Now Lewandowski and Szczęsny, once Żurawski and Boruc. What a history of Polish football!

You can probably look deeper, but the 21st century itself brings many interesting stories related to Polish accents in foreign football clubs. Football in Poland continues to be the leader in terms of sporting interest, but let’s be clear, this does not translate into a position in the hierarchy of power in Europe. However, as the example of the FC Barcelona duo shows, Robert Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczęsny showed that it is possible. Although this is mainly due not to the system, but to the players themselves.

Lewandowski and Szczęsny have been together in the capital of Catalonia officially since the 2024/25 season. In response to Barcelona’s offer, the former goalkeeper of Juventus and the Polish national team even decided to resume his career, which had ended shortly before. Lewandowski, however, is a figure who managed to smoothly transfer his effectiveness from the German Bundesliga to the Spanish LaLiga. And since we started the competition beyond our western border…

VfL Wolfsburg – the Polish trio and the tragic story of Krzysztof Nowak

The end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century is certainly a window to the world, which led footballers from Poland to Germany. Sooner or later, as this football trio shows, the Bundesliga did not immediately become the place where men landed after leaving their homeland.

Before the era of the Polish trio from Dortmund came (more on that in a moment), three Poles defended the colors of VfL Wolfsburg. In the Volkswagen city there were: striker Andrzej Juskowiak, midfielder Krzysztof Nowak and defender Waldemar Kryger. The latter came to Wolfsburg straight from Lech Poznań, to which he returned at the end of his career from VfL. In Nowak’s case, the story was much crazier, because before he received the “ten” on his back in Wolfsburg, as a 21-year-old he went to… the Brazilian league, playing together with Mariusz Piekarski in Athletico Paranaense. We were the first Poles in the history of the Coffee Country league! Piekarski is today a famous football agent. As for Nowak, unfortunately, his life was cut short by a fatal illness.

Nowak suffered from ALS, a nervous system disease. It manifests itself by sagging and gradual muscle atrophy. Unfortunately, treatment in the USA, the Netherlands or Germany did not bring results. The footballer used a wheelchair towards the end of his life and died at the age of only 29, on May 26, 2005. In Wolfsburg he is still remembered as “The Ten of Our Hearts”. Nowak had exceptional talent and health – it seemed – to become a leading player of the national team and club football. His dream was to play for Barcelona.

In the capital of Catalonia, the third of the Polish trio in Wolfsburg, Andrzej Juskowiak, shined. At the 1992 Olympics, he became the top scorer, scoring seven goals in the Olympic tournament. Polish players won silver medals for this. After such a successful performance in Barcelona, ​​Juskowiak went to Sporting, then Olympiakos Piraeus, until he landed in Germany, first Borussia Mönchengladbach, and then VfL. In Lisbon and Wolfsburg, “Jusko” played and scored the most.

Nowak played for VfL from 1998 to 2002. He played his last match on February 10, 2001, leaving after only 11 minutes. Due to his illness, Nowak no longer had the strength to run. The club showed class by extending the contract with the Pole for another year. Kryger played from 1997 to 2002. Juskowiak? The striker was a VfL player from 1998 to 2002.

It is worth adding that at that time, Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen had two Tomasz players responsible for defense. The Wałdoch-Hajto duo co-created one of the best defensive formations in the Bundesliga. Poles reached, among others: after being runner-up in Germany and winning the national cup twice.

Wałdoch played for Schalke 04 in 1999-2006. Hajto in the period 2000-04.

Artur “Holy Goalie” Boruc and Maciej “Magic” Żurawski – Celtic Glasgow

They both left the Ekstraklasa as stars. For one, the choice of Celtic Glasgow was the last important club on the large European arena, and for the other, it was a stop for further challenges – including Serie A or playing in the Premier League.

Interestingly, before Boruc and Żurawski came to Glasgow, Celtic had another Polish duo in their ranks in the past. Just as in Gelsenkirchen, Tomaszów was chosen, in Scotland it was two Dariusz’s: Dziekanowski (in 1989-92) and Wdowczyk (1989-94). At Celtic, Żurawski received “seven” on his back, a number previously worn by, among others, Henrik Larsson. Maciej, called “Magic” by the locals, had his five minutes in Glasgow. In the first season, the former Wisła Kraków star and captain of the Polish national team scored 20 goals in 30 matches. “Magic” defended Celtic’s colors in 2005-08, making his debut in the Champions League, and also won championship titles, the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.

Żurawski left Glasgow in the winter of 2008, and Boruc took over the baton of number 1 among Poles for good. Nicknamed “Holy Goalie”, he played at Parkhead from 2005-10. Where does Boruc’s nickname come from? The charismatic goalkeeper was exceptionally able to get under the skin of his biggest rival, Rangers. Protestants looked at, among others, with undisguised fury. on Boruc’s T-shirt with the image of John Paul II and the inscription “God bless the Pope”.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Boruc-Żurawski duo was the answer to today’s set with Szczęsny and Lewandowski. Which clearly shows what a difference there was between the then expectations regarding the achievements of the representatives – the Scottish league and the Spanish league.

Celtic is a place where Poles have appeared several times. The episode of Paweł Brożek in 2012, Łukasz Załuska (2009-15) or the latest history, Patryk Klimala (2020-21).

Borussia Dortmund – trio Błaszczykowski, Lewandowski, Piszczek

The first one was Jakub Błaszczykowski (2007-16). Then Łukasz Piszczek (2010-21) and Robert Lewandowski (2010-14). The trio from BVB, which electrified not only Polish fans, but also aroused admiration among foreign observers. To confirm these words, just look at the showcase of the Dortmund club. Already in the first season (2010/11) of playing together, BVB won the German championship. Moreover, in the 2012/13 season it reached the final of the Champions League.

It was close, but Bayern Munich triumphed 2-1 at Wembley. In what was then the most important match of his career, Jürgen Klopp included, of course, a trio from Poland in the starting line-up.

The pomp with which Błaszczykowski and Piszczek were farewelled by organizing a special match to close the careers of former great players prove how highly respected Poles are in Dortmund. Piszczek is still associated with BVB, currently being coach Nuri Sahin’s right-hand man since the start of the 2024/25 season.

Lewandowski’s move to Bayern certainly did not help himself – in the context of the sympathy of BVB fans over the years. However, RL9 made a milestone that allowed him to jump to an even higher level, thanks to which he won the Champions League and also became one of the best scorers in the history of football, second only to two space football players in history – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Łukasz Fabiański and Wojciech Szczęsny – Polish duo of the Gunners

It was about Lewandowski in the context of BVB, it’s time for Szczęsny and his beloved – we write this with full awareness – Arsenal. The London club developed the Polish goalkeeper into a world-class professional. Szczęsny was a Gunner from 2006 to 2017. The last two years (2015-17) included loans to Serie A, first as an AS Roma player, and then, finally, in the colors of Juventus.

In the case of Szczęsny, however, there was also a Polish competitor who – as it later turned out – also competed with “Szczena” in the national team. We are talking about Łukasz Fabiański, who, like Szczęsny, moved to Arsenal from Legia Warszawa. The difference, however, was that the former did it while still a junior, without any trace of official matches in the Ekstraklasa. “Fabian” went to London instead as a recognized brand in Poland, they want to take the next step.

Szczęsny, however, won the competition with Fabianski for a place between the Arsenal posts. The biographies of both great goalkeepers intersected at every step, starting with the fact that they were both born on the same day in the calendar. Exactly on April 18, although the vintages are Fabiański in 1985 and Szczęsny in 1990.

Both have parted ways with Arsenal, although “Fabian” still operates in London, just in a different district. Fabiański is a recognized brand in the Premier League, currently (as of the 2024/25 season) defending the colors of West Ham United. After taking over from Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus and resuming his career, Szczęsny will want to prove his worth once again with several valuable performances for Barcelona.

However, it must be openly admitted that two goalkeepers competing for a place in the “cage” of the famous Premier League club is a scenario that can only be wished for in the future. In London, they learned well what the Polish goalkeeper school is.

Arkadiusz Milik and Piotr Zieliński – SSC Napoli

Only since the 2024/25 season has Piotr Zieliński been absent from Naples. One of the symbols of the 2023 SSC Napoli championship team. In the years 2016-24, the Pole played for this club in 281 matches, scoring 39 goals. What is most important, however, is that Napoli won the long-awaited championship, referring to the golden times of the late 1980s, when the leader of the team was the lamented virtuoso Diego Armando Maradona. It is no accident that the Napoli stadium is named after him.

Zieliński is a world-class footballer with an established position in Serie A. Inter eagerly reached for the Pole, extending a hand to the midfielder when there was no longer room for “Zieliński” in Naples. Perhaps not everyone remembers, but apart from Zieliński, there was another Pole loved in Napoli years ago. Arkadiusz Milik, who was owned by the Italian club in 2016-22.

However, the striker was plagued by numerous injuries that significantly slowed down his career. The Pole cost EUR 32 million in the summer of 2016. The first injury to the cruciate ligaments was in the 2016/17 season – the Pole was sidelined for a total of 130 days. Second? Another campaign (2017/18) and the same injury, this time 150 days without a break. Additionally, Milik missed the European Championships twice (2021 and 2024) due to health problems.

The Polish striker started the 2024/25 season as a Juventus player. A deep reserve, having further health problems. If Milik had been more lucky in his career and had avoided injuries, it is possible that he would have followed Lewandowski’s path. Unfortunately, it turned out differently and the Pole missed out on Napoli’s historic third championship in history. The club of which the Pole was one of the favorites until he moved to Turin.