Tomasz Kuszczak facts for kids
Kuszczak in 2016 with Birmingham City
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tomasz Mirosław Kuszczak | ||
| Date of birth | 20 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Śląsk Wrocław | ||
| 1999–2000 | Uerdingen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2004 | Hertha BSC II | 87 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Hertha BSC | 0 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Manchester United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007–2012 | Manchester United | 26 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Watford (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 84 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13 | (0) |
| 2015–2019 | Birmingham City | 89 | (0) |
| Total | 349 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998 | Poland U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2000 | Poland U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | Poland U21 | 14 | (0) |
| 2003–2012 | Poland | 11 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2023–2024 | Poland (goalkeeping coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Tomasz Mirosław Kuszczak (born on March 20, 1982) is a former professional footballer from Poland. He played as a goalkeeper for many years. Most recently, he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the Poland national team.
Tomasz was born in Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland. He played for clubs in Poland and Germany before moving to England in 2004. In England, he played for West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Birmingham City.
While at Manchester United, he was a backup goalkeeper to Edwin van der Sar. He helped the team win many important trophies. These included three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. Tomasz also played 11 times for the senior Poland team. He was part of their squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in Germany: Hertha BSC
Tomasz Kuszczak began his football journey in Poland. In 2000, he joined the German club Hertha BSC. He spent a year playing for their reserve team. Then, in 2001, he moved up to the main team.
For three seasons, he was the third-choice goalkeeper. He did not play any games in the top German league, the Bundesliga. In 2004, his contract with Hertha ended. He then signed with West Bromwich Albion in England.
Moving to England: West Bromwich Albion
Tomasz made his first appearance for West Bromwich Albion on September 18, 2004. It was a Premier League match against Fulham. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.
Later that season, West Bromwich Albion was fighting to avoid being moved down to a lower league. In a crucial game against Manchester United, Tomasz had to step in as goalkeeper. He played very well, and West Bromwich drew the match 1–1. This performance helped him win his first "man of the match" award. In the final game of the season, he played another great game. West Bromwich won 2–0 and stayed in the Premier League.
In the 2005–06 season, Tomasz became the main goalkeeper for West Bromwich. He made an amazing save against Wigan Athletic on January 15, 2006. This save was even voted "Save of the Season" by fans. However, his club was moved down to a lower league at the end of that season.
Joining Manchester United
On August 10, 2006, Tomasz Kuszczak joined Manchester United. It was a special deal where he first joined on loan. Then, in July 2007, he officially became a permanent player for the club.
He made his first appearance for Manchester United on September 17, 2006, against Arsenal. He saved a penalty kick during that game. Even though he saved the penalty, Arsenal won the match 1–0. Tomasz did not play enough games in the 2006–07 season to automatically get a winner's medal. But, he received one after a special request to the Premier League.
On July 2, 2007, his permanent transfer to Manchester United was completed. He became the second-choice goalkeeper behind Edwin van der Sar. Tomasz hoped to become the main goalkeeper one day.
In September 2008, Tomasz signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2012. He played in the 2010 Football League Cup Final against Aston Villa. Manchester United won the trophy with a 2–1 victory.
In February 2012, Tomasz moved on a temporary loan to Championship team Watford. He played 13 games for Watford during this loan period. On June 1, 2012, Manchester United confirmed that Tomasz was leaving the club.
Brighton & Hove Albion
On June 19, 2012, Tomasz Kuszczak signed a two-year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion. He said he chose Brighton because he believed the club was moving in a good direction. He wanted to help them reach the Premier League again.
Tomasz made a big impact at Brighton. He won the "Albion player of the month" award in early 2013. This was because of his many game-saving performances. He played 84 games for Brighton & Hove Albion. He left the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
On November 3, 2014, Tomasz Kuszczak signed a short-term contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers. This contract lasted until January 2015. It was then extended until the end of the 2014–15 season. He played 13 games for Wolves.
Birmingham City
On July 1, 2015, Tomasz signed a two-year contract with Birmingham City. In his first game, he saved a penalty kick in the last minutes. This helped Birmingham keep their 2–1 lead.
He was the main goalkeeper for the whole 2015–16 season. He started the 2016–17 season as the main keeper too. He signed another two-year contract. However, a new manager brought in a new goalkeeper, David Stockdale. Tomasz did not play as much after that. He left the club in May 2019 when his contract ended.
International Career for Poland
Tomasz Kuszczak made his first international appearance for Poland on December 11, 2003. It was against Malta, and Poland won 4–0.
Because of his strong performances, he was chosen for Poland's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. During a warm-up match, he let in a goal from a long kick by the other team's goalkeeper. He ended up being the backup goalkeeper during the World Cup and did not play in any games.
Tomasz was also named in Poland's squad for UEFA Euro 2008. But, he had to leave the team because of a back injury. He was replaced by another goalkeeper. He was called up for Poland again for friendly matches and World Cup qualifiers in later years.
Life After Playing Football
After he stopped playing football, Tomasz Kuszczak moved back to Poland. He started a construction company there. He also went to college and earned a degree in sports journalism.
On September 20, 2023, he joined the coaching staff of the Poland national team. He worked as a goalkeeping coach. However, on March 18, 2024, it was announced that he was no longer with the national team.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hertha BSC | 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2003–04 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2004–05 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | — | 35 | 0 | ||||
| Manchester United (loan) | 2006–07 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| Manchester United | 2007–08 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 0 | ||
| Watford (loan) | 2011–12 | Championship | 13 | 0 | — | — | – | – | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2012–13 | Championship | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
| Total | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 89 | 0 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2014–15 | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2015–16 | Championship | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | – | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | — | 92 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 261 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 302 | 0 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | |
Trophies and Awards
Tomasz Kuszczak won several important trophies during his career:
With Manchester United
- Premier League: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11 (three times)
- Football League Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10 (two times)
- FA Community Shield: 2007, 2008, 2010 (three times)
- UEFA Champions League: 2007–08 (Europe's top club competition)
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2008 (world club championship)
With Poland Under-18 Team
- UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 2001 (European championship for young players)
See also
In Spanish: Tomasz Kuszczak para niños
