Frýdek on his father's tail at Sparta

Making a name for himself in football has been doubly difficult for Sparta Praha's Martin Frýdek; his father was part of the Czech Republic side that finished runners-up at EURO '96 and, to make things that bit harder, the two men share the same name.

Now 47, Martin Frýdek Sr scored five goals in 37 games for his country, also winning five league titles with Sparta. His son, though, is on his tail having made his international debut in the 1-0 defeat by Scotland on 24 March – his 24th birthday. "I was not nervous," he said. "I just concentrated on my game. I got goosebumps when I listened to our anthem, though."

With Frýdek Jr man of the match in that Prague friendly, a place in Pavel Vrba's UEFA EURO 2016 squad is not out of the question, but first on the agenda is the UEFA Europa League. The left-back cum left-winger, who can seemingly play anywhere, has emerged as one of the stars of a superb Sparta campaign. His spectacular finish at home to Lazio in the round of 16 caught the eye, Frýdek controlling David Lafata's ball and swivelling to score with a powerful angled shot.

It was his second goal in this season's competition, with three assists equally significant, and Sparta have reason for optimism as they take on Spanish club Villarreal in the quarter-finals. "The feeling we have just from getting to the quarter-finals is fabulous," Frýdek said. "Villarreal will be very tough opponents obviously. Like all Liga sides they have marvellous technical ability. There are two difficult games ahead of us."

However, the Yellow Submarine have cause to be daunted too. Sparta have not lost in 12 UEFA Europa League games this term (W7 D5) and have won their last three on the road without conceding – not that Frýdek is feeling complacent. "It is just statistics – it won't help us in the matches," he noted. "Villarreal might have better footballers than us, but we have made the most of our teamwork and can do so again."

Frýdek has experience of tackling Iberian opposition from facing Sevilla with Slovan Liberec in 2013/14 – a 1-1 UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Andalusia. "They kept the ball all the time," he recalled. "We were running more than playing, but we got the right result. I just hope we can do the same with Sparta."

Originally a Sparta trainee, Frýdek had been shipped to Slovan in 2013 yet did enough to earn a transfer back to the club that is something of a family firm last summer, keeping up the comparisons with his father. Frýdek Sr denied he was his son's harshest critic, telling UEFA.com: "It is not true any more – I've liked his latest displays."

"We discuss my performances and my father always finds room for improvement," sighed the younger man. "I have a feeling he will never be completely happy." 

Martin Frýdek in action for the Czech Republic in EURO '96 qualifying©Getty Images