Euzebiusz Smolarek
Encyclopedia
Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolarek (ɛu̯ˈzɛbjuʂ smɔˈlarɛk; born 9 January 1981 in Łódź) is a Polish footballer who is currently player of Qatari Al-Khor. He has played 46 times for the Polish national football team
. Smolarek plays primarily as a striker
or winger
.
and later worked as a coach. Smolarek went through the Feyenoord youth system and made it all the way to the first team.
On 24 August 2007, Smolarek signed with Racing de Santander
for a reported €4.8 million.
On 29 August 2008, Racing loaned Smolarek to Bolton Wanderers
for the season, with a view to signing him permanently. Smolarek's debut for his new club came as the team lost 3–1 to Arsenal
on 20 September 2008.
On 3 January 2009, Smolarek scored his first, and only, goal for Bolton in the FA Cup 3rd Round match away to Sunderland 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.
Despite some interest from Bundesliga
clubs at the start of the 2009–10 season, Smolarek signed on 14 December 2009 for Kavala F.C. until 30 June 2012. On 25 July 2010, he and the club agreed to cancel his contract by mutual consent. He signed a two-year contract with Polonia Warsaw on 27 July 2010. On 29 July 2011, Smolarek agreed to cancel his contract with Polonia due to his financial expectations.
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 by his father. Impressively, he scored both goals in a 2–1 win in a Euro 2008-qualifying match.
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.
. With his Dutch fiancée Thirza van Giessen he has a son (b. 27 April 2010), named Mees (for some time it was believed he named him Messi after Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi
; the actual name Mees is an old Dutch name, and does not have anything to do with Messi).
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. Smolarek plays primarily as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
or winger
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Club career
Smolarek grew up in the Netherlands, where his father played in the EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
and later worked as a coach. Smolarek went through the Feyenoord youth system and made it all the way to the first team.
On 24 August 2007, Smolarek signed with Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
for a reported €4.8 million.
On 29 August 2008, Racing loaned Smolarek to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
for the season, with a view to signing him permanently. Smolarek's debut for his new club came as the team lost 3–1 to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on 20 September 2008.
On 3 January 2009, Smolarek scored his first, and only, goal for Bolton in the FA Cup 3rd Round match away to Sunderland 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.
Despite some interest from Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
clubs at the start of the 2009–10 season, Smolarek signed on 14 December 2009 for Kavala F.C. until 30 June 2012. On 25 July 2010, he and the club agreed to cancel his contract by mutual consent. He signed a two-year contract with Polonia Warsaw on 27 July 2010. On 29 July 2011, Smolarek agreed to cancel his contract with Polonia due to his financial expectations.
International career
A Polish internationalPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
since 2002, Smolarek was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
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
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
. Smolarek scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. 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
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in 20 years, the previous one being by his father. Impressively, he scored both goals in a 2–1 win in a Euro 2008-qualifying match.
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
Wesley Sonck
Wesley Sonck is a Belgian football player, who currently plays as a striker for K. Lierse S.K. who signed him in August 2010 and the Belgium national football team. He played for KRC Genk in the Belgian First Division from where he joined AFC Ajax in 2003 for about £5 million...
for second highest goal scorer for the European Zone of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification.
Poland goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3 September 2005 | Chorzów Chorzów Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million... , Poland |
3–2 | Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 2. | 7 October 2005 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland |
3–2 | Win | Friendly | |
| 3. | 13 November 2005 | Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... , Spain |
3–0 | Win | Friendly | |
| 4. | 3 June 2006 | Wolfsburg Wolfsburg Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG... , Germany |
1–0 | Win | Friendly | |
| 5. | 7 October 2006 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... , Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe... |
1–0 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A | |
| 6. | 11 October 2006 | Chorzów Chorzów Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million... , Poland |
2–1 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A | |
| 7. | ||||||
| 8. | 2 June 2007 | Baku Baku Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal... , Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
3–1 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A | |
| 9. | 13 October 2007 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland |
3–1 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A | |
| 10. | ||||||
| 11. | ||||||
| 12. | 17 November 2007 | Chorzów Chorzów Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million... , Poland |
2–0 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A | |
| 13. | ||||||
| 14. | 10 September 2008 | Serravalle, San Marino San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino... |
2–0 | Win | FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying | |
| 15. | 15 October 2008 | Bratislava Bratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... , Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... |
1–2 | Loss | FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying | |
| 16. | 1 April 2009 | Kielce Kielce Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
10–0 | Win | FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying | |
| 17. | ||||||
| 18. | ||||||
| 19. | ||||||
| 20. | 12 October 2010 | Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
2–2 | Draw | Friendly |
Personal
Smolarek is the son of another Polish international, Włodzimierz Smolarek. He was named after Portuguese footballer EusébioEusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
. With his Dutch fiancée Thirza van Giessen he has a son (b. 27 April 2010), named Mees (for some time it was believed he named him Messi after Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
; the actual name Mees is an old Dutch name, and does not have anything to do with Messi).
Honours
- Feyenoord
- Eredivisie runners-up: 2000–01
- UEFA Cup champions: 2001–02
- Personal
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007
External links
- Official website
- National team stats on the website of the Polish Football AssociationPolish Football AssociationThe Polish Football Association is the governing body of football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues , the Polish Cup, the Polish SuperCup, the Polish League Cup, and the Polish national football team...