Who is Adam Karabec? Meet Lyon's young Czech star
Having joined Olympique Lyonnais from Sparta Prague on loan this season, Czech playmaker Adam Karabec has already impressed with a goal in Saturday's Ligue 1 McDonald's win over FC Metz. Learn more about the young talent in our latest "One To Watch"
A senior international from the age of 17
Born in the Czech capital of Prague, Karabec got his start playing for Bohemians 1905, a team with a long history but one which sits behind the more established sides Sparta Prague and Slavia Prague. After joining the former in 2016 at the age of 13, Karabec's career took a meteoric rise, as he made his professional debut at just 16, and earned his first cap for the senior national later that year.
Now with nearly thirty caps for his country, he's young but experienced, having won a pair of league tables as well as appeared in more than twenty European matches. A skillful left-footed player, he's able to operate on either flank, as a number ten, or even as a box-to-box midfielder. Impressing with a wide range of passing, he could be an ideal complement to Tyler Morton and Corentin Tolisso as Lyon look to settle on a first-choice side with the Europa League on the horizon.
83' Adam Karabec strikes with a left-footed shot to score his first goal in the Lyon jersey! 💪🔴🔵
3-0 #OLFCM pic.twitter.com/P1uRtUxjxJ— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) August 23, 2025
Promotion with Hamburg and a move to Lyon
Last season saw Karabec play on loan for Hamburg SV in the Bundesliga 2, where he was a key element in a team that stormed to promotion, recording seven assists and three goals. With the club looking to replace the creativity of Rayan Cherki, Karabec was a natural option as a player who can inject his vision into matches off the bench, or allow the team to rotate in European games.
While still yet to start a match for Les Gones, Karabec has made an impact in no time at all. After only playing added time in the team's opening win against RC Lens on Matchday One, he was brought on by Paulo Fonseca with 17 minutes left against Metz, and wasted little in making his mark, reacting quickly to stab the ball home after Tanner Tessmann had headed against the bar.
Speaking post-match, he enthused over his first ten days with the club, saying: "I feel great; I couldn't have imagined a better start. I wanted to play a little more than in the last match, and I was lucky enough to score. I'm very happy about it, and I think it will help me going forward.My adaptation is going very well; the team is helping me a lot; they involve me in the discussions. I need to feel good to perform well, and that's the case."
With Lyon set to face a far more challenging opponent on Sunday in the form of Olympique de Marseille, Karabec's gifts will once again be called upon as the team hope to continue their perfect start to the season against a fellow contender for Europe.
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