Michał Probierz (born 24 September 1972) 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 former

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 ...

who was most recently the manager of the Poland national team. As a player, he played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, spending most of his career with

Górnik Zabrze Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze S.A. or simply Górnik Zabrze (), is a Polish association football, football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning ...

. As a manager, he won both the

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 ...

and the

Polish Super Cup The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2024, the Polish Super Cup has been ...

twice, with

Jagiellonia Białystok Jagiellonia Białystok () is a Polish professional football club based in Białystok that plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top level of Polish football. The club was founded in 1920 by soldiers in the 42nd Infantry Regiment Reserve Battalion in Bi ...

in 2010 and with Cracovia in 2020. He took charge of the Poland U21 team in 2022 before moving up to take charge of the Polish national team in 2023. He subsequently led the national team to qualification for

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

but resigned from his position in June 2025.

Managerial career

Early career and Jagiellonia Białystok

After brief stints at local club

Polonia Bytom Polonia Bytom () is a Polish football club based in Bytom. Founded in 1920, the team won two List of Polish football champions, championships, in 1954 Ekstraklasa, 1954 and 1962 Ekstraklasa, 1962. As of the 2025–26 I liga, 2025–26 season, th ...

and also

Widzew Łódź RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football (soccer), 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-wh ...

, Probierz was appointed manager of

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 ...

side

on 5 July 2008. He led Jagiellonia to the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

of the

in the 2009–10 season, their second final appearance in their club history, beating

Pogoń Szczecin Pogoń Szczecin Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Pogoń Szczecin (), is a Polish professional football club based in Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, which plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league s ...

1–0 at the

Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium Zdzisław may refer to: People * Zdzisław (given name), a Slavic male given name Places * Zdzisław, Lubusz Voivodeship, a village in Poland * Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium, a multi-use stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland {{disambig ...

, hence winning their first major Polish trophy. By doing so, Jagiellonia also qualified for a European competition for the first time ever, entering the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. At the start of the 2010–11 season, Probierz guided Jagiellonia to the

win following a 1–0 victory over

Lech Poznań Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation's highest division. ...

. However, Jagiellonia's European adventure was short-lived as they were eliminated in the third qualifying round by Greek side

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki (), is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. Nicknamed ''God of War'', Aris was one of the strongest Greek clubs during t ...

, losing 4–3 on aggregate. At the end of the season, he left his managerial role on 22 July 2011.

ŁKS Łódź

On 5 September 2011, Probierz was appointed as the new manager of

ŁKS Łódź ŁKS Łódź (''Łódzki Klub Sportowy Łódź''; ) is a Polish sports club based in Łódź. They are best known for their football club but are represented in many sports such as basketball, volleyball, boxing, and in the past ice hockey, ...

. His reign at the club lasted just 60 days and six matches, and Probierz announced his departure on 4 November 2011 to join Aris Thessaloniki.

Aris Thessaloniki

Probierz took over as manager of

during the 2011–12 season, taking over after

Sakis Tsiolis Sakis Tsiolis (; born 30 June 1959) is a Greek professional football manager and former player. Playing career As a professional footballer, he played for Anagennisi Karditsa, AEL, Ionikos and Paniliakos. Tsiolis, a great player at his pr ...

. Probierz's stint at the club was short, and he left Aris by mutual consent on 5 January 2012, with Probierz citing the club's financial issues as the main reason for departing.

Wisła Kraków

On 1 March 2012, Probierz moved back to Poland, agreeing to become manager of defending champions

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They currently compete in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system, ...

, replacing Kazimierz Moskal. He resigned on 1 October 2012, with Wisła near the bottom of the table.

GKS Bełchatów

Probierz joined struggling

GKS Bełchatów GKS Bełchatów is a Polish professional football club based in Bełchatów. The club currently competes in group I of the III liga. History GKS Bełchatów entered Poland's Klasa A in 1977 under the name of Węgiel Brunatny Bełchatów, and ...

, who were bottom of the Ekstraklasa on 14 November 2012. He only managed them in four games, failing to win any of them before leaving on 21 December 2012. GKS were eventually relegated, having had three different managers throughout the season.

Lechia Gdańsk

On 4 June 2013, Probierz agreed to manage

Lechia Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football (soccer), football club based in Gdańsk. As of the 2025–26 Ekstraklasa, 2025–26 season, they compete in the Ekstraklasa. The club was founded in 1945 by people Polish population transfers (1944–1946 ...

ahead of the 2013–14 season. He stayed until 26 March 2014, where he left the team before they secured a place in the championship round of games and ended the campaign in fourth place, narrowly missing out on a European spot.

Return to Jagiellonia Białystok

A couple of weeks later after leaving Lechia, Probierz returned to former club Jagiellonia Białystok on 7 April 2014. In his first full season back in charge, he secured a third position in the league table, hence qualifying for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. After a poor 2015–16 season, with Jagiellonia ending up in the relegation round, Probierz led the club to their best ever league campaign in the 2016–17 season, finishing second behind champions

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning a record 15 champions titles, a record 2 ...

. He unexpectedly quit on 4 June 2017.

Cracovia

On 21 June 2017, it was announced that Probierz had signed with Ekstraklasa side Cracovia. He led them to a tenth place in the 2017–18 season but still in the relegation round, Cracovia comfortably topped the group, avoiding relegation to

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 ...

. The next season saw Probierz lead Cracovia to a fourth place in the championship round, and with 3rd placed

having won the 2018–19 Polish Cup, meant they qualified for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. Cracovia crashed out of the competition on

away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

after drawing 3–3 on aggregate with Slovak team

DAC Dunajská Streda DAC may refer to: Businesses and organisations * DacEasy, originally Dac Software, Inc. * Danish Architecture Centre, an international cultural attraction * Defense Ammunition Center (United States), of the United States Department of Defense * ...

. In 2020, Probierz led Cracovia to win the

2019–20 Polish Cup The 2019–20 Polish Cup was the sixty-sixth season of the annual Polish football knockout tournament. It began on 7 August 2019 with the first matches of the preliminary round and ended with the final at Arena Lublin. The 2019–20 edition of the ...

, which resulted in Cracovia qualifying for European competitions for the second consecutive season. On 9 November 2021, he relinquished his roles as manager and vice president, and left the club by mutual consent.

Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza

On 6 January 2022, Probierz joined another

club

Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza Klub Sportowy Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (), is a Polish professional football club based in Nieciecza. They compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top level of the Polish footbal ...

, which were at the time last in the league table. He left the club two days later due to Termalica not fulfilling on the promises they made to him at the time of signing the contract.

Poland U21

On 4 July 2022, he was announced as the new manager of the Poland under-21 national team, taking over after

Maciej Stolarczyk Maciej Stolarczyk (born 15 January 1972 in Słupsk) is a Polish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He was most recently in c ...

. During his tenure, U21s recorded five wins, three draws and two losses in ten games.

Poland

Following the under-21 side's good start to their 2025 UEFA Euro qualifying campaign, and the dismissal of Fernando Santos from his role of managing the senior national team, Probierz was revealed as Santos' successor on 20 September 2023. On 26 March 2024, Poland secured the last qualifying spot for the

campaign under the lead of Probierz after defeating

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

5–4 on penalties after a goalless draw during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification play-off final. Poland were eliminated from the tournament after the group stage, finishing last in their group after defeats to

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and a 1–1 draw with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in their last game. On 12 June 2025, following a public falling out with

Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club FC Barcelona, Barcelona. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of a ...

after stripping him of captaincy, and a 1–2

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...

loss to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

two days prior, Probierz resigned from his role.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Manager

Jagiellonia Białystok *

: 2009–10 *

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Cracovia *Polish Cup: 2019–20 *Polish Super Cup:

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Individual * Polish Coach of the Year: 2010 *

Coach of the Season: 2014–15 *Ekstraklasa Coach of the Month: April 2017, December 2018, February 2019 *

all-time best coach: 2010

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Probierz, Michal 1972 births Living people Footballers from Bytom Men's association football midfielders Polish men's footballers Poland men's youth international footballers Poland men's under-21 international footballers Ruch Chorzów players KFC Uerdingen 05 players SG Wattenscheid 09 players Górnik Zabrze players Pogoń Szczecin players Widzew Łódź players Ekstraklasa players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Regionalliga players Polish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Polish expatriate sportspeople in Germany Polish football managers Polonia Bytom managers Widzew Łódź managers Jagiellonia Białystok managers ŁKS Łódź managers Aris Thessaloniki F.C. managers Wisła Kraków managers GKS Bełchatów managers Lechia Gdańsk managers KS Cracovia managers Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza managers Poland national football team managers Ekstraklasa managers I liga managers Super League Greece managers Polish expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Greece Polish expatriate sportspeople in Greece UEFA Euro 2024 managers