Kacper Mieczysław Łopata (; born 27 August 2001) 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 lea ...

who plays 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 ...

for club

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

. Łopata moved from Poland to England at the age of nine and spent his junior years with a variety of football clubs before he made his senior debut in

non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originall ...

, on loan from

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

in the 2019–20 season. He was later loaned out to Polish

I liga I liga (, ), currently named Betclic I liga due to its sponsorship by Betclic, is the men's second professional association football division of the Polish football league system, below the Ekstraklasa and above the II liga via promotion/rel ...

side

Zagłębie Sosnowiec Zagłębie Sosnowiec () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Sosnowiec. They compete in II liga in the 2025–26 II liga, 2025–26 season, following relegation from the 2023–24 I liga. The club was establishe ...

, though he was released from Brighton and ended up signing for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

. He joined

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

on loan in October 2021 and joined the club permanently in September 2022. He left Southend amidst a wage dispute in March 2023 and ended the 2022–23 season with

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

. He signed with Barnsley in June 2023 and was loaned to

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...

for the second half of the 2023–24 campaign. He was loaned to Scottish club Ross County for the 2024–25 season.

Early life

Kacper Mieczysław Łopata was born in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

on 27 August 2001. He grew up in

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

before he moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

with his mother at the age of nine. He attended

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, also known as SGS College, is a college of further education and higher education based in South Gloucestershire and Stroud, England. It was established in February 2012 following the merger of Filton Co ...

(SGS), where the head of football

Dave Hockaday David Hockaday (born 9 November 1957) is an English professional footballer who is currently Head of Male Football at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. He has previously worked as a manager at Leeds United, Forest Green Rovers, Kiddermi ...

became his sporting mentor, helping to steer him towards playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

rather than

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

. He played for the junior teams of St Vallier City,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...

and

Club career

Brighton Hove & Albion

In October 2018, Łopata signed a two-year contract with

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side Brighton & Hove Albion, choosing them ahead of Bristol City. He helped to

mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

Mason Greenwood Mason Will John Greenwood (born 1 October 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Marseille. A graduate of Manchester United's youth system, Greenwood scored in a UEFA Europa League match against As ...

out of a game against

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in the

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

, with the assistance of teammate

Haydon Roberts Haydon Cameron Roberts (born 10 May 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back and centre back for side Bristol City. Club career Brighton & Hove Albion Roberts made his professional and first team debut for Brighton ...

. In August 2019, he joined

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

. He scored within four minutes of his debut against

VCD Athletic VCD Athletic Football Club (short for Vickers, Crayford & Dartford Athletic Football Club) is a semi-professional football club based in Crayford in south-east London, England. The club was founded in 1916, during the First World War, as a compa ...

, though also gave away a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

and was booked for swearing at the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...

. He went on to make 19 appearances in all competitions for the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

South East Division side, scoring five goals and impressing manager Jude McDonald with his attitude. In January 2020, following a meeting with manager

Dariusz Dudek Dariusz Dudek (born 8 April 1975) is a Polish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player, most recently in charge of I liga club Zagłębie Sosnowiec. Career Dudek is a former player of such ...

, Łopata joined Polish

side

on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season. On 29 February, he made his professional debut in a 2–0 win over

Miedź Legnica Miedź Legnica () is a professional football club based in Legnica, Poland, that competes in the I liga, following relegation in 2023. Miedź was founded in 1971. In 2018, Miedź Legnica achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time ...

. He was released by Brighton at the end of the 2019–20 season.

Sheffield United

On 25 August 2020, Łopata joined

on a three-year contract, where manager

Chris Wilder Christopher John Wilder (born 23 September 1967) is an English professional football manager who formerly played as a right-back. He is the manager of club Sheffield United. Wilder's extensive professional playing career saw spells at Sheff ...

got him to train with the first-team rather than the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. On 10 August 2021, Slavisa Jokanovic handed him his debut at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...

and he went on to play the full match in a 1–0 win over

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

in the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

. On 28 October, he was loaned to

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

side

, initially until January 2022, along with fellow Sheffield United player Zak Brunt. He featured 18 times, keeping four clean sheets, helping

Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland international ...

's side to go on a 14-game unbeaten league run. Faced with injuries, the Blades recalled Łopata on 12 March 2022. Sheffield United rejected a transfer bid from a Polish club but allowed him a permanent transfer to Southend to find first-team football as manager

Paul Heckingbottom Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977) is an English football coach and former player who is the manager of EFL Championship club Preston North End. After retiring as a player, Heckingbottom trained as a coach. He obtained a position with Barn ...

said "it became clear he didn't want to be here anymore".

Southend United

On 2 September 2022, Łopata joined Southend United permanently for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal with an option for another year. He made an immediate impact at

Roots Hall Roots Hall is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium located in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The stadium is the home ground of the National League (English football), National League team Southend United F.C., Southend United. With a ...

as Southend went nine league games unbeaten, keeping seven clean sheets. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win at

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

. In March 2023, he terminated his contract with the club, apparently unhappy at how players had been treated over unpaid wages, a decision supported by

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

's Contract Disputes Tribunal.

Woking

On 27 March 2023, Łopata joined

on a contract until the end of the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

season. Following five appearances for

Darren Sarll Darren Sarll (born 2 February 1983) is an English professional football manager and coach. He was most recently the manager of club Hartlepool United. Sarll began his career in football as a midfielder in non-League football and entered manag ...

's Cardinals, including a National League play-off quarter-final defeat to

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

at the

Kingfield Stadium Kingfield Stadium, currently known as The Laithwaite Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Association football, football stadium in the Kingfield area of Woking, Surrey, and is the home of Woking F.C., Woking Football Club which has a ...

, Łopata announced he would be leaving the club at the end of his contract in June via his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account.

Barnsley

On 6 June 2023, Łopata signed a four-year contract with

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

club

. He made his debut at

Oakwell Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports ground in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used by Barnsley Football Club for home fixtures, and those of their reserves. As of 2023, the Barnsley F.C. Women's team also play at the stadium. While the na ...

in a 7–0 win over

on 5 August.

Bobby Hassell Robert John Francis Hassell (born 4 June 1980) is an English former footballer who played for Mansfield Town, Barnsley and Bharat FC in I-League as a defender. He is an Academy Manager at Barnsley. Career Mansfield Born in Derby, Derbyshire, ...

, the club's interim

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...

, noted that he "started the season in brilliant form and integrated smoothly into the squad". However, a

clavicle fracture A clavicle fracture, also known as a broken collarbone, is a bone fracture of the clavicle. Symptoms typically include pain at the site of the break and a decreased ability to move the affected arm. Complications can include a collection of air i ...

saw him lose his place in

Neill Collins Neill William Collins (born 2 September 1983) is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the head coach of USL Championship club Sacramento Republic. Collins is a former Scotland U21 and Scotland B international who played as a ...

's team and he found stiff competition for defensive places upon his return to fitness. On 1 February 2024, Łopata joined Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season. Manager

Andy Crosby Andrew Keith Crosby (born 3 March 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager at club Tranmere Rovers. A defender during his playing days, he began his career at Leeds United. Still, he made his de ...

and

David Flitcroft David John Flitcroft (born 14 January 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player. His older brother is the former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City player Garry Flitcroft. A midfielder, Flitcroft began his career a ...

said that he would strengthen the club's defensive options. He made his debut at

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...

in a 1–0 defeat to

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

on 6 February, earning praise from interim manager Will Ryder for his performance. However, he could not gain a first-team place under new manager

Darren Moore Darren Mark Moore (born 22 April 1974) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the manager of club Port Vale. Moore was born in Birmingham, though represented Jamaica at international level. He ...

. On 29 August 2024, Łopata joined

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

club Ross County on loan for the 2024–25 season. He said he hoped the move would improve his chances of getting an international call-up. He featured 31 times in the campaign.

International career

Łopata has represented Poland at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.

Style of play

Łopata is a "no-nonsense"

who focuses on organised defending. He describes himself as a "student of the game" who analyses training and match performances in his free time.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Łopata, Kacper 2001 births Living people Polish men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Footballers from Kraków Footballers from Szczecin Footballers from Bristol Polish expatriate men's footballers Southampton F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Whitehawk F.C. players Zagłębie Sosnowiec players Sheffield United F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Woking F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Ross County F.C. players Isthmian League players I liga players National League (English football) players English Football League players Scottish Professional Football League players Poland men's youth international footballers Poland men's under-21 international footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Polish expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Polish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland 21st-century Polish sportsmen