Jakub Błaszczykowski

Early career

Raised in Truskolasy near Częstochowa, Błaszczykowski began training at Raków Częstochowa when he was eight years old. In 2002, at age 16, he joined the youth side of Górnik Zabrze. In early 2003, he joined KS Częstochowa and played in the Polish fourth league until the end of 2004. His uncle, former Poland captain Jerzy Brzęczek, then helped him get a trial at Wisła Kraków, where he impressed then-manager Werner Lička. Błaszczykowski quickly broke into Wisła'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 Wisła 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, Błaszczykowski signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund for an undisclosed fee, joining the Bundesliga side in July of that year. He played with the shirt name "Kuba", a diminutive form of his first name, until 2012. During the 2008–09 season, he was plagued by a torn leg muscle. He was, nevertheless, voted Polish Footballer of the Year in December 2008. Błaszczykowski with Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title for two consecutive seasons in 2010–11 and…

Błaszczykowski debuted for the Poland national team on 28 March 2006 in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia. He was not selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to injury. He scored his first goal for Poland on 22 August 2007 in a friendly against Russia. Błaszczykowski was an important part of Poland's successful UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and was named in Poland's squad for UEFA Euro 2008, but he withdrew due to injury. On 17 November 2010, in a friendly match against Ivory Coast, Błaszczykowski made his debut as captain of the Poland national team.

UEFA Euro 2012

On 8 June 2012, in the opening game of UEFA Euro 2012 against Greece, Błaszczykowski assisted Robert Lewandowski's goal in a 1–1 draw. In the second group stage match against Russia, he scored a long range equalising goal in a 1–1 draw and was named Man of the Match.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Błaszczykowski was Poland's current top scorer in their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with four goals. His first two strikes were from the penalty spot, his first gave Poland an early lead in their opening group game with Montenegro, a match which finished 2–2. His second goal came four days later, again giving Poland the lead in their 2–0 win over Moldova. He did not feature in the 1–1 draw with England due to injury. Błaszczykowski got the assist for Piszczek's goal in the 3–1 defeat to Ukraine. He did not feature against San Marino four days later due to an injury sustained in…

Club

International

Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Błaszczykowski goal.

As a child, Błaszczykowski witnessed a family tragedy which had a major influence on his life. In September 1996, when he was 10 years old, his father, who abused alcohol, stabbed his mother to death. After his father went to prison, he and his older brother, Dawid, were raised by their grandmother. He briefly gave up football, but with the encouragement of his uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, a former captain of the Poland national football team, he decided to resume training at Raków Częstochowa two months later. Błaszczykowski has credited his successes to his grandmother. He dedicates every goal he scores to his mother and can be seen looking up to the sky during goal celebrations. On 7 September 2024, a special Borussia Dortmund legends farewell match was held in order to pay tribute to Błaszczykowski and his compatriot Łukasz Piszczek who helped shape some of the most successful years in the club's history between 2010 and 2015. The match was overseen by former club coach Jürgen Klopp and attracted over 81,000 spectators at the Signal Iduna Park. The match ended in a 5–4 victory of the Błaszczykowski team. Błaszczykowski married Agata Gołaszewska in June 2010. Their daughter, Oliwia, was born in 2011. Their second daughter, Lena, was born in 2014. He is a devout Catholic who reads the Bible on a daily basis, prays often, and participates in the Nie wstydzę się Jezusa (Polish for "I am not ashamed of Jesus") project. In 2024, he was the subject of a documentary film entitled…