Arsenal target Schick bagged stunner against Scotland and idolised David Beckham

The Bayer Leverkusen striker is reportedly wanted by Arsenal and many other top European clubs but the Bundesliga side have no intention of selling him.

Schick could be set for mega-money move this summer but things could have turned out very differently for the 26-year-old, and he might not have even been a footballer at all.

Schick was born and raised in Prague. He grew up admiring David Beckham and had pictures of the former Manchester United star all over his bedroom.

Once Beckham moved on, Schick began admiring Cristiano Ronaldo.

Who would have known that he would be joint-top scorer in Euro 2020 with the legendary forward all those years later?

It is a wonderful story but Schick has been through some tough times to reach his current position.

At the age of 11, Schick was signed by Sparta Prague and made his first-team debut when he was 18.

But he was loaned out to Bohemians 1905, where he learned his craft from Roman Pivarnik.

Pivarnik told the MailOnline about Schick's progress: "He was eager to work on himself, very clever and polite.

"But he had his own opinions and was not shy to express them. Finishing was his strength, so he should focus on that.

"I told him he needs to be tougher when he presses. In youth football he wasn't interested in playing without the ball.

"We had an argument about that and I put him on the bench. Once, I had to raise my voice in the dressing room.

"He stayed silent but he didn't take it as an insult. He had amazing strength. He thought about it and then put in work. He returned to the line-up very quickly."

However, before his emergence at Bohemians 1905, the Czech striker considered quitting football to pursue a career in modelling like his sister, but his breakthrough in the sport he loved came at the right time and he abandoned those plans.

Then in 2016 came his big break as Schick joined Sampdoria in Serie A. The forward had a fine first season in Italy and he managed 13 goals in all competitions.

This sparked a transfer chase for the forward and Juventus agreed to pay £26million for the then 21-year-old.

But heartbreak was around the corner as the Old Lady's medical team picked up some potential heart defects, so Juve pulled the plug.

Schick was that close to signing that he was even pictured in a Juventus training kit before the deal fell apart.

In theory, that could have been the end of Schick's career, but further tests found that he had no heart problems and joined Roma that same summer on loan with an obligation to buy.

Despite the blow of missing out on the move to Juventus, Schick had no regrets and told Czech newspaper Lidovky: "I never looked back at it; it wouldn't be worth it. I was glad to move to Roma and I had no regrets that Juventus didn't work out."

His time with Roma didn't go to plan. The striker made 58 appearances for the Serie A side, but he spent a lot of time out on the right, meaning he couldn't show what he was capable of.

Then came a loan move to RB Leipzig that kick-started Schick's career.

Partnered with Timo Werner in a 4-2-2-2 system, Schick scored ten goals in 22 Bundesliga appearances, which convinced Leverkusen to splash out £25m on him in the summer of 2020.

Since that move, he has averaged over a goal every two games and has scored twenty in the Bundesliga this season.

But it is not just at club level that Schick has overcome the odds, he has done the same at international level.

Just over a year ago, Schick was sent off against Wales in a crucial World Cup qualifier. His mistake was branded as 'terrible' by Jaroslav Silhavy.

The very same person described him as a 'genius' just three months later when he scored one of the most iconic goals of the European Championships.

Schick produced a magical lob from the halfway-line over Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall during the Czech's group game with the Tartan Army.

This was the moment Schick announced himself to the rest of the world and made himself a hero in his homeland.

It would be fair to say that Schick has had an arduous journey, but he is now heading to the very top.