Kacper Kozłowski (footballer)
Polish footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kacper Szymon Kozłowski (born 16 October 2003) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Gaziantep and the Poland national team.
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Kacper Kozłowski with Vitesse in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kacper Szymon Kozłowski[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Koszalin, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Gaziantep | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2016 | Bałtyk Koszalin | ||
| 2016–2018 | Pogoń Szczecin | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Pogoń Szczecin II | 25 | (5) |
| 2019–2022 | Pogoń Szczecin | 40 | (4) |
| 2022–2024 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Union SG (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Vitesse (loan) | 29 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | → Vitesse (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2024– | Gaziantep | 58 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Poland U15 | 8 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | Poland U17 | 17 | (6) |
| 2020 | Poland U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2025 | Poland U21 | 19 | (3) |
| 2021– | Poland | 8 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:57, 27 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:16, 3 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Kozłowski started his career with Pogoń Szczecin. In January 2022, he transferred to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported fee of £8,000,000, where he was immediately loaned to Brighton's sister club Union SG of Belgian First Division A for the rest of the season.[3][4]
In August 2022, Kozłowski joined Vitesse in the Netherlands on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[5] On 18 July 2023, he rejoined Vitesse on another season-long loan spell.[6]
On 19 July 2024, Kozłowski left Brighton to join Turkish club Gaziantep permanently for an undisclosed fee.[7]
International career
On 28 March 2021, Kozłowski debuted for the Polish senior team in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against Andorra, which ended in a 3–0 victory for the Poles.[8] At the age of 17 years and 163 days, he became the second youngest Polish international debutant behind Włodzimierz Lubański, who debuted at the age of 16 years and 188 days.[8]
Kozłowski was included in Poland's squad for UEFA Euro 2020.[9] In a 1–1 draw against Spain on 20 June 2021, he became the youngest footballer of any nationality to play at a European Championship – aged 17 years and 246 days – breaking the previous record of Jude Bellingham, who had broken the same record only six days prior.[10] He kept the record until 2024, when Lamine Yamal debuted at the European Championship at 16 years and 338 days.[11]
Kozłowski was named in the provisional squad for Poland for the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign,[12] but he was not included in the final 26-man squad.[13]
Personal life
On 10 January 2020, Kozłowski suffered a traffic accident that almost ended his football career.[14] Whilst on his way to training for Pogon Szczecin with two of his teammates, their car was involved in a crash. Suffering the most severe injuries of the three, Kozłowski had broken his pelvis and broke three vertebrae in his lower back. Despite the near life-ending and career-threatening injury, he eventually recovered and returned to football. Speaking to Goal in 2021 about the accident, he said: "I couldn't train for almost half a year. It was a difficult time, but I focus on the here and now, not the past" and stated that the experience might help him mentally in the future having gone through it.[15]
In the 2022 NXGN 50, Kozłowski was ranked as the 19th best football wonderkid.[16]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pogoń Szczecin II | 2018–19[17] | III liga, group II | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20[18] | III liga, group II | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||||
| 2020–21[19] | III liga, group II | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 5 | — | — | — | 25 | 5 | |||||
| Pogoń Szczecin | 2018–19[17] | Ekstraklasa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[18] | Ekstraklasa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21[19] | Ekstraklasa | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22[20] | Ekstraklasa | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 19 | 3 | ||
| Total | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 4 | |||
| Union SG (loan) | 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Vitesse (loan) | 2022–23[21] | Eredivisie | 29 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24[22] | Eredivisie | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 3 | |||
| Total | 59 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 63 | 6 | ||||
| Gaziantep | 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 31 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 6 | |||
| Total | 58 | 10 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 63 | 10 | ||||
| Career total | 191 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 25 | ||
- Includes Polish Cup, KNVB Cup, Turkish Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
- As of match played 3 June 2025[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | |||
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Honours
Individual
- Polish Newcomer of the Year: 2021[24]
- Ekstraklasa Young Player of the Month: December 2020[25]
- NXGN (19th of 50): 2022
