As we recognize Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, which takes place every November, Soucek has given an honest account of his struggles in his new autobiography 'Suk'.
In his autobiography he details his battle against Insomnia and depression, and that he was ashamed to talk about it for a long time.
Soucek said: “Two years of horror. I was ashamed to talk about it for a long time. Even my parents, until I decided to write my confession, had no idea that something bad was happening. Something that bothered me so much that I thought about ending my career.”
"Insomnia. Depression. Fear of the future. My thirteenth chamber. You don't believe it, do you? I don't really understand it in retrospect either. Where others won't put their foot because they're scared of the pain, I jump headfirst. I can't count the scars on my body, I finish matches with my head bandaged, but this hurt my soul.”
"At first it was only slightly annoying, but after a few months it became unbearable. I was at the bottom, I would run into every match without sleep. Every match! Can you imagine? I was afraid of failure, I was afraid of reactions, I was afraid of everything."
Soucek also explained that his trademark helicopter celebration was inspired by the concept of feeling free and escaping the illness he was tackling off the field.
He said: "By trying a thousand ways to get out of it, I was sinking deeper into the mud. From match to match, I focused mainly on not sleeping, which actually disturbed me doubly. And that's why the helicopter was created, my goal celebration. I start to spin slightly and enjoy the feeling of taking off."
Soucek joined West Ham in January 2020 and was part of the team that won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023. He has also scored over 30 goals for the club including one last weekend in their victory against Burnley.