Jacek Krzynowek

Jacek Krzynowek is a former footballer from Poland who played as a midfielder. He was born in Kamiensk, Poland on 15 May 1976. He was a dominant force in the midfield with his raw power and skills.

Background

Krzynowek started his football career with LZS Chrzanowice in 1982 and spent twelve years learning the basics of the game and brushing up his skills at the club.

In 1994, Krzynowek joined RKS Radomsko and played for two seasons while making 9 appearances and scoring one goals. He then joined Rakow Czestochowa and made his debut in the Ekstraklasa in July 1996.

He played for a season with Rakow and then moved to GKS Belchatow in 1997. In his debut season with the club, Belchatow was demoted back to the second league.

Despite this, Krzynowek impressed everyone with his skills and play as many scouts of other clubs became interested in him.

Debut

Krzynowek made his international debut for Poland against Slovakia on 10 November 1998 in a 1-3 win. He played his next game against Spain in January 2000 which Poland lost by 3-0.

He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and impressed everyone despite Poland's poor performance in the tournament.

Club Career

Krzynowek made 4 appearances for Belchatow and in July 1999 he was signed by 1.FC Nuremberg. He contributed significantly to the promotion of the club to Bundesliga in 2002.

Krzynowek made 148 appearances for Nuremberg while scoring 29 goals and providing 22 assists. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in July 2004 and became one of the best players for the club.

Krzynowek scored crucial goals for Leverkusen in the Champions League in the 2004-05 season. He made 68 appearances for Leverkusen while scoring 12 goals and providing 18 assists.

A mediocre 2005-06 season saw him moving to Vfl Wolfsburg in July 2006 where he scored 9 goals and provided 13 assists in the 68 appearances he made for the club. He also became the German Champion with the club in the 2008-09 season.

In February 2009, Krzynowek moved to Hannover 96 and made 26 appearances while scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists before retiring in August 2011.

Records

Krzynowek made 96 appearances for Poland in International football and scored 15 goals. He was also chosen the Footballer of the year twice in 2003 and 2004 for Poland.