Rafal Wolski

Rafal Wolski is a Polish professional footballer who plays for Lechia Gdansk in the Polish Ekstraklasa. He was born on 10th November 1992 and hails from the town of Kozienice, in central Poland. He primarily plays as a central attacking midfielder, but is also capable of playing as a winger in either flanks or as a box-to-box midfielder. He is a right footed player with a decent left foot.

A playmaker, he is known for his dribbling technique and flair. Wolski has a very sound dribbling ability, and brings the fancy into the game in the form of nutmegs, feints, and stepovers. Also a very quick player, he loves running with the ball at his feet. True to his role as a playmaker, he often makes the final ball pinging the it over the defence to the target man or playing a delicate pass from just outside the box. His physical side of the game is very lacking, as he goes down with strong tackles. But this can also be seen as a positive aspect, as it draws fouls and creates set-piece chances.

Background

He began playing football at the age of nine, for the local club Jastrzab Glowaczow. He spent eight years at the club from 2001 to 2008. To make further development in his career he moved to top division side Legia Warsaw at the age of 16. Warsaw proved to be a perfect club for his development, as it is one of the most successful Polish clubs and boast a great youth setup. Coming through the ranks, he made his debut for the senior side in the 2010-11 season.

Debut

A regular for Poland in the youth levels, he has played in every level for Poland. He made his senior debut for the Poland national football team on 22nd May 2012 in an international friendly match against Latvia. He had a decent start as Poland won the match 1:0.

Before making his debut, he was the only uncapped player named by Poland manager Franciszek Smuda in the provisional list of 26 players for the 2012 UEFA Euro in Poland and Ukraine.

Rise to Glory

He first rose to glory playing Legia Warsaw before being capped by the national team, as he proved to be an integral part in Warsaw winning consecutive league titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12 season.

He then earned a move to Fiorentina of the Italian Serie A. He impressed during his time at the club, but his playing time was largely hindered due to injuries.

Low Points

Wolski is a very injury-prone, and both his international and club career has been affected by it. It is because of his injuries that he has failed to settle into the bigger leagues of Europe.

Club Career

Wolski has played for Legia Warsaw, Fiorentina and Lechia Gdansk. In addition to that, he also played for Bari, KV Mechelen and Wisla Krakow while on loan from Fiorentina.

Achievements

He has won the Polish Ekstraklasa twice with Legia Warsaw.