The tall stopper made an instant impact at St. James' Park, making a string of fine saves on his Premier League debut as the Magpies recorded a 1-0 victory over Manchester United the following month.
His excellent displays in his first six months at the club persuaded the Magpies to make his move permanent in the summer of 2018 and, following that victory over the Red Devils, he went on to line up in 88 consecutive Premier League games for United.
Dúbravka began his career with hometown club MŠK Žilina, winning two Slovak Super Liga titles and the Slovak Super Cup, as well as appearing in the UEFA Champions League.
He joined Denmark’s Esbjerg fB in January 2014 and spent two-and-a-half seasons in the Danish Superliga before returning to Central Europe with Slovan Liberec of the Czech First League. His performances for the Blue-Whites were enough to attract interest from the country's most successful club and in June 2017, he moved to Sparta Prague in the Czech capital.
Dúbravka's move to Tyneside forged a second goalkeeping link between Sparta Prague and Newcastle United, with former Magpies goalkeeper Pavel Srníček - who tragically passed away in 2015 - having joined Sparta as a coach in 2012.
He was capped by Slovakia at Under-19 and Under-21 level, making his full international debut in a 2-0 win against Montenegro in May 2014. Now his country's established number one goalkeeper, he was an ever-present in Slovakia's team at the 2020 European Championship finals - his first major tournament.
