Mirosław Szymkowiak Explained

Mirosław Szymkowiak
Fullname:Mirosław Szymkowiak[1]
Birth Date:12 November 1976
Birth Place:Poznań, Poland
Height:1.79 m
Position:Attacking midfielder
Years1:1993–1994
Clubs1:Olimpia Poznań
Caps1:44
Goals1:5
Years2:1995–2000
Clubs2:Widzew Łódź
Caps2:132
Goals2:11
Years3:2001–2004
Clubs3:Wisła Kraków
Caps3:91
Goals3:13
Years4:2005–2006
Clubs4:Trabzonspor
Caps4:55
Goals4:14
Years5:2014–2019
Clubs5:Prądniczanka Kraków
Years6:2019–2020
Clubs6:Podgórze Kraków
Caps6:10
Goals6:2
Years7:2020–2022
Clubs7:LKS Szaflary
Caps7:17
Goals7:3
Nationalteam1:Poland U16
Nationalteam2:Poland U17
Nationalteam3:Poland U21
Nationalyears4:1997–2006
Nationalteam4:Poland
Nationalcaps4:33
Nationalgoals4:3

Mirosław Szymkowiak (pronounced as /pl/; born 12 November 1976) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Szymkowiak is also a former member of the Poland national team.

Career

Born in Poznań, Poland, Szymkowiak first started playing at Olimpia Poznań, where he played from 1992 until 1994, when he joined Widzew Łódź. He remained there for five and a half years, when he left to join Wisła Kraków in the middle of the 2000–01 season. He helped them to win the championship in his first season, and to two further championships in 2003 and 2004. In January 2005, he joined the Turkish club Trabzonspor. In his first six months at Trabzonspor he scored nine goals in fifteen starts.

As well as playing for Trabzonspor, Szymkowiak appeared 33 times and scored three goals for the Poland national team. He was selected to the 23-men squad that competed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Retirement

In December 2007, he announced his retirement from football.[2] Szymkowiak finished his career for health reasons. In an interview for a Polish website he said: "I'm just turning 31, and already I've gone through eight surgeries! I've got four screws in both my knees, one in my ankle. They [doctors, red.] removed one I had in the shoulder, but I also have two titanium nets in my groins. I feel older than my dad, and in a couple of years time I'd like to walk like a normal person."[3] Later, in an interview for Polish newspaper Super Express, he stated that his retirement was mainly attributed to his drug use: he used rofecoxib for his pain problems, which was related to his injuries, but it was found to cause serious blood and bone marrow problems, resulting in lowering his performance and stamina.

Post-playing career

Szymkowiak works as a pitch reporter for Canal+ Poland. His debut as a reporter was an Ekstraklasa game between GKS Bełchatów and Zagłębie Lubin on 5 April 2007.[4] He also owns two beauty salons in Kraków.

Honours

Widzew Łódź[5]

Wisła Kraków[7]

Poland U16

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Miroslaw Szymkowiak . Turkish Football Federation . 4 October 2019 . Turkish.
  2. Web site: Ajansı . Anadolu . Mektup Szymkowiak'tan . NTV Spor . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927213630/http://www.ntvspor.net/pages/6456.asp . 27 September 2007 . tr . 30 December 2007.
  3. Web site: Szymkowiak: Czuję się inwalidą . Polish . sport.pl . 13 April 2007 . 18 May 2013.
  4. Web site: Szymkowiak zadebiutował w nowej roli . Polish . sport.interia.pl . 18 May 2013.
  5. Web site: Urodziny Mirosława Szymkowiaka . widzewtomy.net . 18 May 2023 . pl.
  6. Web site: Jedenastka Legend Widzewa - Mirosław Szymkowiak (2) . widzewiak.pl . 18 May 2023 . pl . 11 March 2020.
  7. Web site: Wiślacki dyrygent opuszcza scenę: 16 lat od ostatniego meczu Mirosława Szymkowiaka w barwach Białej Gwiazdy . . 18 May 2023 . pl . 1 December 2020.
  8. Web site: Puchar Ligi 2000/2001 - Finał - II mecz . 90minut.pl . 17 May 2023 . pl.
  9. Web site: Superpuchar 2001 - Finał . 90minut.pl . 17 May 2023 . pl.
  10. Web site: 30 lat temu Polacy zostali mistrzami Europy do lat 16. "Nikt nie spodziewał się tego sukcesu" . sport.tvp.pl . pl . 8 May 2023.