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Ebi Smolarek

Ebi Smolarek
Smolarek with Polonia Warsaw in 2011
Personal information
Full name Euzebiusz Smolarek[1]
Date of birth (1981-01-09) 9 January 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Łódź, Poland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker, winger
Youth career
VV Spirit
1993–2000 Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2005 Feyenoord 68 (12)
2005–2007 Borussia Dortmund 81 (25)
2007–2009 Racing Santander 34 (4)
2008–2009 → Bolton Wanderers (loan) 12 (0)
2009–2010 Kavala 15 (3)
2010–2011 Polonia Warsaw 23 (7)
2011–2012 Al-Khor 10 (3)
2012 ADO Den Haag 12 (2)
2012–2013 Jagiellonia Białystok 20 (4)
Total 275 (60)
International career
2002–2010 Poland 47 (19)
Managerial career
2014 Feyenoord (youth)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolarek (Polish pronunciation: [ɛu̯ˈzɛbjuʂ smɔˈlarɛk]; born 9 January 1981) is a Polish former professional footballer. He is currently the head of the Polish Union of Footballers.[2]

He played primarily as a striker or winger,[3] representing clubs in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Spain, England, Greece, and Qatar.

Smolarek played 47 times for the Poland national football team, scoring 19 goals,[4] the joint-tenth most in the nation's history. He was part of the Polish squads at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He was voted the Polish Footballer of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.[5][6][7]

Club career

Born in Łódź, Smolarek grew up in the Netherlands, where his father, Włodzimierz Smolarek, played in the Eredivisie and later worked as a coach.[8] Smolarek went through the Feyenoord youth system and made it all the way to the first team.[9]

On 24 August 2007, Smolarek signed with Racing de Santander for a reported €4.8 million.[10]

Smolarek (left) and Andrius Skerla

On 29 August 2008, Racing loaned Smolarek to Bolton Wanderers for the season, with a view to signing him permanently.[11] Smolarek's debut for his new club came as the team lost 3–1 to Arsenal on 20 September 2008.[12]

On 3 January 2009, Smolarek scored his first, and only, goal for Bolton in the FA Cup 3rd Round match away to Sunderland[13] but at the end of the season the club decided not to make his loan permanent. On 10 August 2009 he was released by Racing.[14]

Despite some interest from Bundesliga clubs at the start of the 2009–10 season,[15] Smolarek signed on 14 December 2009 with Kavala until 30 June 2012.[16] On 25 July 2010, he and the club agreed to cancel his contract by mutual consent.[17] He signed a two-year contract with Polonia Warsaw on 27 July 2010.[17] On 29 July 2011, Smolarek agreed to cancel his contract with Polonia due to his financial expectations.[18]

Smolarek also played for Ekstraklasa side Jagiellonia Białystok.[19]

International career

Smolarek challenging for the ball against Eddie Lewis of the United States in a March 2006 friendly

A Polish international since 2002, Smolarek was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup but failed to score any goals.

He was Poland's and Group A's top scorer in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying scoring nine goals, beating Cristiano Ronaldo. Smolarek scored a hat-trick against Kazakhstan in Warsaw. He played all of the nation's matches in Switzerland and Austria, as Poland exited in the group stages.

In a memorable feat, he was the first Pole to score a goal against Portugal in 20 years, the previous one being his father. Impressively, he scored both goals in a 2–1 win in a Euro 2008-qualifying match.[20]

On 1 April 2009, Smolarek scored four goals against San Marino. This made him top goal scorer for group three and tied him with Belgium's Wesley Sonck for second highest goal scorer for the European Zone of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification.[21]

Personal life

Smolarek is the son of another Polish international, Włodzimierz Smolarek. He was named after Portuguese footballer Eusébio.[22] With his Dutch fiancée Thirza van Giessen he has a son (b. 27 April 2010), named Mees.[23]

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Feyenoord 2000–01 Eredivisie 25 3 0 0 2 0 27 3
2001–02 Eredivisie 19 2 1 0 7 0 27 2
2002–03 Eredivisie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003–04 Eredivisie 21 7 0 0 1 0 22 7
2004–05 Eredivisie 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 68 12 1 0 10 0 79 12
Borussia Dortmund 2004–05 Bundesliga 15 3 0 0 4 0 19 3
2005–06 Bundesliga 34 13 1 0 2 0 37 13
2006–07 Bundesliga 30 9 2 0 0 0 32 9
2007–08 Bundesliga 2 0 1 1 0 0 3 1
Total 81 25 4 1 6 0 91 26
Racing Santander 2007–08 La Liga 34 4 6 2 – 40 6
Bolton Wanderers (loan) 2008–09 Premier League 12 0 1 1 – 13 1
Kavala 2009–10 Super League Greece 15 3 3 0 – 18 3
Polonia Warsaw 2010–11 Ekstraklasa 23 7 3 0 – 26 7
Al-Khor 2011–12 Qatar Stars League 10 3 0 0 – 10 3
ADO Den Haag 2011–12 Eredivisie 12 2 0 0 – 12 2
Jagiellonia 2012–13 Ekstraklasa 20 4 3 1 – 23 5
Career total 275 60 21 5 16 0 312 65
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal, Copa del Rey, FA Cup, Greek Football Cup, Polish Cup

International goals

Honours

Feyenoord

Individual

References

  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Poland" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Euzebiusz Smolarek". laczynaspilka.pl (in Polish). 9 January 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Smolarek close to leaving for Spain". borussia-dortmund.com. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  4. ^ Andrzej Gowarzewski: Biało-Czerwoni. Dzieje reprezentacji Polski (6) 2008-2015. Katowice: Wydawnictwo GiA, 2016, p. 37. ISBN 978-83-88232-48-0.
  5. ^ "Smolarek wygrał plebiscyt "Piłki Nożnej"". wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 19 December 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Ebi - Piłkarzem Roku, Zibi - graczem 50-lecia". radomsko.naszemiasto.pl (in Polish). 18 December 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Ebi Piłkarzem Roku!". chorzow.naszemiasto.pl (in Polish). 9 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Goalscorers list Eredivisie" (in Dutch). beijen.net. 2003. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  9. ^ Ebi Smolarek: Salutowałem tacie i kibicom laczynaspilka.pl (Archived)
  10. ^ "Smolarek signs for Santander". soccerway.com. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  11. ^ "Bolton bring in Smolarek on loan". BBC Sport. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  12. ^ "Bolton 1–3 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  13. ^ "Sunderland 2–1 Bolton". BBC. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  14. ^ "Racing Santander release Ebi Smolarek". IMS Scouting. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  15. ^ "Mercado: El Hamburgo renuncia a contratar a Smolarek" (in Spanish). goal.com. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  16. ^ "Smolarek wreszcie znalazł klub" (in Polish). sports.pl. 15 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 December 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  17. ^ a b "Smolarek oficjalnie w Polonii. Czarne Koszule tworzą mistrzowską drużynę" (in Polish). sports.pl. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Euzebiusz Smolarek odchodzi z Polonii Warszawa" (in Polish). 90minut.pl. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  19. ^ "Smolarek oficjalnie w Jagiellonii" (in Polish). jagiellonia.pl. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  20. ^ "Poland 2–1 Portugal: Smolarek stuns Portugal". ESPN. 7 October 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  21. ^ Wołosik, Piotr. "Trener powinien odejść po Euro" (in Polish). Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Ebi Smolarek: Poland star follows in father's footsteps". abc.net.au. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  23. ^ "Smolarek: fotografowanie Meesa to chamstwo" (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  24. ^ "Player of the year » Poland". World Football. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
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