Jakub Błaszczykowski facts for kids
Błaszczykowski in July 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jakub Błaszczykowski | ||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Truskolasy, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–2002 | Raków Częstochowa | ||
| 2002–2003 | Górnik Zabrze | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | KS Częstochowa | 24 | (11) |
| 2004–2007 | Wisła Kraków | 51 | (3) |
| 2007–2016 | Borussia Dortmund | 197 | (27) |
| 2015–2016 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2016–2019 | VfL Wolfsburg | 38 | (1) |
| 2019–2023 | Wisła Kraków | 50 | (16) |
| Total | 375 | (60) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Poland U19 | 8 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Poland U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 2005 | Poland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2023 | Poland | 109 | (21) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski (born on 14 December 1985) is a Polish businessman and a former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which is a player who focuses on attacking from the sides of the field. Kuba is also a part owner of the Polish football club Wisła Kraków. This is the club where he started his professional career when he was young.
In 2007, Kuba joined Borussia Dortmund, a famous team in Germany. He played most of his career there, appearing in over 250 games. With Borussia Dortmund, he won two Bundesliga titles (the top German league), two DFL-Supercups, and one DFB-Pokal (German Cup).
Kuba was named Polish Footballer of the Year twice, in 2008 and 2010. He is the second-most capped player for the Poland national football team, with 109 games played. He was the captain when Poland co-hosted UEFA Euro 2012. He also played in UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Kuba grew up in Truskolasy, a town near Częstochowa in Poland. He started training at Raków Częstochowa when he was just eight years old. In 2002, at age 16, he joined the youth team of Górnik Zabrze.
In early 2003, he moved to KS Częstochowa. He played in the Polish fourth league until the end of 2004. His uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, who was a former captain of the Poland national football team, helped him. His uncle arranged a tryout for him at Wisła Kraków. Kuba impressed the manager, Werner Lička, and joined the team.
Success at Wisła Kraków
Kuba quickly became a key player for Wisła Kraków. His first league game was on 20 March 2005 against Polonia Warsaw. By the end of that season, he was a regular starter. He helped Wisła win the Polish Ekstraklasa title in his very first season. The next season, they finished as runners-up.
He also won the "Football Oscar" from Canal+ as the best midfielder in the Polish top league. In the 2006–07 season, he was chosen for the Ekstraklasa Best XI by the Polish Footballers' Association.
Time with Borussia Dortmund
In February 2007, Kuba signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He joined the Bundesliga team in July of that year. He used the name "Kuba" on his shirt, which is a shorter version of his first name.
During the 2008–09 season, he had a leg muscle injury. Despite this, he was voted Polish Footballer of the Year in December 2008.
Kuba and Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title two years in a row, in 2010–11 and 2011–12. He also helped them win the 2011–12 DFB-Pokal (German Cup). In that final, he made two assists in their 5–2 win against Bayern Munich. In July 2012, he was on UEFA's list of 32 players for the Best Player in Europe award.
Kuba signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund in July 2012, staying until 2016. He scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season in August 2012. He helped Dortmund win 3–0 against FC Oberneuland. In January 2013, Kuba scored two goals quickly against 1. FC Nürnberg, helping Dortmund win 3–0. He also scored a penalty in a 3–2 win over Bayer 04 Leverkusen in February.
In March, he scored Dortmund's third goal in a 3–0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. This meant Dortmund won 5–2 overall and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. This was the first time in 15 years they had gone so far.
In June 2013, Kuba signed another contract, keeping him at Dortmund until 2018. In July 2013, he won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund, beating rivals Bayern Munich 4–2. In October 2013, he scored a goal in the Revierderby against rivals Schalke, helping Dortmund win 3–1.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 31 August 2015, Kuba joined Fiorentina in Italy. He played for them for one season on loan from Borussia Dortmund.
Playing for VfL Wolfsburg
On 1 August 2016, Kuba joined VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. He signed a three-year contract. In January 2019, his contract with Wolfsburg ended.
Returning to Wisła Kraków
On 7 February 2019, Kuba went back to his old club, Wisła Kraków, as a free player. In April 2020, he became a part owner of the club. He missed most of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. This was because he suffered a serious knee injury (torn ACL) in November 2021.
On 20 July 2023, just before the 2023–24 season began, Kuba announced he was retiring from professional football. He was 37 years old.
International Career for Poland
Kuba played his first game for the Poland national football team on 28 March 2006. It was a friendly match against Saudi Arabia. He couldn't play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup because of an injury. He scored his first goal for Poland on 22 August 2007 in a friendly game against Russia.
Kuba was very important in Poland's successful journey to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. He was chosen for Poland's team for Euro 2008, but he had to pull out due to another injury. On 17 November 2010, in a friendly match against Ivory Coast, Kuba became captain of the Poland national team for the first time.
UEFA Euro 2012 Performance
On 8 June 2012, in the first game of UEFA Euro 2012 against Greece, Kuba helped Robert Lewandowski score a goal. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second group game against Russia, he scored a fantastic goal from far away to make it 1–1. He was named the Man of the Match for that game.
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Kuba was Poland's top scorer in their 2014 World Cup qualifying games, scoring four goals. He scored two goals from penalty kicks early in the campaign. He missed some games due to injury, including a match against England. He also assisted a goal for Piszczek in a game against Ukraine. On 7 June 2013, he scored his third goal of the qualifiers against Moldova. On 10 September 2013, he scored again against San Marino, helping Poland win 5–1.
Euro 2016 Journey
Kuba was out of the national team for almost half of the qualifying games due to injury. He returned as a substitute in a game against Georgia. He provided an assist for Robert Lewandowski, who scored three goals in the last five minutes, leading to a 4–0 win. He scored a penalty against Gibraltar in an 8–1 victory and played in all the remaining qualifying games.
On 12 June, in Poland's first game at Euro 2016, Kuba played a key role. He crossed the ball to assist Arkadiusz Milik's goal in a 1–0 win over Northern Ireland. This was Poland's first win ever at a European Championship. Kuba also played in a 0–0 draw against Germany. He came on as a substitute at halftime in the final group game against Ukraine. He scored the only goal, securing a victory for Poland. This win helped Poland finish second in their group and reach the knockout stage for the first time at a European Championship.
On 25 June, in the first knockout game, Kuba scored the opening goal for Poland against Switzerland. The game ended 1–1 and went to a penalty shootout. Kuba scored his penalty, and Poland won 5–4, moving to the quarter-finals. The next game against Portugal also ended 1–1 after extra time. However, Poland lost in the penalty shootout after Kuba missed his penalty kick.
2018 FIFA World Cup and Retirement
Kuba was chosen for Poland's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He only played in the first game, a 2–1 loss to Senegal, where he came on as a substitute.
Kuba scored in his 103rd game for Poland, which was a record for him. This was in a 3–2 loss to Portugal in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.
On 16 June 2023, almost four years after his last call-up, Kuba was called up for a friendly match against Germany. This was his farewell game. He started as captain and left the field in the 16th minute. Both teams formed a guard of honor for him. Kuba officially retired from football the following month.
Personal Life and Legacy
When Kuba was a child, he went through a very difficult family event. This had a big impact on his life. After this event, he and his older brother, Dawid, were raised by their grandmother.
He briefly stopped playing football, but his uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, encouraged him to return. Kuba has often said that his successes are thanks to his grandmother. He dedicates every goal he scores to his mother, often looking up to the sky during his goal celebrations.
On 7 September 2024, a special farewell match was held for Kuba and his teammate Łukasz Piszczek at Signal Iduna Park. They were honored for their important roles in Borussia Dortmund's successful years between 2010 and 2015. Their former coach, Jürgen Klopp, was there, and over 81,000 fans attended the match. Kuba's team won the game 5–4.
Kuba married Agata Gołaszewska in June 2010. They have two daughters, Oliwia, born in 2011, and Lena, born in 2014. He is a very religious person and reads the Bible every day. He also takes part in the Nie wstydzę się Jezusa project, which means "I am not ashamed of Jesus" in Polish. In 2024, a documentary film about him called Kuba was released on Prime Video.
Honours and Awards
Wisła Kraków
- Ekstraklasa: 2004–05
Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12
- DFB-Pokal: 2011–12
- DFL-Supercup: 2008, 2013
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2012–13
Individual Awards
- Ekstraklasa Midfielder of the Year: 2006
- Ekstraklasa Best XI: 2006–07
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2008, 2010
- Polish Footballer of the Year by Polish Footballers' Association: 2010
- Poland national football team's Best Player: 2010
- Footballer of the Year by the readers of "Sport": 2008, 2010
- Borussia Dortmund Player of the Year: 2008
- Ekstraklasa Player of the Month: March 2019
See also
In Spanish: Jakub Błaszczykowski para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
