Maciej Żurawski facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maciej Stanisław Żurawski | ||
| Date of birth | 12 September 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Poznań, Polish People's Republic | ||
| Height | 1.82m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1994 | Warta Poznań | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1997 | Warta Poznań | 59 | (5) |
| 1997–1999 | Lech Poznań | 56 | (19) |
| 1999–2005 | Wisła Kraków | 153 | (101) |
| 2005–2008 | Celtic | 55 | (22) |
| 2008–2009 | AEL | 38 | (15) |
| 2009–2010 | Omonia Nicosia | 23 | (8) |
| 2010–2011 | Wisła Kraków | 21 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Poroniec Poronin | 32 | (21) |
| Total | 437 | (192) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2008 | Poland | 72 | (17) |
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Maciej Stanisław Żurawski (born September 12, 1976) is a famous Polish former footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a player who mainly tried to score goals.
Żurawski played 72 times for the Polish national team and scored 17 goals. He even played for Poland in two World Cups and the Euro 2008 tournament. He was also a top goalscorer in the Polish league, called Ekstraklasa, twice. In 2002, he was named the Polish Footballer of the Year.
Contents
Maciej Żurawski's Club Career
Maciej Żurawski played for several football clubs during his career. He started in Poland, then moved to Scotland, Greece, and Cyprus.
Starting at Warta Poznań
Maciej Żurawski was born in Poznań, Poland. He began his football journey as a young player at Warta Poznań. His father, Andrzej, was actually one of the coaches at the club.
Żurawski made his first professional appearance for Warta Poznań on July 31, 1994. He was only 17 years old at the time. His team, Warta, was relegated from the top league at the end of his first season.
Moving to Lech Poznań
In November 1997, Żurawski joined Lech Poznań. He first went on a six-month loan, and then he joined the club permanently. He scored his first goal for Lech on March 29, 1998.
In his very last game for Lech, on September 26, 1999, he scored two goals. These goals were against his next club, Wisła Kraków. When he left Lech, he gave autographed cards to fans. He wrote a special message: 'Remember Żuraw, the boy who left his heart in Poznań'.
Success with Wisła Kraków
Żurawski made his debut for Wisła Kraków on November 2, 1999. He scored his first goal for them on March 4, 2000. He quickly became a key player for the team.
- Winning Championships: He helped Wisła Kraków win the Ekstraklasa championship in the 2000–01 season.
- Top Goalscorer: In the 2001–02 season, Żurawski scored 21 goals in 27 matches. This made him the top goalscorer in the Ekstraklasa league.
- European Adventures: In the 2002–03 season, he played very well in the UEFA Cup. He scored ten goals in ten matches, including seven goals against big teams like Parma, Schalke 04, and Lazio.
- Becoming Captain: When the team's captain left, Żurawski was chosen as the new captain for Wisła Kraków.
- More Titles: In the 2003–04 season, he scored 20 goals and led Wisła Kraków to another Ekstraklasa title. He was again the top goalscorer that season. He won his fourth Ekstraklasa title with Wisła Kraków in the 2004–05 season. He scored 24 goals in 25 matches that year.
Playing for Celtic in Scotland
In July 2005, Maciej Żurawski joined Scottish Premier League team Celtic. He signed a three-year contract. He took over the number 7 shirt, which was famously worn by Henrik Larsson before him. Fans nicknamed him "Magic Żurawski."
- Record-Breaking Game: On February 19, 2006, Żurawski scored four goals in one game! Celtic won 8–1 against Dunfermline Athletic. This was a new record for the Scottish Premier League.
- Player of the Month: Because of his amazing performance, Żurawski was voted the SPL Player of the Month for February.
- Top Scorer: He finished the 2005–06 season as Celtic's joint top scorer with 20 goals.
In the 2006–07 season, Żurawski started well, scoring 10 goals by January 2007. However, an injury kept him out for most of the rest of the season. He didn't score any more goals that campaign.
For the 2007–08 season, Celtic signed new strikers. Żurawski started the first game but then played less often. He did score the winning penalty in a Champions League shootout against Spartak Moscow. After another player was signed in January 2008, his time at Celtic came to an end.
Adventures in Greece and Cyprus
On the last day of the 2008 winter transfer window, Żurawski moved to the Greek team AEL. He scored a goal in his very first game in the Greek league, helping his team win 1–0 against AEK Athens. He was Larissa's top scorer in the 2008–09 season with nine goals.
On June 2, 2009, Żurawski signed with Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus. He played for Omonia for one year and helped them win a league title after five years. He left the team in May 2010.
Returning to Wisła Kraków
On June 30, 2010, Żurawski returned to Wisła Kraków after five years away. He signed a one-year deal. In the 2010–11 season, he won his fifth Ekstraklasa title with Wisła.
Maciej Żurawski's International Career
Maciej Żurawski played for the Polish national team for many years. He represented his country in major tournaments.
FIFA World Cup 2002
Żurawski was chosen to be part of the Polish team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He played in all three of Poland's games. In the match against the United States, he missed a penalty kick, but Poland still won 3–1.
FIFA World Cup 2006
He was also selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Poland finished third in their group and did not move on to the next stage. They lost to host country Germany and Ecuador, but they did beat Costa Rica. Żurawski did not score in any of these three matches.
UEFA Euro 2008
Żurawski was named captain of Poland's team for Euro 2008. He started their first game against Germany on June 8. However, he got injured during the match and had to leave at halftime. This injury meant he could not play for the rest of the tournament. The captaincy was then given to other players for the remaining games.
Maciej Żurawski's Achievements and Awards
Maciej Żurawski won many awards and titles throughout his football career.
With Wisła Kraków
- Ekstraklasa (Polish League Champion): 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010–11
- Polish Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03
- Polish League Cup: 2000–01
- Polish Super Cup: 2001
With Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- Scottish Cup: 2006–07
- Scottish League Cup: 2005–06
With Omonia
- Cypriot First Division: 2009–10
Individual Awards
- Ekstraklasa Top Goalscorer: 2001–02, 2003–04
- Polish Cup Top Scorer: 2002–03
- Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 2002
- Football Oscar "Footballer of the Year": 2002
- Ekstraklasa Footballer of the Year: 2001, 2002
- Ekstraklasa Striker of the Year: 2003
- SPL Player of the Month: February 2006
Images for kids
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Maciej Żurawski
See also
In Spanish: Maciej Żurawski para niños
