Kamil Wilczek

Kamil Wilczek
Wilczek with Brøndby IF in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1988-01-14) 14 January 1988 (age 36)[1]
Place of birth Wodzisław Śląski, Poland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
WSP Wodzisław Śląski
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Silesia Lubomia
2006 Horadada
2007 Elche Ilicitano
2007–2008 GKS Jastrzębie 32 (5)
2009–2010 Piast Gliwice 39 (7)
2010–2013 Zagłębie Lubin 42 (2)
2013–2015 Piast Gliwice 66 (29)
2015–2016 Carpi 3 (0)
2016–2020 Brøndby 124 (71)
2020 Göztepe 14 (1)
2020–2022 Copenhagen 33 (11)
2022–2024 Piast Gliwice 53 (16)
Total 406 (142)
International career
2006–2007 Poland U19 4 (1)
2009–2010 Poland U21 8 (0)
2016–2017 Poland 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kamil Antoni Wilczek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkamil ˈvilt͡ʂɛk]; born 14 January 1988) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Wilczek played for Carpi in 2015, before making the move to the danish club Brøndby IF half a year later in January 2016. He became captain of Brøndby in 2019 following the departures of Johan Larsson and Benedikt Röcker. He is also the club's all-time leading Superliga-goalscorer, having scored a total of 71 goals in the competition. After a short stay at Göztepe, he made a highly controversial move to Brøndby's archrivals FC Copenhagen in August 2020, signing a three-year contract.

In October 2016, Wilczek won his first cap for Poland, having previously played for the under-21 team.

Club career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Born in Wodzisław Śląski, Wilczek began his career with local club WSP Wodzisław Śląski, then moved on loan to LKS Silesia Lubomia. He also played for UD Horadada and Elche CF Ilicitano for short periods before moving on to GKS Jastrzębie in the Polish First League from September 2007 to December 2008.[2] He joined Piast Gliwice during the winter transfer window and made his Ekstraklasa debut in February 2009.[3] In June 2010, he moved to Zagłębie Lubin,[4] where he played for three years before returning to Piast Gliwice in 2013. In 2015, he became the top goalscorer of the Ekstraklasa with 20 goals.

Following the expiration of his contract with Gliwice in June 2015, Wilczek signed a three-year deal with Carpi.[5] However, he failed to impress in Italy and only made three appearances for the club.[6]

Brøndby

[edit]

In January 2016, Wilczek signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Danish club Brøndby IF.[7][8] In April 2018, with Brøndby in the race for the Superliga title, Wilczek scored seven goals in five matches. His performances led to him being named as the Danish Superliga Player of the Month for April 2018.[9] On 10 May 2018, he scored twice as Brøndby beat Silkeborg IF 3–1 in the 2017–18 Danish Cup final.[10] At the end of the spring campaign Wilczek had scored 11 goals in 14 matches which earned him the Tipsbladet Player of the Spring Award.[11]

Wilczek started the 2018–19 season where he left off, opening his goalscoring account in the 63rd minute of the season opener against Randers FC, which ended in a 2–0 away win.[12] In the following weeks, Wilczek scored against Vejle Boldklub and FC Nordsjælland before scoring a brace against newly promoted Vendsyssel FF, helping Brøndby win the match 2–1.[13] He continued his goalscoring form throughout the fall, becoming one of the most scoring players in Europe in 2018, only surpassed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[14] In December 2018, Wilczek signed a two-year contract extension at Brøndby, which would keep him at the club until 2021. This deal came after a record year for the Polish striker: his 25 league goals of 2018 made him highest scoring player of a calendar year in Danish Superliga history.[15]

After the departure of Benedikt Röcker, Wilczek was appointed as new permanent club captain, having temporarily replaced the former captain while he was benched during large parts of the spring campaign.[16] He continued his goal form in the 2019–20 season, closing in on the club record for most goals in the Superliga held by Brøndby-legend, Ebbe Sand.[17] Wilczek scored braces against OB,[18] Hobro IK,[19] as well as in the Copenhagen Derby against F.C. Copenhagen, securing a 3–1 win over the archrivals.[20] On 1 December, Wilczek scored in a loss to F.C. Copenhagen at Telia Parken, his 70th Superliga goal for Brøndby, claiming the record for most goals scored in the Superliga for Brøndby from Sand.[21]

Göztepe

[edit]

On 22 January 2020, Turkish Süper Lig club Göztepe SK confirmed the signing of Wilczek on a one-and-a-half-year contract.[22] He made his first appearance on 26 January, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Cameron Jerome as Göztepe defeated Beşiktaş 2–1.[23] On 8 July, he scored his first goal for the club – a penalty shot – in a 2–2 draw against Ankaragücü.[24] Wilczek made 14 league appearances for Göztepe, scoring one goal.

Copenhagen

[edit]

On 6 August 2020, less than seven months after leaving Brøndby, Wilczek made a surprising and controversial move to Brøndby's bitter rivals Copenhagen.[25] He signed a three-year contract with the club.[26] Upon signing, he stated that he understood the disappointment of Brøndby's fans, but that he hoped they would also see the situation from his point of view.[27][28] Wilczek had at that point already been labelled "Judas" by some Brøndby supporters, with angry fans of the team recording videos of themselves burning his jersey.[29][30] On the evening after the move was announced, a large group of fans protested in front of Brøndby Stadium to show their discontent with Wilczek's transfer.[31]

On 13 September, in the first match-day of the season, Wilczek scored a brace in a 3–2 loss to OB after being down 3–0 at half-time.[32] He made his first European appearance for Copenhagen on 17 September in a 2–1 win over IFK Göteborg at Ullevi in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.[33] A few days later, on 20 September, Wilczek scored the opener against former club and rivals Brøndby, as Copenhagen lost 2–1.[34]

Third stint at Piast

[edit]

On 31 January 2022, Wilczek terminated his contract with Copenhagen and joined Piast Gliwice on a two-and-a-half-year deal, making it the third time in his career he signed with the Silesian side.[35]

On 17 May 2024, after his role within the roster was reduced due to injuries, Piast announced Wilczek would depart the club at the end of the season.[36]

Wilczek announced his retirement from football on 8 August 2024, stating, "Football has given me a lot, but I believe I've reached a point where I can no longer continue. I don't want to force my career just to extend it."[37][38]

International career

[edit]

Wilczek was a part of Poland u19[39] and Poland u21[40] teams.

He got his debut call-up in the Poland national team for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers against Scotland and Republic of Ireland in October 2015.[41] He debuted for Poland in a 2–1 2018 World Cup qualification win over Armenia 11 October 2016.[42]

In May 2018 he was included in the Poland preliminary 35-man team for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[43] However, he did not make the final 23.[44]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[45][46][47]
Club Season League Cup Europe Play-offs Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKS Jastrzębie 2007–08 I liga 22 3 0 0 22 3
2008–09 I liga 10 2 1 0 11 2
Total 32 5 1 0 33 5
Piast Gliwice 2008–09 Ekstraklasa 13 2 13 2
2009–10 Ekstraklasa 26 5 1 0 27 5
Total 39 7 1 0 40 7
Zagłębie Lubin 2010–11 Ekstraklasa 16 2 1 0 17 2
2011–12 Ekstraklasa 16 0 0 0 16 0
2012–13 Ekstraklasa 10 0 4 1 14 1
Total 42 2 5 1 47 3
Piast Gliwice 2013–14 Ekstraklasa 31 9 1 0 1 0 33 9
2014–15 Ekstraklasa 35 20 2 0 37 20
Total 66 29 3 0 1 0 70 29
Carpi 2015–16 Serie A 3 0 1 0 4 0
Brøndby IF 2015–16 Superliga 13 5 2 0 15 5
2016–17 Superliga 30 13 4 2 8 4 42 19
2017–18 Superliga 30 15 5 6 4 0 39 21
2018–19 Superliga 33 21 3 2 4 3 1[a] 1 41 27
2019–20 Superliga 18 17 1 0 6 3 25 20
Total 124 71 15 10 22 10 1 1 162 92
Göztepe 2019–20 Süper Lig 14 1 0 0 14 1
Copenhagen 2020–21 Superliga 27 10 2 0 3 1 32 11
2021–22 Superliga 6 1 1 0 7 2 14 3
Total 33 11 3 0 10 3 0 0 46 14
Piast Gliwice 2021–22 Ekstraklasa 13 5 1 0 14 5
2022–23 Ekstraklasa 28 9 1 0 29 9
2023–24 Ekstraklasa 12 2 2 0 14 2
Total 53 16 4 0 57 16
Career total 406 142 33 11 33 13 1 1 473 167
  1. ^ Appearance in Danish Superliga Europa League play-off

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[45]
National team Year Apps Goals
Poland 2016 2 0
2017 1 0
Total 3 0

Honours

[edit]

Brøndby

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "spillerprofil". brondby.com (in Danish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. ^ Kamil Wilczek zawodnikiem GKS-u Jastrzębie Archived 24 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine 31 August 2007, 90minut.pl
  3. ^ Wolał Gliwice niż Chorzów Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine 7 February 2009, sportslaski.pl
  4. ^ Wilczek piłkarzem Zagłębia 10 June 2010, wp.pl
  5. ^ Russo, Alessandro (1 July 2015). "Primo acuto Carpi: Wilczek. In Polonia è mister 20 gol". Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. ^ Hoffskov, Ole (22 January 2016). "Carpi tager afsked med Wilczek". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  7. ^ Kamil Wilczek podpisał kontrakt z Brondby
  8. ^ "Calciomercato Carpi, via Wilczek: ufficiale al Brondby". Tuttosport (in Italian). 22 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Efter syv mål på fem kampe: Kamil Wilczek er månedens spillery". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 3 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Brøndby er pokalmester - ender ti års pokaltørke" [Brøndby are cup winners - after ten years of cup drought] (in Danish). TV2 Sport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Kamil Wilczek er Forårets Profil i Superligaen" [Kamil Wilczek is Player of the Spring in the Superliga] (in Danish). Tipsbladet. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Erceg og Wilczek gav Brøndby drømmestart" [Erceg and Wilczek gave Brøndby dream start] (in Danish). bold.dk. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Stjerneangriber redder Brøndby: To mål fra Wilczek var nok" [Star Striker Saves Brøndby: Two Goals from Wilczek Was Enough] (in Danish). bold.dk. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Vilde Wilczek i klub med Messi og Ronaldo" [Wild Wilczek in Same League as Messi and Ronaldo] (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Stor Brøndby-nyhed: Kamil Wilczek forlænger" [Big Brøndby News: Kamil Wilczek Extends] (in Danish). Tipsbladet. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Wilczek udpeget som Brøndby-anfører – Mensah viceanfører". 3point.dk (in Danish). 11 July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Wilczek om at takke nej til gratis mad, at Brøndby kæmpede for ham, hans fantastiske forhold til klubbens fans og Ebbe Sands rekord". 3point.dk (in Danish). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Bedst og værst: Kyniske Kamil Wilczek nedlagde OB". tipsbladet.dk (in Danish). 28 July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Kamil Wilczek brandvarm i Hobro - se målene fra Brøndbys 2-0-sejr". tv3sport.dk (in Danish). 11 August 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Brøndbys skarpe angrebsduo afgør arvefjendeopgør mod FCK". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). 6 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Skuffet Wilczek afviser at tale om rekord". bold.dk (in Danish). 1 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Göztepe Kamil Wilczek'i transfer etti". Fanatik. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Billeder: Kamil Wilczek-debut i sejr over storhold". 3point. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  24. ^ Giriş, Haber; Güncelleme, Son (8 July 2020). "Göztepe 2-2 Ankaragücü - Maçın özeti ve golleri". hurriyet.tr. Hürriyet. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  25. ^ Wehlast, Mads Glenn (6 August 2020). "Officielt: FC København henter Brøndby-legenden Kamil Wilczek". ekstabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  26. ^ "FCK henter Kamil Wilczek". www.fck.dk. F.C. Copenhagen. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Wilczek håber på forståelse: FCK var min bedste mulighed". jyllands-posten.dk. Jyllands-Posten. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  28. ^ Wehlast, Mads Glenn (6 August 2020). "Nu taler Wilczek om skiftet". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  29. ^ Grau Andersen, Nicolai (6 August 2020). "Fans koger over efter transferbombe: 'Trøjen skal brændes!'". www.bt.dk. B.T. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  30. ^ Møller Karlsen, Nanna (6 August 2020). "Officielt: Kamil Wilczek skifter til FCK - kontrakt til 2023". 3point.dk. 3point. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  31. ^ Wojciech Kokborg, Johnny (6 August 2020). "Rasende fans samlet - Wilczek-protest i Brøndby". www.bt.dk. B.T. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  32. ^ Kjeldtoft, Jan (13 September 2020). "FCK og Wilczek på randen af ydmygelse i vildt drama" (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  33. ^ Thorsen, Gisle (17 September 2020). "FC København er videre i Europa League efter sejr over IFK Göteborg" (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  34. ^ Ritzau (20 September 2020). "Dramatisk derby: Brøndby tager sejren med overtidsscoring". www.dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 20 September 2020. Mikael Uhre blev matchvinder for Brøndby mod FCK, i et opgør hvor Kamil Wilczek også scorede.
  35. ^ "Kamil Wilczek wrócił do Piasta!" (in Polish). Piast Gliwice. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  36. ^ "Kamil Wilczek po sezonie odejdzie z Piasta" (in Polish). Piast Gliwice. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  37. ^ Skwierawski, Mateusz (8 August 2024). "W Danii był gwiazdą, a później wywołał burzę. Po cichu zakończył karierę". WP SportoweFakty (in Polish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  38. ^ Risager, Victor (9 August 2024). "Kamil Wilczek stopper karrieren: Det skal han nu". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  39. ^ U-19: Kadra na konsultację i mecze z Ukrainą[permanent dead link] 1 March 2007, reprezentacja.com.pl
  40. ^ Powołania do reprezentacji młodzieżowej U-21 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine 16 February 2010, pilkanozna.pl
  41. ^ "Poland announce squad for Scotland clash". scottishfa.co.uk. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  42. ^ "Poland v Armenia". BBC Sport. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  43. ^ "Russia, Iceland & Poland name provisional squads". FIFA.com. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  44. ^ Tyers, Alan (24 June 2018). "Poland World Cup 2018 squad list and team guide". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  45. ^ a b "Kamil Wilczek". 90minut.
  46. ^ "Kamil Wilczek". Soccerway.
  47. ^ "Kamil Wilczek » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  48. ^ "Brøndby er pokalmester – ender ti års pokaltørke". TV 2 Sport (in Danish). 10 May 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  49. ^ Polish Eskstraklasa top scorer 16 December 2018, hitc.com
  50. ^ Ekstraklasa player Player of the year 16 December 2018, sport.nowiny.pl
  51. ^ Eskstraklasa best forward 16 December 2018, ronaldo.com
  52. ^ "PIŁKARZ MIESIĄCA: KAMIL WILCZEK" (in Polish). Ekstraklasa. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  53. ^ "PIŁKARZ MIESIĄCA: KAMIL WILCZEK!" (in Polish). Ekstraklasa. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  54. ^ "Forårets Profil: Se alle de tidligere vindere". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  55. ^ Brøndby IF Player of the year 16 December 2018, ronaldo.com
  56. ^ Skovsgaard Tøfting, Nicolai (7 November 2019). "Kamil Wilczek er månedens Superliga-spiller". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
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