Grzegorz Szamotulski
Encyclopedia
Grzegorz Szamotulski (ˈɡʐɛɡɔʂ ʂamɔˈtulski; born 13 May 1976 in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

) is a Polish
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...

 footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

.

He has had a nomadic career, playing for 11 different clubs in six different countries: 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...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

.

Early career

He started his career with Lechia Gdańsk
Lechia Gdansk
Lechia Gdańsk is a Polish football club based in Gdańsk, Poland. The club's name comes from Lechia, a poetic name for Poland. The club was founded by people expelled from Lwów, who were supporters of Lechia Lwów. Founded in 1945, Lechia was a powerhouse in Polish football during the mid-1950s...

 before making over 100 appearances for Legia Warsaw. Grzegorz then went on to play for PAOK FC
PAOK FC
P.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...

, Śląsk Wrocław, Amica Wronki
Amica Wronki
Amica Wronki was a Polish football club based in Wronki, Poland.The history of SSA Amica Sport goes back to 1992 when the Amica company wanted to sponsor a football team in the town of Wronki where their factory was located. The company's increasing profits gave the new team tremendous financial...

, Admira Wacker Mödling and Sturm Graz.

Dundee United

Grzegorz was then brought to Dundee United on a six-month short term contract to cover for the absence of his countryman Łukasz Załuska, who had broken a bone in his foot. He made his debut in a friendly against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 on 26 July 2007. He was nicknamed "The Monk" by Dundee United fans due to his resemblance to the character from the film Mean Machine.

Craig Levein
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...

 admitted that Szamotulski would be leaving the club at the end of his six month contract, as he had rejected a contract offered by Dundee United. Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

 were among the favourites to capture his signature.

Preston North End

Szamotulski signed a six-month deal with Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

 on 6 February 2008, but soon suffered a knee injury. Two months later, and without making an appearance, Szamotulski left Deepdale
Deepdale
Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...

 by "mutual consent".

Ashdod

Szamotulski joined Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i side F.C. Ashdod
F.C. Ashdod
F.C. Ashdod is an Israeli football club, playing in the port city of Ashdod. The unorthodox name of the team is the result of the union of two city rivals, Hapoel Ashdod and Maccabi Ironi Ashdod...

 in August 2008, but he was released on 3 December.

Hibernian

After leaving Ashdod, Szamotulski was linked with a move to Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

. Initially a contract could not be agreed with Hibs, but he signed for them on 2 January 2009 on a six month deal to last until the end of the season.

Szamotulski made his first appearance for Hibs against Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 as a half-time substitute for Yves Ma-Kalambay
Yves Ma-Kalambay
Yves Makabu-Ma-Kalambay is a Belgian footballer goalkeeper who is currently playing for the Belgian Jupiler Pro League club KV Mechelen. His parents are from the DR Congo, but Ma-Kalambay grew up in Brussels in the same neighbourhood as fellow footballers Vincent Kompany, Faris Haroun, Anthony...

. He kept a clean sheet
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

 in his first start in a 2–0 league
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

 win against St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...

. Later in the season he kept four successive clean sheets, the first time a Hibs goalkeeper had achieved that feat since 1991. Injury problems affected Szamotulski after this, however, and he left Hibs at the end of the season.

Slovakia

On 26 February 2010 FK DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda from Slovakian first division signed the former Polish international, who was a free agent.

International career

Szamotulski represented Poland
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...

 13 times between 1996 and 2003.

External links

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