Krzysztof Piątek (; born 1 July 1995) is a Polish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward for Italian club
Salernitana
Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919, commonly referred to as Salernitana, is
an Italian football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recentl ...
, on loan from
Hertha BSC. He also represents the
Poland national team.
He began his professional career with
Ekstraklasa
Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams.
Contested by 18 ...
club
Zagłębie Lubin
Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa.
History
The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by local members of the ' ...
. Over the course of four seasons, he scored 15 goals in 72 appearances for the team, before joining
Cracovia
Cracovia is the Latin name for the Polish city of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh cen ...
in 2016, for whom he scored 32 goals across two seasons. In 2018, Piątek signed for
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
in Italy's
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
. After 19 goals in 21 competitive games in his first half-season, he transferred to
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...
in January 2019, before signing for Hertha BSC a year later.
Club career
Early career
Piątek began his career with local side Niemczanka Niemcza and Dziewiątka Dzierżoniów (2006–2011). He then moved to Lechia Dzierżoniów of
III liga
III liga (Trzecia liga) is a Polish football league that sits in the fourth tier of the Polish football league system. Until the end of the 2007–08 season, III liga referred to a league at the third tier (now called II liga) but this was c ...
in 2011.
Zagłębie Lubin
Piątek signed for
Zagłębie Lubin
Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa.
History
The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by local members of the ' ...
in 2013 and initially played in junior and reserve teams of the club. After the arrival of
Piotr Stokowiec as the new coach, however, he was quickly promoted to the first team on 14 May 2014
and then made his
Ekstraklasa
Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams.
Contested by 18 ...
debut on 18 May 2014 in a match against
Cracovia
Cracovia is the Latin name for the Polish city of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh cen ...
. Over the course of the next season, he became a regular starter for Zagłębie, who played in
I liga
I liga ( pl, Pierwsza liga, ), currently named Fortuna I liga due to its sponsorship by Fortuna, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga v ...
, the second tier of Polish football. He scored his first senior career goal on 12 September 2014 in a 1–0 win to
Chrobry Głogów
Chrobry Głogów is a Polish football club based in Głogów, Poland. It was founded in 1946. The team's official colors are orange and black. Chrobry currently competes in I liga, the second tier of Polish league football. The club's name comme ...
and his first brace on 31 October 2014 at
Widzew Łódź
RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames ''Czerwona Armia'' (Red Army) and ''Czerwono-biało-czerwoni'' (Red-white-reds).
Histor ...
. After earning promotion with the club, Piątek scored his first league goal on 14 August 2015 in a 2–1 win against
Lech Poznań and helped the team finish third in the
2015–16 Ekstraklasa
The 2015–16 Ekstraklasa was the 82nd season of the highest level of football leagues in Poland since its establishment in 1927. A total of 16 teams were participating, 14 of which competed in the league during the 2014–15 season, while the r ...
season, earning a medal and qualifying for European competitions for the first time in club's history since the championship winning team of
2006–07.
He played a total number of 85 matches for Zagłębie and scored 18 times, including appearances in the
Polish Cup
The Polish Cup in football ( pl, Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej ) 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. ...
and
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
qualifying stages.
Cracovia
In 2016, Piątek joined fellow Polish side Cracovia and over the course of the next two seasons, he scored 32 league goals in 65 appearances for the club. That tally included a haul of 21 goals during his second season which saw him end the
2017–18 Ekstraklasa
The 2017–18 Ekstraklasa was the 92nd season of the Polish Football Championship, the 84th season of the highest tier domestic division in the Polish football league system since its establishment in 1927 and the 10th season of the Ekstraklasa ...
campaign as the third top goalscorer in Poland.
Genoa
On 8 June 2018, Piątek signed a four-year contract with Italian club
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
for a reported fee of
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
4 million. He scored four goals, including a hat-trick in the opening 19 minutes, on debut in a 4–0
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
win over
Lecce. He made his
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
debut on 26 August, scoring in the opening six minutes of the match in a 2–1 win over
Empoli. The following week, he scored his first brace of the season in a 5–3 loss to
Sassuolo
Sassuolo (; egl, label= Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known f ...
, which was followed by another strike in a 4–1 loss to
Lazio
it, Laziale
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, thus becoming the first player since
Andriy Shevchenko in 1999 to score five goals in his first four Serie A appearances.
During his following match, a 2–0 victory over
Chievo
Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige.
It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona, which competes in the second ...
, he scored his 10th goal across all competitions and in the process became the first player across Europe's major leagues to reach the milestone for the season. On 30 September, Piątek scored a brace inside three minutes in a 2–1 win over
Frosinone
Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the ...
to make it 8 goals in six matches, the best start to a season by a debutant since
Karl Aage Hansen in the
1949–50 campaign. In his very next match, he became the first player since
Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta (; born 1 February 1969) is an Argentine former professional footballer. During his playing career, Batistuta was nicknamed Batigol () as well as El Ángel Gabriel (; Spanish for ''Angel Gabriel''). Regarded as one of th ...
in the
1994–95 season to score in each of his first seven Serie A appearances when he netted in a 3–1 defeat to
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
.
AC Milan
![Krzysztof Piątek goal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Krzysztof_Pi%C4%85tek_goal.jpg)
On 23 January 2019,
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...
announced the signing of Piątek on a contract lasting until 30 June 2023, for a reported fee of €35 million. He was signed as a replacement for
Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (; born 10 December 1987) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa'', Higuaín was a prolific striker, known for his eye for goal, strong physique, and o ...
, who joined
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, and he was assigned the number 19 shirt, previously worn by
Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci (; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and captains both club Juventus and the Italy national team. Known for his technique and ball-playing ability, he is regarded as one of the b ...
.
Piątek made his debut for Milan on 26 January, in a goalless home draw against
Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, as a 71st-minute substitute for
Patrick Cutrone. Three days later against the same opponents also at
San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums i ...
, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, and was given a standing ovation when he made way for Cutrone. On 3 February, Piątek scored his first league goal
away to
Roma, which ended 1–1. He then scored three goals in the next two consecutive matches: one against
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio, commonly referred to as Cagliari (), is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. In the 2022-23 season, they compete in Serie B. As of 2021–22, the team is temporarily playing their home games at the 16,416-sea ...
and two against
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...
, becoming the first Milan player to score in his first three starts in the league since
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swiss Super League club Sion.
Balotelli started his professional football career in 2005 at Lumezzane, before ...
in 2013.
Ahead of the
2019–20 Serie A season, Piątek switched to the number 9 shirt. He scored four league goals in the first half of the season before leaving the club.
[
]
Hertha BSC
In January 2020, Hertha BSC announced the signing of Piątek for a reported fee of €27 million, on a long-term contract. He was given the number 7 jersey.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 8 January 2022, he returned to Italy and joined Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
on loan.
Loan to Salernitana
On 1 September 2022, Piątek joined Salernitana
Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919, commonly referred to as Salernitana, is
an Italian football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recentl ...
on loan with an option to buy.
International career
Uncapped, Piątek was included in Poland's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but was one of 12 players cut from the final team for the tournament in Russia.
He made his international debut on 11 September 2018, starting in a 1–1 friendly draw with the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
in Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
and making way for Mateusz Klich
Mateusz Andrzej Klich (; born 13 June 1990) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Poland national team. He is currently a free agent.
Club career Cracovia
Born in Tarnów, Klich debuted in the Ekstraklasa in Nove ...
after 61 minutes. Exactly one month later, he made his competitive debut in a UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
match against Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and scored the opening goal in a 3–2 defeat.
Regarded as an important player for the national team and ready to play alongside Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
and Arkadiusz Milik
Arkadiusz Krystian Milik (; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus, on loan from Ligue 1 club Marseille, and the Poland national team.
Milik began his career as a footballe ...
in an attacking trio, Piątek was forced to miss the postponed Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
due to ankle injury in May 2021 that required surgery and months of rehabilitation.
Style of play
Piątek has been described as a "classic" "number 9" striker most efficient inside the opponent's penalty area, courtesy of his excellent positioning, accurate finishing, height, physical strength, and tenacity in aerial or physical challenges with opponents. His team play outside the penalty area and playmaking abilities have been cited as areas in need of improvement, however.
During his time in Genoa, Piątek played in a 3–5–2 formation as a main striker, usually on the left, most often supported by Christian Kouamé
Christian Michael Kouamé Kouakou (born 6 December 1997) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career
Kouamé started playing football on th ...
, a pacey forward with excellent dribbling and passing skills. In Milan, he became a lone striker in a 4–3–3 formation, supported by wingers on either side of the pitch.
Piątek has named Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of ...
and Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
as his two favourite strikers who he wishes to emulate. He has also cited Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
and Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
as his childhood inspirations.
Personal life
He is married to Paulina Procyk (a lawyer, born 1991). The wedding took place on 1 June 2019 in Castle of the Order of St. John in Łagów (Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship, or Lubuskie Province ( pl, województwo lubuskie ), is a voivodeship (province) in western Poland.
It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra Voivodeships, pursuant to the Po ...
).
He is called by fans as "Il Pistolero" (the Gunslinger) due to his habit of Wild West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
celebration of gun-firing, associated with the 19th century United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''As of match played 16 November 2022. Poland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Piątek goal.''
Honours
Zagłębie Lublin
* I liga
I liga ( pl, Pierwsza liga, ), currently named Fortuna I liga due to its sponsorship by Fortuna, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga v ...
: 2014/15
Individual
*Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
Top scorer: 2018–19 (8 goals)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatek, Krzysztof
1995 births
Living people
People from Dzierżoniów
Sportspeople from Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Polish footballers
Association football forwards
MKS Cracovia (football) players
Zagłębie Lubin players
Genoa C.F.C. players
A.C. Milan players
Hertha BSC players
ACF Fiorentina players
U.S. Salernitana 1919 players
III liga players
Ekstraklasa players
I liga players
Serie A players
Bundesliga players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Poland youth international footballers
Poland under-21 international footballers
Poland international footballers
Polish expatriate footballers
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Germany