Jan Urban
Polish football manager and former player
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Jan Urban (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈurban]; born 14 May 1962) is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of the Poland national team.
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Urban on July 17, 2025 after being introduced as Poland manager | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 May 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Jaworzno, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Poland (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1980–1981 | Victoria Jaworzno | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1985 | Zagłębie Sosnowiec | 113 | (23) |
| 1985–1989 | Górnik Zabrze | 124 | (54) |
| 1989–1994 | Osasuna | 156 | (45) |
| 1994–1995 | Valladolid | 21 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Toledo | 33 | (6) |
| 1996–1997 | Oldenburg | 19 | (3) |
| 1997–1998 | Górnik Zabrze | 11 | (1) |
| Total | 489 | (138) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1991 | Poland | 57 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2003 | Osasuna (youth) | ||
| 2003–2005 | Osasuna B | ||
| 2007–2010 | Legia Warsaw | ||
| 2008 | Poland (assistant) | ||
| 2010 | Polonia Bytom | ||
| 2011 | Zagłębie Lubin | ||
| 2012–2013 | Legia Warsaw | ||
| 2014–2015 | Osasuna | ||
| 2015–2016 | Lech Poznań | ||
| 2017–2018 | Śląsk Wrocław | ||
| 2021–2022 | Górnik Zabrze | ||
| 2023–2025 | Górnik Zabrze | ||
| 2025– | Poland | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
His professional career was closely associated with Górnik Zabrze and Osasuna, and he coached both clubs in later years.
Urban represented Poland at the 1986 World Cup.
Club career
Urban was born in Jaworzno, being one of six children in an underprivileged mining family.[1] In his country he played for Zagłębie Sosnowiec and Górnik Zabrze, winning three Ekstraklasa championships in a row with the latter to which he contributed with a combined 38 goals, including a career-best 17 in 1987–88.
In the summer of 1989, Urban moved to Spain and joined CA Osasuna, going on to be one of the Navarre team's most important players of the following decade. He scored 13 goals in 34 games in his second season to help the club finish in a best-ever fourth position in La Liga, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup;[2] this included a hat-trick against Real Madrid on 30 December 1990, in a 4–0 away win.[3]
Urban started the 1994–95 campaign with Osasuna in the second division, but returned to the top flight with Real Valladolid in the winter transfer window.[4] He closed out his career at 36 after one-season stints with CD Toledo (also Spain, second level), VfB Oldenburg (Germany) and former side Górnik.
International career
Urban earned 57 caps for Poland over six years, netting seven goals in the process. He was selected to the 1986 FIFA World Cup squad, appearing in all four matches (three starts) as the national team reached the round of 16 in Mexico.[5]
Managerial career
Beginnings in Spain
Urban settled in Pamplona after retiring, and begun his coaching career in the city, being in charge of Osasuna's youth academy. He then worked with the reserves of Osasuna in division three, moving to the offices after two seasons and leaving the club in June 2007.[6]
Legia Warsaw and Poland's assistant coach
In the summer of 2007, Urban took over as head coach of Legia Warsaw, being responsible for signing three Osasuna players to the team, including Iñaki Astiz.[7] He won the 2007–08 Polish Cup and the 2008 Polish Super Cup. During the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, he served as an assistant for the Poland national team.[8] On 14 March 2010, Urban was sacked by Legia.[9]
Polonia Bytom, Zagłębie Lubin and return to Legia
Urban took charge of Polonia Bytom on 29 October 2010. He then signed with fellow league club Zagłębie Lubin on 10 March 2011. On 30 May 2012, he returned for a second spell with Legia,[10] which lasted until 19 December of the following year. He won the double in the 2012-13 season, guiding Legia to achieve both the 2012–13 Ekstraklasa championship and the 2012–13 Polish Cup.
Return to Osasuna
Urban returned to Osasuna after seven years, being appointed first-team manager on 3 July 2014 after their top-flight relegation.[11] He was dismissed the following 28 February, with the side 16th after four consecutive losses.[12]
Lech Poznań
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In October 2015, Urban returned to Poland's top tier, taking over Lech Poznań.[13] He was the cup runner-up and Super Cup winner in 2016, but was sacked on 29 August that year.[14]
Śląsk Wrocław
Urban was hired by Śląsk Wrocław on an 18-month deal on 5 January 2017.[15] On 18 February 2018, he was shown the door after losing eight of the last 13 games, and was replaced by Tadeusz Pawłowski.[16]
Górnik Zabrze
On 27 May 2021, it was announced that Urban would take over as manager of Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze immediately, replacing Marcin Brosz for the 2021–22 season.[17] On 14 June 2022, it was announced he would be leaving the club the following day.[18]
Despite a tumultuous exit from Górnik, he was reinstated as manager on 18 March 2023.[19] In spite of a limited budget and frequent sales of well-performing players, he guided the club to sixth and fifth-place finishes in the league, leading Urban to be linked with a return to Legia Warsaw and taking over the Poland national team.[20][21] On 15 April 2025, with the club sitting in 7th after three consecutive losses, Urban was sacked by Górnik.[22]
Poland national team
On 16 July 2025, Urban was appointed as manager of the Poland national team, succeeding Michał Probierz.[23] The appointment followed Probierz’s resignation in June 2025, which came after a dispute with captain Robert Lewandowski, who had been stripped of the armband and subsequently refused to play under him. The Polish Football Association president, Cezary Kulesza, described the selection of Urban as a carefully considered decision and “the right choice” to restore stability and help the team reach its potential. Upon his unveiling, Urban stressed the importance of rebuilding trust and communication within the squad, announcing plans to meet individually with senior players, including Lewandowski and Piotr Zieliński. His immediate objective was to stabilise the team and prepare Poland for the remainder of their qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[24][25][26]
Urban made his debut as Poland manager on 4 September 2025 in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands, followed by a home match against Finland on 7 September 2025.[25] The opening game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Matty Cash scoring the equaliser in the 80th minute.[27]
Career statistics
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1985 | 10 | 0 |
| 1986 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1988 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 7 | 3 | |
| Total | 57 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Urban goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 March 1987 | Municipal Stadium, Rybnik, Poland |  Finland | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 24 March 1987 | Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland |  Norway | 3–1 | 4–1 | |
| 3 | 7 February 1989 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Costa Rica | 4–2 | 2–4 | |
| 4 | 12 April 1989 | Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Romania | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 5 | 17 April 1991 |  Turkey | 2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying | |
| 6 | 14 August 1991 | Municipal Stadium, Poznań, Poland |  France | 1–0 | 1–5 | Friendly |
| 7 | 16 October 1991 |  Republic of Ireland | 3–3 | 3–3 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 17 November 2025
| Team | Nation | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Osasuna B |  |
1 July 2003 | 30 June 2005 | 76 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 28.95 | [29] |
| Legia Warsaw |  |
3 June 2007 | 14 March 2010 | 112 | 65 | 24 | 23 | 58.04 | [30] |
| Polonia Bytom | |
29 October 2010 | 10 December 2010 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.00 | [31] |
| Zagłębie Lubin | |
10 March 2011 | 30 October 2011 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 28.00 | [32] |
| Legia Warsaw | |
30 May 2012 | 19 December 2013 | 80 | 46 | 16 | 18 | 57.50 | [33] |
| Osasuna | |
3 July 2014 | 28 February 2015 | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 29.63 | [34] |
| Lech Poznań | |
12 October 2015 | 29 August 2016 | 44 | 21 | 8 | 15 | 47.73 | [35] |
| Śląsk Wrocław | |
5 January 2017 | 19 February 2018 | 41 | 14 | 9 | 18 | 34.15 | [36] |
| Górnik Zabrze | |
27 May 2021 | 14 June 2022 | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 39.47 | [37] |
| Górnik Zabrze | |
18 March 2023 | 15 April 2025 | 75 | 35 | 14 | 26 | 46.67 | |
| Poland | |
16 July 2025 | Present | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Total | 529 | 239 | 124 | 166 | 45.18 | — | |||
Honours
Player
Górnik Zabrze
- Ekstraklasa: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88
- Polish Super Cup: 1988
Individual
- Ekstraklasa Hall of Fame: 2025[38]
Manager
Legia Warsaw
- Ekstraklasa: 2012–13
- Polish Cup: 2007–08, 2012–13
- Polish Super Cup: 2008
Lech Poznań
Individual
- Polish Coach of the Year: 2013[40]
- Ekstraklasa Coach of the Season: 2012–13[41]
- Ekstraklasa Coach of the Month: November 2012,[42] May 2023,[43] March 2024,[44] April 2024[45]