Tomasz Frankowski
Encyclopedia
Tomasz Frankowski (ˈtɔmaʂ franˈkɔfski; born August 16, 1974 in Białystok) is a Polish
footballer who plays for Jagiellonia Białystok.
Frankowski achieved his greatest success at Wisła Kraków of Poland, where he helped fire them to a collection of domestic honours. He is well-travelled, having played for clubs in France, Japan, Spain, England, and USA.
The striker
has been capped 22 times by the Polish national team
, scoring 10 goals, including against England
in a World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford in October 2005.
(1993–1996), followed by a brief stint at Nagoya Grampus Eight
of Japan (1996). Frankowski then returned to France to play for CFP Poitiers (1996–1997) and FC Martigues
(1997–1998), before returning to his home nation to play for Wisła Kraków.
His time at Wisla brought him his greatest successes, as helped the club win five Polish Championship titles (in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005), two Polish Cup
s (in 2002 and 2003), and a Polish SuperCup
in 2001. He was also the league's topscorer three times for Wisla; in 1999, 2001, and 2005 and for Jagiellonia in 2011.
He eventually left Wisla in September 2005 and had a short but successful spell in Spain with Elche CF
of the Segunda División
, scoring 8 times in just 13 appearances. This form caught the attention of Glenn Hoddle
, manager of English Championship
club Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Frankowski soon joined them on 25 January 2006 for £1.4 million.
However, his spell at Wolves did not go well, with Frankowski failing to score a single goal. This earned him the unenviable nickname of "the Pole with no goal" and also meant he was omitted from the 2006 World Cup squad by coach Paweł Janas. Previously, he had scored 9 goals in 11 games in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 World Cup
in Germany.
In August 2006, he was loaned to another Spanish Segunda División side, CD Tenerife
, for the 2006-07 season, where he scored on his home debut. However, at the end of his season at CD Tenerife
, Frankowski returned to Wolves after the Spanish club decided not to purchase the player.
Upon returning to Molineux
for training, he was challenged by manager Mick McCarthy
to 'earn his transfer' to another club after no offers arrived for the striker with a year still remaining on his contract. However, he suffered a knee injury in pre-season training and was unable to attempt any action. By mutual consent, the club terminated his contract on 31 August 2007.
After a period of inactivity, he headed to join up with the Chicago Fire, finally signing a deal on 19 February 2008. He scored his first - and only - two goals for the club on 3 April 2008 during their home opener against the New England Revolution
. However, as the season continued, his playing time greatly diminished, and he was regularly not even listed in the team's bench lineup. A possible cause of this was his critique of Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett
and his coaching style. On 26 November 2008, Frankowski was released to help free up their salary cap after being one of the highest paid players on the team in the 2008 season.
On 23 December 2008, Jagiellonia Białystok announced that Frankowski would rejoin his hometown team on a two-year contract. On March 28, 2010, Frankowski scored 2 goals in the 2-0 win over Arka Gdynia
surpassing Friedrich Scherfke and becoming Ekstraklasa's 9th all-time top scorer with 132 goals, the most for any active player.
On 1 August 2010 Frankowski has won his second Polish Supercup with Jagiellonia with 1-0 win against Lech Poznań, scoring the winning goal.
In the 2010/2011 season Frankowski has won the Polish Topscorer Title, fourth in his career by scoring 14 goals for Jagiellonia Bialystok. He scored 150 goals so far in Polish League and become 7th Ekstraklasa all-time striker.
On 18 November 2011, Frankowski scored 5 against Slask Wroclaw in the Ekstraklasa. He became the first player in the league's history to score 5 goals in a single game.
. He made his senior international debut on 28 April 1999 in a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic
and netted his first international goal the following year, against Iceland
.
He was Poland's top scorer in their qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup
in Germany, but his declining form immediately preceding the finals meant he was omitted from the tournament squad. He returned to the international fold after this, under new coach Leo Beenhakker
, but won only two further caps.
(1995) with RC Strasbourg
.
5x Polish Champion (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005) with Wisła Kraków.
3x Polish Cup Winner
(2002, 2003) with Wisła Kraków, (2010) with Jagiellonia Białystok.
2x Polish SuperCup Winner
(2002) with Wisła Kraków, (2010) with Jagiellonia Białystok.
4x Ekstraklasa topscorer (1999, 2001, 2005, 2011)
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 who plays for Jagiellonia Białystok.
Frankowski achieved his greatest success at Wisła Kraków of Poland, where he helped fire them to a collection of domestic honours. He is well-travelled, having played for clubs in France, Japan, Spain, England, and USA.
The 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...
has been capped 22 times by the Polish national team
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...
, scoring 10 goals, including against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford in October 2005.
Club
The Białystok native began his career with his hometown team Jagiellonia Białystok in 1991 before heading to France to play for RC StrasbourgRC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
(1993–1996), followed by a brief stint at Nagoya Grampus Eight
Nagoya Grampus Eight
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
of Japan (1996). Frankowski then returned to France to play for CFP Poitiers (1996–1997) and FC Martigues
FC Martigues
FC Martigues play in the Championnat National, which is the third level of football in France. The club was formed in 1921 and played regional football until the early 1970s when the club gained promotion to the professional Second Division.The club's greatest achievement was winning promotion to...
(1997–1998), before returning to his home nation to play for Wisła Kraków.
His time at Wisla brought him his greatest successes, as helped the club win five Polish Championship titles (in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005), two Polish Cup
Polish Cup
The Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
s (in 2002 and 2003), and a Polish SuperCup
Polish SuperCup
The Polish SuperCup in football is an annually held match between the champion of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winner. To this date the Polish SuperCup has been played out 21 times with the Polish Cup winner taking the trophy 13 times, while the Ekstraklasa champions had won the trophy 8 times...
in 2001. He was also the league's topscorer three times for Wisla; in 1999, 2001, and 2005 and for Jagiellonia in 2011.
He eventually left Wisla in September 2005 and had a short but successful spell in Spain with Elche CF
Elche CF
Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Elche, Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, holding home matches at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, with a capacity of 38,750 seats.-Recent seasons:-Season to...
of the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, scoring 8 times in just 13 appearances. This form caught the attention of Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, manager of English Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Frankowski soon joined them on 25 January 2006 for £1.4 million.
However, his spell at Wolves did not go well, with Frankowski failing to score a single goal. This earned him the unenviable nickname of "the Pole with no goal" and also meant he was omitted from the 2006 World Cup squad by coach Paweł Janas. Previously, he had scored 9 goals in 11 games in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 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...
in Germany.
In August 2006, he was loaned to another Spanish Segunda División side, CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
, for the 2006-07 season, where he scored on his home debut. However, at the end of his season at CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
, Frankowski returned to Wolves after the Spanish club decided not to purchase the player.
Upon returning to Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
for training, he was challenged by manager Mick McCarthy
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy is an English-born former Irish international footballer who is currently the manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he has been in charge since July 2006....
to 'earn his transfer' to another club after no offers arrived for the striker with a year still remaining on his contract. However, he suffered a knee injury in pre-season training and was unable to attempt any action. By mutual consent, the club terminated his contract on 31 August 2007.
After a period of inactivity, he headed to join up with the Chicago Fire, finally signing a deal on 19 February 2008. He scored his first - and only - two goals for the club on 3 April 2008 during their home opener against the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
. However, as the season continued, his playing time greatly diminished, and he was regularly not even listed in the team's bench lineup. A possible cause of this was his critique of Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett
Denis Hamlett
Denis Hamlett is a Costa Rican former professional soccer player. He has also served as an assistant coach and manager in Major League Soccer....
and his coaching style. On 26 November 2008, Frankowski was released to help free up their salary cap after being one of the highest paid players on the team in the 2008 season.
On 23 December 2008, Jagiellonia Białystok announced that Frankowski would rejoin his hometown team on a two-year contract. On March 28, 2010, Frankowski scored 2 goals in the 2-0 win over Arka Gdynia
Arka Gdynia
Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia is a Polish professional football club, based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Polish 1 Liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929. Its activities were interrupted between 1939–1945 due to the German occupation of Poland...
surpassing Friedrich Scherfke and becoming Ekstraklasa's 9th all-time top scorer with 132 goals, the most for any active player.
On 1 August 2010 Frankowski has won his second Polish Supercup with Jagiellonia with 1-0 win against Lech Poznań, scoring the winning goal.
In the 2010/2011 season Frankowski has won the Polish Topscorer Title, fourth in his career by scoring 14 goals for Jagiellonia Bialystok. He scored 150 goals so far in Polish League and become 7th Ekstraklasa all-time striker.
On 18 November 2011, Frankowski scored 5 against Slask Wroclaw in the Ekstraklasa. He became the first player in the league's history to score 5 goals in a single game.
International
Frankowski has scored 10 goals in 22 appearances for the Polish national teamPoland 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...
. He made his senior international debut on 28 April 1999 in a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and netted his first international goal the following year, against Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
.
He was Poland's top scorer in their qualifying campaign for the 2006 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...
in Germany, but his declining form immediately preceding the finals meant he was omitted from the tournament squad. He returned to the international fold after this, under new coach Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
, but won only two further caps.
International goals
-
- Scores and results table. Poland's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 November 2000 | 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 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... |
1-0 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2 | 9 October 2004 | Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , 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... |
3-1 | FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 3 | 13 October 2004 | Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
3-2 | FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 4 | 26 March 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 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... |
8-0 | FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 7 | 4 June 2005 | 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... |
3-0 | FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 8 | 15 August 2005 | Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
3-2 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 12 October 2005 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , 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... |
1-2 | FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
Successes
1x UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
(1995) with RC Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
.
5x Polish Champion (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005) with Wisła Kraków.
3x Polish Cup Winner
Polish Cup
The Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
(2002, 2003) with Wisła Kraków, (2010) with Jagiellonia Białystok.
2x Polish SuperCup Winner
Polish SuperCup
The Polish SuperCup in football is an annually held match between the champion of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winner. To this date the Polish SuperCup has been played out 21 times with the Polish Cup winner taking the trophy 13 times, while the Ekstraklasa champions had won the trophy 8 times...
(2002) with Wisła Kraków, (2010) with Jagiellonia Białystok.
4x Ekstraklasa topscorer (1999, 2001, 2005, 2011)