Jakub Blaszczykowski

Jakub Blaszczykowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjakup ˈkuba ˌbwaʂtʂɨˈkɔfskʲi] (listen); born 14 December 1985), also known as Kuba, is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Wisla Krakow and the Poland national team, businessman and Wisla Krakow's part owner. He started his professional football at Wisla Krakow establishing himself at a young age. In 2007, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where he spent the majority of his career, making over 250 appearances and winning two Bundesliga titles, two DFL-Supercups, and one DFB-Pokal.

Blaszczykowski was twice named Polish Footballer of the Year in 2008 and 2010. With 108 appearances, he is the second most capped player for Poland, and captained them as they co-hosted UEFA Euro 2012, while also appearing at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Early career

Raised in Truskolasy near Czestochowa, Blaszczykowski began training at Rakow Czestochowa when he was eight years old. In 2002, at age 16, he joined the youth side of Gornik Zabrze. In early 2003, he joined KS Czestochowa and played in the Polish fourth league until the end of 2004. His uncle, former Poland captain Jerzy Brzeczek, then helped him get a trial at Wisla Krakow, where he impressed then-manager Werner Licka.

Blaszczykowski quickly broke into Wisla's first team, with his first league appearance coming on 20 March 2005 against Polonia Warsaw. By the end of the season, he was an established part of the starting 11. With Wisla he won the Polish Ekstraklasa title in his debut season, and they were runners-up the following season. Additionally he won Canal+'s "Football Oscar" for the best midfielder in the Polish top division. He was also named to the Ekstraklasa Best XI of the 2006–07 season in the Polish Footballers' Association voting.

Borussia Dortmund

In February 2007, Blaszczykowski signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund for an undisclosed fee, joining the Bundesliga side in July

This page also has a version in other languages :  Якуб Блащиковский (russian)