Jakub Błaszczykowski facts for kids
Błaszczykowski in July 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 December 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Truskolasy, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.75 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Poland U19 | 8 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Poland U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 2005 | Poland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2023 | Poland | 109 | (21) |
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Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski (born 14 December 1985) is a Polish businessman and former professional footballer. He played as a winger, a player who attacks from the sides of the field. Kuba is also a part-owner of the Polish football club Wisła Kraków, where he started his professional career. In 2007, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He played there for many years, appearing in over 250 games. With Dortmund, he won two German league titles (Bundesliga), two German Supercups, and one German Cup (DFB-Pokal).
Błaszczykowski was named the best Polish Footballer of the Year twice, in 2008 and 2010. He is the second-most capped player for the Poland national football team, meaning he played the second-highest number of games for his country. He was the captain when Poland co-hosted the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. He also played in UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Jakub Błaszczykowski grew up in a town called Truskolasy, near Częstochowa in Poland. He started training with Raków Częstochowa when he was just eight years old. At 16, in 2002, he joined the youth team of Górnik Zabrze. In early 2003, he moved to KS Częstochowa and played in the Polish fourth league until the end of 2004. His uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, who was once the captain of the Polish national team, helped him get a tryout at Wisła Kraków. Kuba impressed the manager and quickly 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. By the end of that season, he was a regular starter. He helped Wisła win the Polish league title (Ekstraklasa) in his very first season! The next season, they finished as runners-up. He also won an award called "Football Oscar" for being the best midfielder in the Polish top league. He was chosen for the Ekstraklasa Best XI team in the 2006–07 season.
Joining Borussia Dortmund
In February 2007, Kuba signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund, a big club in the German league (Bundesliga). He joined them in July of that year. He played with 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 still voted Polish Footballer of the Year in December 2008.
Kuba and Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title two years in a row, in the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. He also helped them win the 2011–12 DFB-Pokal (German Cup). In that final game, he made two assists, helping Dortmund win 5–2 against Bayern Munich. In July 2012, he was even considered for the Best Player in Europe award by UEFA.
Kuba signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund in July 2012, keeping him there until 2016. He scored important goals, including two goals against 1. FC Nürnberg in January 2013, helping Dortmund win 3–0. He also scored a penalty against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In the Champions League, he scored a goal against Shakhtar Donetsk, helping Dortmund reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 15 years. In June 2013, he signed another contract, staying until 2018. He also won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund, beating Bayern Munich 4–2.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 31 August 2015, Kuba joined Fiorentina in Italy for a season-long loan from Borussia Dortmund.
Time at VfL Wolfsburg
On 1 August 2016, Kuba moved to VfL Wolfsburg in Germany, signing a three-year contract. In January 2019, he left the club.
Returning to Wisła Kraków
On 7 February 2019, Kuba went back to his former club, Wisła Kraków, as a free agent. In April 2020, he became a part-owner of the club, showing his dedication. He missed much of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons due to a serious knee injury (torn ACL) in November 2021. On 20 July 2023, just before the new season, Kuba announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 37.
International Career
Kuba first played for the Poland national football team on 28 March 2006 in a friendly game 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 against Russia. Kuba was very important in Poland's successful journey to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008, but he got injured again and couldn't play in the tournament. On 17 November 2010, he became captain of the Poland national team for the first time in a friendly match against Ivory Coast.
UEFA Euro 2012
On 8 June 2012, in the first game of UEFA Euro 2012 against Greece, Kuba assisted Robert Lewandowski's goal, which ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second group game against Russia, he scored a fantastic long-range goal to tie the game 1–1. He was named "Man of the Match" for his great performance.
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Kuba was Poland's top scorer in their qualifying games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored four goals. He scored two penalty kicks, one against Montenegro and another against Moldova, both giving Poland an early lead. He missed some games due to injury, including a match against England. He also provided an assist against Ukraine. On 7 June 2013, he scored his third goal in the qualifiers against Moldova. Later, on 10 September 2013, he scored again against San Marino, helping Poland win 5–1.
Euro 2016
Kuba was out of the national team for almost half of the qualifying campaign due to injury. He returned as a substitute in a game against Georgia, where he assisted Robert Lewandowski's goal in a 4–0 win. He also scored a penalty against Gibraltar in an 8–1 victory.
In Poland's first game at Euro 2016 on 12 June, Kuba played a key role. He provided a cross that led to Arkadiusz Milik's goal, helping Poland win 1–0 against Northern Ireland. This was Poland's first-ever win at a European Championship. He also played in a 0–0 draw against Germany. In the final group game against Ukraine, he came on as a substitute at halftime and scored the only goal, securing a 1–0 win for Poland. This meant Poland finished second in their group and reached the knockout stage for the first time in a European Championship.
On 25 June, in the Round of 16, Kuba scored the opening goal for Poland against Switzerland. The game ended 1–1 and went to a penalty shootout. Kuba successfully scored his penalty, and Poland won 5–4, moving to the quarter-finals. In the next game against Portugal, the score was 1–1 after extra time. However, Poland lost in the penalty shootout, and Kuba missed his penalty kick.
2018 FIFA World Cup and Beyond
Kuba was chosen for Poland's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first game, a 2–1 loss to Senegal, coming on as a substitute.
He scored his 103rd goal for Poland, a record-breaking achievement, in a 3–2 loss to Portugal in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.
On 16 June 2023, after almost four years away from the national team, Kuba was called up for a friendly match against Germany. He started his farewell game as captain and left the field in the 16th minute. Both teams formed a guard of honor for him. He officially retired from football the next month.
Personal Life
As a child, Kuba went through a very difficult time. He and his older brother, Dawid, were raised by their grandmother. For a short while, he stopped playing football. But with encouragement from his uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, who was a former captain of the Polish national team, Kuba decided to start training again at Raków Częstochowa two months later. Kuba has often said that his grandmother was a huge reason for his success. He dedicates every goal he scores to his mother, and you can often see him looking up to the sky during his goal celebrations.
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 Catholic. He reads the Bible every day, prays often, and is part of a project called Nie wstydzę się Jezusa (which means "I am not ashamed of Jesus" in Polish).
In 2024, a documentary film about his life, called Kuba, was released on 23 February on Prime Video.
On 7 September 2024, a special farewell match was held by Borussia Dortmund to honor Kuba and his teammate Łukasz Piszczek. They were important players during some of the club's most successful years (2010-2015). The match was coached by former club coach Jürgen Klopp and was attended by over 81,000 fans at the Signal Iduna Park. Kuba's team won the match 5-4.
Honours and Awards
Wisła Kraków
- Ekstraklasa (Polish League): 2004–05
Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga (German League): 2010–11, 2011–12
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 2011–12
- DFL-Supercup (German Supercup): 2008, 2013
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2012–13
Individual Awards
- Ekstraklasa Midfielder of the Year: 2006
- Ekstraklasa Best XI (Best Team): 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" magazine: 2008, 2010
- Borussia Dortmund Player of the Year: 2008
- Ekstraklasa Player of the Month: March 2019
Images for kids
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Błaszczykowski in July 2019
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Błaszczykowski with Borussia Dortmund in 2007
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Błaszczykowski playing for Poland in 2011
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Błaszczykowski captaining Poland in 2013
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Błaszczykowski playing for Poland at the UEFA Euro 2016
