Piotr Zieliński facts for kids
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Zieliński with Napoli in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 May 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Inter Milan | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2007 | Orzeł Ząbkowice Śląskie | ||
| 2007–2011 | Zagłębie Lubin | ||
| 2011–2012 | Udinese | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012–2016 | Udinese | 19 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | → Empoli (loan) | 63 | (5) |
| 2016–2024 | Napoli | 281 | (37) |
| 2024– | Inter Milan | 7 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009 | Poland U15 | 5 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Poland U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Poland U17 | 10 | (1) |
| 2012 | Poland U18 | 5 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Poland U19 | 15 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | Poland U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 2013– | Poland | 97 | (14) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Piotr Sebastian Zieliński (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpjɔtr ʑɛˈlij̃skʲi]; born 20 May 1994) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Poland national team. During his senior career, he previously played for Udinese, Empoli and Napoli.
Zieliński was selected to represent Poland at UEFA Euro 2016 in France, as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the pan-European UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. He has two brothers who are also professional footballers – Paweł and Tomasz Zieliński. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Polish footballers of all time.
Contents
Club career
Early career
Zieliński started his career at his local club, Orzeł Ząbkowice Śląskie, where he was coached by his father. At the age of 14, he joined Zagłębie Lubin, even though he was wanted by Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool and also had trials at Feyenoord and Heerenveen. He rose through the ranks and started training with the first team at the age of 15, under Franciszek Smuda.
At 17, he moved abroad to join Udinese after they scouted him on international youth tournament.
Udinese
Zieliński made his debut in Serie A on 2 November 2012 when he replaced Antonio Di Natale in 91st minute of a match against Cagliari.
Empoli (loan)
In 2014, Zieliński joined Empoli on loan.
Napoli
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On 4 August 2016, after months of transfer speculation, Zieliński moved from Udinese to Napoli for a reported €16 million. He scored his first goal with Partenopei's shirt on 3 December, in a 3–0 home win against Inter Milan; he ended his first season with six goals. On 31 August 2020, he signed new contract with Napoli until June 2023. On 31 October 2021, not only did he decide the derby between Salernitana and Napoli, scoring the only goal of the game, but with 32 goals he also became the second best Polish goal-scorer in Serie A's history (behind Arkadiusz Milik), beating Zbigniew Boniek's record. On 17 February 2022, he scored a goal for Napoli in a Europa League match against Barcelona which ended in a 1–1 draw. On 7 September 2022, he scored two goals and had one assist in a Champions League match against Liverpool, which concluded in a 4–1 victory for Napoli.
At the end of June 2024, It was announced on the official website that Zieliński along with five other players left the club, following the contract expiration.
Inter Milan
On 3 July 2024, Zieliński signed for the fellow Serie A club Inter Milan following the expiration of his Napoli contract. On 27 October 2024, Zieliński scored two goals in a 4–4 draw against Juventus. The two goals were his first goals scored for Inter Milan.
International career
On 4 June 2013, Zieliński made his senior international debut for the Poland national team in a friendly match against Liechtenstein. In May 2018, he was named in Poland's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He provided an assist in the Euro 2024 group stage match against the Netherlands. On 15 October 2024, he scored a goal in a 3–3 draw against Croatia in the group stage of the UEFA Nations League.
Personal life
His older brothers Tomasz and Paweł are also footballers. On 15 June 2019, Zieliński married Laura Słowiak with whom he has a son, Maksymilian (born 2021). In 2021, he passed an Italian language exam at the B2 level at the University of Naples. On 6 October 2023, Zieliński formally also received the Italian citizenship.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Udinese | 2012–13 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Empoli (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| Total | 63 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 66 | 5 | ||||
| Napoli | 2016–17 | Serie A | 36 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 47 | 6 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 36 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | — | 47 | 7 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | 49 | 7 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 37 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 49 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 36 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 10 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 42 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | — | 48 | 7 | ||
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| Total | 281 | 37 | 17 | 1 | 64 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 364 | 51 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2024–25 | Serie A | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| Career total | 370 | 44 | 20 | 1 | 69 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 461 | 58 | ||
International
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| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 2013 | 7 | 3 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | |
| Total | 97 | 14 | |
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zieliński goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 August 2013 | Stadion Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland |  Denmark |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 10 September 2013 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino |
1–0 | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4–1 | |||||
| 4 | 27 March 2018 | Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland |  South Korea |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 8 June 2018 | Stadion Poznań, Poznań, Poland |  Chile |
2–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 7 September 2018 | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy |  Italy |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 7 | 8 June 2021 | Stadion Poznań, Poznań, Poland |  Iceland |
1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 8 | 29 March 2022 | Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland |  Sweden |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 11 June 2022 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Netherlands |
2–0 | 2–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
| 10 | 26 November 2022 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Saudi Arabia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 11 | 21 March 2024 | Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Estonia |
2–0 | 5–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 12 | 7 June 2024 | Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Ukraine |
2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 13 | 12 October 2024 | Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Portugal |
1–2 | 1–3 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 14 | 15 October 2024 | Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Croatia |
1–0 | 3–3 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
Honours
Napoli
- Serie A: 2022–23
- Coppa Italia: 2019–20
Poland U21
- Four Nations Tournament: 2014–15
Individual
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Piotr Zieliński para niños
