Euzebiusz Smolarek
Smolarek in the jersey of Polonia Warsaw ( 2011)
Euzebiusz " Ebi " Smolarek [ ɛuzɛb ʲ uʃ smɔlarɛk ] ( born January 9, 1981 in Łódź, Poland ) is a Polish footballer.
Birth and childhood
Euzebiusz Smolarek came in 1981 in Łódź, the son of professional soccer players Włodzimierz Smolarek to the world. His first name is a tribute to the former Portuguese footballer Eusébio. 1986 the family moved to Frankfurt, Włodzimierz Smolarek since signing with Eintracht Frankfurt; at this time son Euszebiusz Smolarek was only five years old. As a father Włodzimierz 1988, wrote the Dutch first division club Feyenoord Rotterdam, followed Euzebiusz and his mother to the father in the Netherlands. After the retirement of the family was settled in the Netherlands.
Life
Association
Smolarek started to play football in the youth of the Spirit Oudekerk ad IJssel. In 1999 he went to the youth of Feyenoord Rotterdam, which was coached by his father and where he was awarded a professional contract after one year. With the first team, he won the UEFA Cup in 2002. In the finals, in their own stadium, was to be his future employer, the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, defeated 3-2. Smolarek sat in the finals on the bench.
Smolarek transferred during the winter break 2004/2005 on loan from Feyenoord Borussia Dortmund. For the 2005/2006 season Borussia Dortmund striker firmly committed and gave him a contract until 2009.
Already in the first game after the winter break, he scored for his new club ( his father Włodzimierz that was active at Eintracht Frankfurt once, was there at its debut already achieved his first goal, but managed in contrast to his son Ebi a brace ). The Polish national team is distinguished mainly by its speed, his commitment and his good positional play.
For the season 2006/ 07 Dortmund Nelson Valdez and Alexander Frei had committed, which Smolarek at the beginning of the season lost his place. Through a system change on the part of Bert van Marwijk and not least because of his outstanding achievements in the Polish national team (including a brace against the World Cup Fourth Portugal) he got it back, however.
On 24 August 2007, in exchange for Spanish side Racing Santander in the Spanish Primera División officially announced. The magazine Kicker estimated the transfer fee at 4.5 million euros. Of the 4.5 million euros BVB half of Smolarek former club Feyenoord Rotterdam must however pay. In his debut for FC Barcelona against Racing Smolarek was already 13 minutes after coming on the red card.
Most league goals in one game scored Smolarek on October 15, 2005 in Kaiserslautern, when he met three times to score. Ebi Smolarek was voted Footballer of the Year in Poland in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
On August 30, 2008, he borrowed the Bolton Wanderers for a year until 30 June 2009. As the English first division club announced on its website on, the Wanderers have also an option to buy him. This was not drawn and Smolarek sparked after the 2008 /09 season his contract with Racing Santander on. Since the September 22, 2009 Smolarek trained at Hamburger SV. However, the club refused an obligation of the player. On 14 December 2009, he signed a 2.5 year contract with the Greek first division club AO Kavala. July 26, 2010 Smolarek returned to his homeland and signed for first division club Polonia Warsaw a two year contract. After only one more year Smolarek went abroad again and moved to Asia in order to sign the Qatar Sports Club club Al -Khor.
On 31 January 2012, he joined a free transfer to the Dutch first division club ADO Den Haag, where he signed a contract until the end of the season 2011/12 and made his debut on 8 February 2012 in the match against AZ Alkmaar, in which in the second half for Kevin he Visser came on. Overall, he came to twelve missions in which he scored two goals. His expiring contract was not renewed in the summer of 2012.
After Smolarek had initially found a club, he signed in September 2012 a one year contract with an option for a further year at the Polish first division Jagiellonia Białystok.
National
On February 13, 2002, he made his debut for the Biało - czerwoni ( White - Red ) in a 4-1 win against Northern Ireland. Only two years later he was appointed a second time in the national team. On 31 March 2004 he was represented against the selection of the United States, the colors of his home country. Since then, he has been nominated regularly. On his first goal in the jersey of the national team, he had to wait a long time. On 3 September 2005, he scored one goal in the 3-2 victory against Austria in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. There he completed all three games for Poland. However, the team had already adopt in the group stage of the tournament. A gateway failed Smolarek. In the qualifiers for Euro 2008, he was with nine goals top scorer of his team and the team was able to prevail for the finals in Switzerland and Austria as a table first in Group A. In the penultimate game of qualification for Euro 2008, he secured with two goals in the 2-0 victory over the Polish National Team Belgium his country's first participation in a European Championship. Smolarek was celebrated in the Polish press after this game as a new national hero. After the failed European Championship, as you already eliminated in the group stage with a draw and two defeats, he was nominated in qualifying for the World Cup in 2010 under Leo Beenhakker as a regular player. As one early but failed and the coach dismissed, he was no longer considered for the last unan indicated Games. Even after the failed qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the new national coach Franciszek Smuda no longer considered him for the time being. On September 4, 2010, he celebrated his return against Ukraine to the national team.
Private
For a time, the rumor circulated that his newborn son was given the name Messi after the Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. However Smolarek made it clear that his son carries the Dutch name Mees.
Achievements
- Poland's Player of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007
- UEFA Cup winner: 2002
- FIFA World Cup: 2006
- European Championships: 2008