Former Skoda driver Roman Bednar is ready to complete his rags to riches tale – by finally buying a flash new car.
Bednar is eying an Audi S5 to celebrate his first season in the Premier League, after finally sending his old Vauxhall Astra back to the hire company.
The Czech Republic international started life as a driver even further down the automotive food chain.
He said: “My first car in the Czech Republic was a Skoda. My grandmother gave me it and I sold that for 3,000 in Czech currency, which is about £100.
“I know about the reputation of Skoda but that’s alright. I always had nothing and everything I have now, I’ve earned with people around me helping me.
“Now it is maybe time that I treated myself a little bit better. But there’s a lot of tradition with Skoda.”
Bednar spent last season parking his Astra among the sports cars and luxury vehicles at the Baggies’ training ground.
But he lost his wheels in the summer when his contract with Scottish side Hearts ran out and he signed for Albion on a permanent basis.
Now he is weighing up his options but he is in no rush for new wheels – thanks to team-mate, loan goalkeeper Michal Danek, and another Skoda.
Driver
He said: “I think I’ll get something from Audi but I’m not sure what yet. Maybe an S5, we will see.
“The Astra is back in Scotland. I rented it there and Hearts paid for it so I sent it back and said ‘thank you very much’.
“I don’t have a car now but I have a personal driver in Michal Danek. He has a Skoda too.”
Aside from a new car, Bednar is grateful simply to be training pain-free after ending last season with a hernia, that required surgery in the close season.
He said: “I’m enjoying it. Pre-season is hard work but I have had an operation and I feel okay. I am just happy to be playing football again.
“There is a lot of running but that’s just a normal pre-season and I’m looking forward to the season.
“It was hard at the end of the season but the pain wasn’t too bad. If it had been too bad I would have got the operation done straight away but I spoke to the gaffer and we decided I was okay to play.
“He just told me not to injure myself for the last, important game, but I told him I hoped to see out the season. I finished the season and two weeks later I had the operation.
“I can still feel some scar tissue but everything seems okay.”
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