirka (born 19 September 1997) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ekstraklasa club GKS Katowice.[2]

Club career

Spartak Trnava

Jirka is a product of the Spartak Trnava youth academy. During the spring round of the 2013–14 season, he was included in the Spartak B team. On 25 May 2014, in the 32nd round of the 2nd League match against FK Pohronie, he made his senior debut.[3] In the 2014–15 season, he was registered as a first-team player, although he mainly played for the reserves. On 8 November 2014, he made his debut for Spartak's first team in an away 0–0 draw against MFK Ružomberok, coming on off the bench in stoppage time for Ján Vlasko.[4] On 18 April 2015, he scored his first goal for Spartak B in the 3rd round of the 2nd League match against FK Pohronie, which was also his first goal at senior level.[5] In the 2016–17 season, he became a full first-team player. On 14 July 2016, in an away match in the second qualifying round of the Europa League against Armenian club Shirak Gyumri, he scored his debut goal for the Spartak first team.[6] Shortly afterwards, on 31 July 2016, in an away match against MFK Ružomberok, which ended in a 1–1 draw, he recorded his first top-flight goal.[7][8] In the 2017–18 season, Jirka won the Slovak league title with Spartak.[9]

Red Star Belgrade

In September 2018, Jirka signed a four-year contract with Red Star Belgrade, effective from January 2019.[10]

Jirka made six league appearances and one cup appearance for Red Star during the second half of the 2018–19 season. The club won the Serbian SuperLiga title at the end of the campaign.

Loan to Radnički Niš

On 4 July 2019, Jirka and his Red Star teammate Dejan Meleg joined Radnički Niš on loan. The club had finished as runners-up in the previous Serbian league campaign and was preparing for the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League.[11]

He made 19 appearances in all competitions for Radnički, including 16 in the Serbian SuperLiga, and scored four goals. His loan was ended during the following winter transfer window.

Loan to Górnik Zabrze

In January 2020, Jirka moved to Poland, joining Górnik Zabrze on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season. The agreement included an option for Górnik to make the transfer permanent.[12][13]

Jirka made his Ekstraklasa debut for Górnik on 14 February 2020. He finished the campaign with 17 league appearances and four goals. Górnik did not exercise their option to purchase him, and he returned to Red Star after the season.

Loan to Mirandés

On 11 August 2020, Jirka joined Spanish Segunda División club CD Mirandés on a season-long loan. The agreement contained an option for a permanent transfer.[14]

He became a regular member of the team, making 32 league appearances and scoring five goals during the 2020–21 season. Mirandés finished tenth in the Segunda División.

Real Oviedo

After leaving Red Star, Jirka remained in Spain. On 17 July 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Real Oviedo, with an option for an additional season if specified objectives were achieved.[15][16]

During the 2021–22 season, Jirka made 19 league appearances, seven of them as a starter. He also scored in his only Copa del Rey appearance. On 9 August 2022, Oviedo announced that his contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.[17]

Viktoria Plzeň

On 11 August 2022, Jirka joined reigning Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň as a free agent, signing a three-year contract.[18][19]

He made eight appearances in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, including matches in a group containing FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. In October 2022, he scored his first two league goals for Viktoria in a 3–0 away victory against FC Zlín.[20]

During the following season, Jirka scored a stoppage-time penalty in a 2–1 Conference League qualifying victory over Drita, which secured Viktoria's progression to the next round. In November 2023, he scored both goals in a 2–1 away league victory against Slavia Prague.[21][22]

Jirka represented Viktoria in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. He left the club in December 2024 after making 83 competitive appearances, scoring eleven goals and providing nine assists.[23]

Piast Gliwice

On 30 December 2024, Jirka returned to Poland and signed for Piast Gliwice as a free agent. His contract ran until 31 May 2026 and included an option for an additional year.[24]

He made 16 appearances in all competitions during the second half of the 2024–25 season. During the autumn part of the following campaign, he became Piast's leading league goalscorer, scoring five times in 17 Ekstraklasa appearances. In total, he played 36 competitive matches for Piast and scored five goals.[25]

GKS Katowice

On 12 January 2026, Jirka transferred permanently from Piast to GKS Katowice. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, valid until June 2028, with an option for an extension.[26][25]

During the remainder of the 2025–26 season, Jirka made 14 league appearances and scored once. He also appeared twice and scored one goal in the Polish Cup.[27]

He made his first European appearance for GKS in July 2026, starting in a 3–1 victory over MŠK Žilina in the second qualifying round of the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League. As of 10 August 2026, Jirka had made 19 competitive appearances and scored two goals for GKS.[27]

International career

Jirka represented Slovakia at under-18, under-19 and under-21 level. He received his first senior call-up in November 2020, but did not appear in the match against the Czech Republic.

He made his senior international debut on 1 June 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 friendly draw against Bulgaria in Austria.[28]

In March 2022, Jirka was added to the Slovak squad for friendly matches against Norway and Finland after Ivan Schranz withdrew.[29] On 29 March, he scored his first senior international goal in a 2–0 victory over Finland in Murcia, Spain.[30]

Jirka scored his second international goal on 22 September 2022, equalising in stoppage time of a Nations League match against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan scored again two minutes later to win the match 2–1.[31] He made ten senior appearances and scored two goals for Slovakia between 2021 and 2023.[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 12 August 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Spartak Trnava 2014–15 Slovak First League 20———20
2015–16 Slovak First League 00001[b]0—10
2016–17 Slovak First League 306206[b]1—387
2017–18 Slovak First League 29630——326
2018–19 Slovak First League 1501014[c]1—63
Total 761260212—10314
Red Star Belgrade 2018–19 Serbian SuperLiga 6010——70
Radnički Niš (loan) 2019–20 Serbian SuperLiga 164102[b]0—194
Górnik Zabrze (loan) 2019–20 Ekstraklasa 174———174
Mirandés (loan) 2020–21 Segunda División 32500——325
Real Oviedo 2021–22 Segunda División 19011——201
Viktoria Plzeň 2022–23 Czech First League 282108[d]0—372
2023–24 Czech First League 215004[e]1—256
2024–25 Czech First League 123108[b]0—213
Total 611020201008311
Piast Gliwice 2024–25 Ekstraklasa 15010——160
2025–26 Ekstraklasa 17530——205
Total 32540——365
GKS Katowice 2025–26 Ekstraklasa 14121——162
2026–27 Ekstraklasa 20003[e]0—50
Total 1612130—212
Career total 275411724630033846
  1. ↑ Includes Slovak Cup, Serbian Cup, Copa del Rey, Czech Cup, Polish Cup
  2. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[33]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Slovakia
202150
202242
202310
Total102
Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jirka goal.
List of international goals scored by Erik Jirka[33]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
129 March 2022Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain Finland2–02–0Friendly
222 September 2022Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia Azerbaijan1–11–22022–23 UEFA Nations League C

Honours

Spartak Trnava

Red Star Belgrade

References

  1. ↑ "Erik Jirka". GKS Katowice. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Dosadil, Pavel (11 August 2022). "Miliony už se točí! Mistrovská Plzeň získala hned dva reprezentanty". Sport.cz (in Czech).
  3. ↑ "Futbal: FC Spartak Trnava B - FK POHRONIE Dolná Ždaňa 1:2 v 32. kole II. ligy". Šport7.sk (in Slovak). 25 May 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "MFK Ružomberok - FC Spartak Trnava | Detail zápasu". Niké liga. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "Spartak Trnawa - Pohronie 1:3". pl.soccerway.com (in Polish). Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  6. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Spartak v Arménsku s remízou, postaral sa o to Jirka". MY Trnava (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "MFK Ružomberok - FC Spartak Trnava | Detail zápasu". Niké liga. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  8. ↑ "Trnava si odnáša z Ružomberka bod, Jarábek: Remíza je spravodlivá". Profutbal (in Slovak). 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Diváci vtrhli na trávnik, Trnava má titul po 45 rokoch". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Gotovo: Zvezda dovela i Jirku!" [Done: Red Star sign Jirka!]. Mozzart Sport (in Serbian). 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Zvezda definitivno pojačala Radnički: Tandem na "Čairu"!" [Red Star strengthen Radnički with a new pair at Čair]. Mondo (in Serbian). 4 July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Jirka na skrzydło w Górniku. Gorszy nie będzie, a może być dużo lepszy" [Jirka joins Górnik to strengthen the wing]. Weszło (in Polish). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Erik Jirka piłkarzem Górnika Zabrze" [Erik Jirka becomes a Górnik Zabrze player]. Gol24 (in Polish). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Erik Jirka jugará cedido en el C.D. Mirandés" [Erik Jirka will play on loan at C.D. Mirandés] (in Spanish). CD Mirandés. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Jirka signs for Real Oviedo". Real Oviedo. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Erik Jirka, cuarto fichaje del Real Oviedo" [Erik Jirka becomes Real Oviedo's fourth signing]. La Voz de Asturias (in Spanish). July 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Erik Jirka contract terminated". Real Oviedo. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Dosadil, Pavel (11 August 2022). "Miliony už se točí! Mistrovská Plzeň získala hned dva reprezentanty" [Champions Plzeň sign two international players]. Sport.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Slovak national team player Erik Jirka joins Viktoria from Spain". FC Viktoria Plzeň. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Suverénní Plzeň sfoukla Zlín" [Dominant Plzeň defeat Zlín]. Sport.cz (in Czech). 29 October 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Jirka, rychlý plzeňský hrdina" [Jirka, Plzeň's fast-moving hero]. Sport.cz (in Czech). November 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Jirka skolil Slavii. Víra mi pomáhá, myslel jsem i na hattrick" [Jirka defeats Slavia and considers a hat-trick]. Sport.cz (in Czech). 5 November 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Erik Jirka leaves Viktoria Plzeň after two and a half years". FC Viktoria Plzeň. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Wawrzyniak, Mikołaj (30 December 2024). "Z Pilzna do Gliwic. Piast pozyskał reprezentanta Słowacji" [From Plzeň to Gliwice: Piast sign Slovakia international]. Weszło (in Polish). Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Erik Jirka odchodzi z Piasta Gliwice" [Erik Jirka leaves Piast Gliwice] (in Polish). Piast Gliwice. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Erik Jirka nowym piłkarzem GieKSy" [Erik Jirka becomes a GKS Katowice player] (in Polish). GKS Katowice. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Sylwetka Erik Jirka" [Erik Jirka player profile] (in Polish). GKS Katowice. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Slovenskí futbalisti remizovali v príprave s Bulharskom" [Slovakia draw a friendly against Bulgaria]. Teraz.sk (in Slovak). 1 June 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  29. ↑ Jurigová, Monika (23 March 2022). "Muži A – Ďalšie dve zmeny v Tarkovičovej nominácii" [Two further changes to Tarkovič's squad] (in Slovak). Slovak Football Association. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  30. ↑ Spál, Pavol (29 March 2022). "Nemá dno, robí šialené veci. Slovákov potešil hráč, ktorý nehráva" [The player without regular club football delights Slovakia]. Sportnet (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Slovakia–Azerbaijan". UEFA. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Erik Jirka, international footballer". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Erik Jirka". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  34. 1 2 "Erik Jirka". Soccerway. 10 May 2024.
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