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 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2008 | Poland | 72 | (17) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Maciej Stanisław Żurawski (born on September 12, 1976) is a Polish former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a player who mainly tried to score goals.
Żurawski played 72 games for the Polish national team and scored 17 goals. He represented Poland in two World Cups and the Euro 2008 tournament. He also scored 121 goals in the Polish top league, called Ekstraklasa, which is one of the highest totals in history. He was the top goalscorer in that league twice. Besides playing in Poland, he also played football in Scotland, Greece, and Cyprus. In 2002, he was named the Polish Footballer of the Year.
Contents
Football Journey: Club Career Highlights
Starting Out 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 football coaches at the club. Maciej made his first professional appearance for Warta Poznań in the Ekstraklasa league on July 31, 1994. He was only 17 years old at the time. At the end of his first season, Warta Poznań moved down to a lower league.
Moving to Lech Poznań
In November 1997, Żurawski joined Lech Poznań on a temporary deal. This deal was later made permanent, and he officially moved to the club. He scored his first goal in the Ekstraklasa for Lech on March 29, 1998. In his very last game for Lech, on September 26, 1999, he scored two goals against his next club, Wisła Kraków. When he left Lech, he gave signed cards to his fans, showing how much he cared for the club.
Success with Wisła Kraków
Żurawski started playing for Wisła Kraków on November 2, 1999. He scored his first goal for them in the Ekstraklasa on March 4, 2000. He helped Wisła Kraków win the Ekstraklasa championship in the 2000–01 season.
He had an amazing 2001–02 season, scoring 21 goals in 27 games, making him the top goalscorer in the Ekstraklasa. In the 2002–03 season, Żurawski played very well in the UEFA Cup, a big European competition. He scored ten goals in ten matches, including seven goals against strong teams like Parma, Schalke 04, and Lazio. When the team's captain left, Żurawski was chosen to be the new captain of Wisła Kraków.
In the 2003–04 season, he scored 20 goals in 26 games, leading Wisła Kraków to another Ekstraklasa title. He was also the top goalscorer that season. He won his fourth Ekstraklasa title with Wisła Kraków in the 2004–05 season, scoring 24 goals in 25 matches.
Adventures with Celtic in Scotland
In July 2005, Maciej Żurawski moved to Scotland to play for Celtic, a famous team in the Scottish Premier League. He signed a three-year contract and was given the number 7 shirt, which was a special number at Celtic. Fans even nicknamed him "Magic Żurawski."
On February 19, 2006, Żurawski scored four goals in one game as Celtic won 8–1 against Dunfermline Athletic. This was a new record for the Scottish Premier League. Because of his great performance, he was voted the SPL Player of the Month for February. He finished the 2005–06 season as Celtic's joint top scorer with 20 goals.
In the 2006–07 season, Celtic brought in new strikers. Żurawski started the season well, scoring 10 goals by January 2007. However, he then got an injury that kept him out for most of the rest of the season, and he didn't score any more goals that campaign.
Before the 2007–08 season, more new players joined Celtic. Żurawski started the first game but then played less often. He did score the winning penalty in a Champions League shootout against Spartak Moscow. His time at Celtic ended when another striker was signed in January 2008.
Playing in Greece and Cyprus
On the last day of the winter transfer window in 2008, 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. He was Larissa's top scorer in the 2008–09 season with nine goals.
On June 2, 2009, Żurawski signed with Omonia Nicosia, a team 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.
Return to Wisła Kraków
On June 30, 2010, Żurawski returned to Wisła Kraków after five years away. He signed a one-year contract. In the 2010–11 season, he helped Wisła win his fifth Ekstraklasa title with the club.
International Career: Representing Poland
Maciej Żurawski was a key player for the Polish national team for many years.
World Cup 2002 Journey
Żurawski was chosen to be part of Poland's 23-player squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He played in all three of Poland's games during the tournament. In the match against the United States, he missed a penalty kick, but Poland still won the game 3–1.
World Cup 2006 Journey
He was also selected for the 23-player Polish squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Poland finished third in their group and were eliminated early. They lost to the host team, Germany, and to Ecuador, before winning against Costa Rica. Żurawski did not score in any of these three matches.
Euro 2008 Experience
Żurawski was named as the captain for Poland's team at the Euro 2008 tournament. He started their first game against Germany on June 8. However, he got injured during the match and had to leave at half-time. This injury meant he could not play for the rest of the tournament. The captain's armband was then given to other players for the remaining group stage matches.
Career Achievements and Awards
Maciej Żurawski won many titles and awards throughout his football career:
Team Trophies
- 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
- Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- Scottish Cup: 2006–07
- Scottish League Cup: 2005–06
- 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 in his playing days.
See also
In Spanish: Maciej Żurawski para niños
