Jakub Blaszczykowski

Jakub Blaszczykowski, also known as “Kuba”, is a Polish professional footballer who plays for Vfl Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga and the Poland national football team. He was born on 14th December 1985 and hails from the village of Truskolasy, near Czestochowa in Poland. He primarily plays as a right winger or a right midfielder, but is also capable of playing as a right-back. He is a right-footed player with a very good weak foot.

A well balanced player, he is both technically and physically adept. Best known for his speed, he leaves behind the quickest of defenders in a heap of dust. A very useful player, he is an attacking masterclass who is good at crossing, dribbling, passing, shooting, you name it. Furthermore, he has an exceptional field of vision which gives him the ability to regularly put in dangerous balls into the box. However, with age he has lost touch a bit, but still retains his status as one of Poland’s best players and is almost regarded a legend by the Polish football fans.

He is Poland’s third most capped player with 97 appearances. He won the Polish Footballer of the Year twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Background

He first joined Rakow Czestochowa at the age of eight. At the age of 16, he attracted the interest of top-flight club Gornik Zabrze, who signed him in the summer of 2002. However, he couldn’t make a mark at the club and signed for KS Czestochowa, the very next season. He started developing better as a player, as he broke into the senior squad and was called up for the Poland U-19 team.

Debut

A regular for the Polish U-19 and U-21 team, he made his senior debut on 28th March 2006 in an international friendly match against Saudi Arabia. It was a decent start to a glittering international career, as Poland won the match 1:2.

He missed out on the 2006 World Cup squad due to injury, but quickly made a comeback to play in all of the 5 UEFA Euro qualifier matches and established his place in the Polish side.

Rise to Glory

Kuba first rose to glory playing for Wisla Krakow in the 2005-06 season. The previous season Krakow had gone on to be the champions, but failed to retain the title. However, with some really impressive performances from Blaszczykowski, his team finished as runners-up. He won the “Football Oscar” award for the best midfielder in the league. The following season, he made it to the Ekstraklasa Best XI team elected by the Polish Footballers’ Association.

He then again tasted success playing for Dortmund when he led them to back-to-back successive titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12. He even made it to the UEFA’s 32 man shortlist of the Best Player in Europe.

Low Points

He had to face a life-changing tragedy at the young age of ten, as he witnessed his mother being stabbed to death by his father. He quit football for a short time, before he was convinced to play again by his uncle, Jerzy Brzeczek, another Polish captain.

He has also struggled with injuries throughout his career.

Club Career

Kuba has played for the likes of KS Czestochowa, Wisla Krakow, Borussia Dortmund, Fiorentina and Vfl Wolfsburg.

Captainship

An integral part of the Klopp revolution at Dortmund, he played an integral role in the Dortmund winning successive titles . He has also led Poland to significant success in the Euro 2012 and 2016.

Achievements

He has won the Bundesliga and the German Super Cup twice with Dortmund. He has also won the Ekstraklasa with Wisla Krakow.