Łukasz Piotr Piszczek (; born 3 June 1985) is a Polish professional

football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

for

III liga III liga (Trzecia liga), currently named Betclic III liga due to its sponsorship by Betclic, 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 ref ...

club

Goczałkowice-Zdrój Goczałkowice-Zdrój (German: Bad Gottschalkowitz) is a village in Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Goczałkowice-Zdrój. It lies approximately south o ...

. Primarily a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, he is also capable of playing as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. From 2024 to 2025, he served as an assistant manager of

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

. He began his senior career as a footballer by joining

Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football, following relegation from t ...

in 2004. He played on loan for the

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

club

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional association football, 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 lo ...

until 2007 when he returned to Hertha and was deployed as a right back. Between 2010–2021, he played for the German club

appearing in 363 official matches for the club, winning two consecutive

titles in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, three

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

Cups, three

DFL-Supercup The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup or ''German Super Cup'' is a one-off association football, football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The competition is run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (E ...

s as well as reaching the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. He used to be a Poland national team member, making his debut in 2007 and going on to receive over 60 caps. He was also selected for four tournaments during his time with the national team, playing in three

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

s and the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

. He confirmed his retirement from international football in 2018 following the conclusion of the

. However, in November 2019 he made one more competitive appearance for the national team, informally dubbed his farewell game. In 2021, he decided to return to

LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój Ludowy Klub Sportowy Goczałkowice-Zdrój (), commonly known as LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój, is a Association football, football club located in Goczałkowice-Zdrój, Poland. They compete in the III liga, the fourth tier of the Polish football leagu ...

, the Polish club where he started his football career as a junior.

Club career

LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój

Piszczek's father, Kazimierz, the coach of the local football club of

, decided to bring him to one of the training sessions at the age of about 7–8.

Gwarek Zabrze

Piszczek began his career as a striker. In 2001, he joined Gwarek Zabrze, coached by Wincent Sosiński, where he broke many goalscoring records at junior level and in 2003 won the Polish youth championship. In 2004, he became the top scorer at the

2004 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2004 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was held in Switzerland from 13 to 24 July 2004. Players born after 1 January 1985 can participate in this competition. The tournament was won by Spain, who beat Turkey in the final. It also served as t ...

, along with the Turk Ali Öztürk.

Zagłębie Lubin

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

was attracted by his performances and promptly signed Piszczek in 2004, but then immediately loaned him out to

. He made his debut on 16 October 2004, in a 7–0 win against

GKS Katowice GKS Katowice (; GKS stands for , ) is a Polish professional football club based in Katowice. They currently compete in the Ekstraklasa in the 2024–25 season after gaining promotion from the I liga in 2024. History In 1963 in Katowice a spe ...

, scoring and assisting a goal for

Wojciech Łobodziński Wojciech Łobodziński (; born 20 October 1982) is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder, currently in charge of I liga club Miedź Legnica. Club career Łobodziński started playing football with ...

in the process. With Zagłębie, he won the

2006–07 Ekstraklasa The 2006–07 Ekstraklasa (also known as Orange Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by Orange Polska) started on 28 July 2006 and finished on 26 May 2007. Zagłębie Lubin were crowned champions. For the second time league was sponsored by cell ph ...

title, playing mainly as a left winger in 4–3–3 formation, with Łobodziński on the right wing and Michał Chałbiński in the centre, although he was also utilized as a centre forward. He scored 11 goals in the 2006–07 season, becoming the league's third best scorer after Chałbiński, who scored 12, and

Piotr Reiss Piotr Reiss (; born 20 June 1972) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is widely regarded as a Lech Poznań all-time favourite and achieved legendary status among fans, having captained them for many years and ...

, who scored 15.

Hertha BSC

In the fall of 2007, after three years with Zagłębie Lubin, Hertha recalled Piszczek back to the club. He scored his first goal in the

on 26 April 2008, to earn one point against

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...

. Piszczek missed most of the first half of the 2008–09 season as the result of a hip problem that eventually required surgery. He began training again in February 2009 but in March suffered a setback due to a minor knee injury. He returned to Bundesliga action in April. At Hertha, Piszczek initially played as an offensive midfielder or on left wing, but in his second season, he started to appear at right-back after an injury to

Arne Friedrich Arne Friedrich (born 29 May 1979) is a German football executive and former player who played as a defender. He formerly was the sporting director of Hertha BSC. He played 82 times for the Germany national team. Friedrich was a very versatil ...

. After Friedrich recovered, Piszczek lost his place in the starting line-up, but reclaimed it in 2009–10, when Friedrich moved to centre-back.

Borussia Dortmund

On 19 May 2010, Piszczek moved to

on a free transfer, signing a contract until June 2013. On 26 July 2011, he signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until June 2016. On 24 September 2011, he scored his first goal for his new German club, a last-minute volley to win the match away to

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...

2–1. In the 2012–13 season for Dortmund, Piszczek appeared in 11 out of 12 matches of Dortmund's road to the

UEFA Champions League Final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of Europe ...

in 2013. He also started the final at right-back against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

, but Dortmund lost by one goal after

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, and long-range s ...

scored an 89th-minute winner for Bayern. On 27 January 2016, Piszczek signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2018. On 6 April 2017, he extended his contract with Dortmund until 30 June 2019. On 13 March 2018, Borussia Dortmund announced that the club had reached an agreement with Piszczek for a contract extension which will keep him at the club until 30 June 2020. Piszczek also announced that he would retire from professional football at the end of his contract, a claim he later clarified saying he's still "not certain". On 20 May 2020, Piszczek pushed back his retirement plans by signing a one-year contract extension with Borussia Dortmund, keeping him at the club until 2021.

Return to Goczałkowice-Zdrój

In May 2021, Piszczek announced his return to his hometown club LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój, where he had established a branch of Borussia Dortmund's academy in 2019. He retired at the end of the 2023–24 season to join

Nuri Şahin Nuri Şahin (born 5 September 1988) is a German and Turkish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently head coach of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. He began his playing career at Dortmun ...

's coaching staff at Borussia Dortmund as an assistant. In February 2025, following Sahin's sacking, Piszczek returned to LKS.

International career

Piszczek debuted for the

Poland national football team The Poland national football team () represents Poland in men's international Association football, football competitions since their first match in 1921. It is governed by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body for football ...

in a friendly match against

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

on 3 February 2007. On 6 June 2008, he was selected for the final 23-man squad for

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

, replacing

Jakub Błaszczykowski Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski (; born 14 December 1985) is a Polish businessman and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger. He is a part owner of Polish football club Wisła Krak� ...

, who was left out through injury. Piszczek made one appearance at the tournament, coming on a substitute against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but after receiving a training injury, he neither played in the next match nor had further role in the tournament. On 29 July 2011, the

Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the ), the national cups, and manages the men's and women's national teams. It also runs the nati ...

gave a six-month suspension on Piszczek for participation in the fixing of a 2006 match against Cracovia, in which he did not play. In September 2011, the suspension was cancelled. Piszczek was selected for the final 23-man squad for

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

. He played in all three group games for Poland. On 22 March 2013, Piszczek scored his first goal for the national team in a 1–3 defeat to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Four days later, he scored in a 5–0 win over

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

. Piszczek was also selected for the final 23-man squad for

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...

. He made his 50th appearance for the national team in the quarter-final match against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, which Poland lost. Piszczek was selected for the final 23-man squad for the

. However, following a disappointing tournament performance with Poland, Piszczek confirmed his retirement from international football. In November 2019, Piszczek was named to the national team for Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Israel and Slovenia, starting in the latter which was dubbed his farewell game.

Coaching career

LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój

In March 2023, Piszczek became the player-manager of LKS. He won his first silverware as a manager on 3 April 2024, leading his club to victory in the Tychy Regional

Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...

Assistant at Borussia

On 27 June 2024, Piszczek was announced as the new assistant manager of Borussia Dortmund, joining the staff of his former teammate

. On 22 January 2025, he left the club along with Şahin upon his dismissal.

Personal life

Piszczek was born in

Czechowice-Dziedzice Czechowice-Dziedzice (), known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. The town has 35,684 inhabitants, as of December 2021. It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn ...

Bielsko Bielsko (, ) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town. Bielsko was founded by ...

, and raised in

. His father, Kazimierz, who worked as a coach at Goczałkowice-Zdrój, later became the vice-president of that club. His brothers, Marek and Adam were also involved in football. Piszczek married his fiancée Ewa Kryjom in June 2009. The couple's daughters, Sara and Nel, were born on 3 March 2011 and 15 February 2016 respectively. On 7 September 2024, a special

legends farewell match was held in order to pay tribute to Piszczek and his compatriot

who helped shape some of the most successful years in the club's history between 2010 and 2015. The match was overseen by former club coach

Jürgen Klopp Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...

and attracted over 81,000 spectators at the Signal Iduna Park. The match ended in a 5–4 victory of the Błaszczykowski team.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Piszczek goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Zagłębie Lubin *

: 2006–07 Borussia Dortmund *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, 2011–12 *

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

runner-up:

Individual *

Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17 *

National Team of the Century: 1919–2019

Manager

LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój *

(Tychy regionals): 2023–24

References

External links

Łukasz Piszczek
at football-lineups.com * * *
Bundesliga profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piszczek, Lukasz 1985 births Living people People from Czechowice-Dziedzice Footballers from Silesian Voivodeship Polish men's footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football utility players Poland men's youth international footballers Poland men's under-21 international footballers Poland men's international footballers Ekstraklasa players III liga players Bundesliga players Zagłębie Lubin players Hertha BSC players Borussia Dortmund players LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój players Polish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Polish expatriate sportspeople in Germany UEFA Euro 2008 players UEFA Euro 2012 players UEFA Euro 2016 players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Polish football managers Men's association football player-managers Borussia Dortmund non-playing staff 21st-century Polish sportsmen