Mateusz Kowalczyk (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 April 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Warsaw, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | GKS Katowice | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2018 | Ząbkovia Ząbki | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Ząbkovia Ząbki | 34 | (13) |
| 2021–2022 | ŁKS Łódź II | 15 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | ŁKS Łódź | 38 | (7) |
| 2023–2025 | Brøndby | 1 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → GKS Katowice (loan) | 31 | (3) |
| 2025– | GKS Katowice | 24 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Poland U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Poland U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2023– | Poland U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025– | Poland U21 | 9 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:09, 25 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:25, 28 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Mateusz Kowalczyk (born 16 April 2004) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ekstraklasa club GKS Katowice.
ŁKS Łódź
Born in Warsaw and raised in nearby Marki, Kowalczyk began his football journey at the age of six with Ząbkovia Ząbki.[2] Displaying remarkable maturity at a young age, he took his first steps in senior football at the age of 14 with Ząbkovia.[2] His talent quickly attracted the interest of several Polish clubs.[3] Ultimately, in 2021, he chose to sign with ŁKS Łódź. The club's second team competed in the fourth tier, providing Kowalczyk with an opportunity to develop against senior opposition at a higher level.[3] He made his second-team debut on 7 August 2021, starting in a 4–3 victory against Ursus Warsaw.[4]
Kowalczyk made his professional debut for the ŁKS first team on 26 February 2022, coming on as a substitute for Jakub Tosik in the 65th minute during a 1–1 away draw against GKS Jastrzębie in the second-tier I liga.[5] On 8 April 2021, he scored his first professional goal, securing a late winner in the 95th minute of a 3–2 home win over Sandecja Nowy Sącz.[6]
During the 2022–23 season, Kowalczyk played a significant role in ŁKS' promotion to the top-tier Ekstraklasa, scoring six goals in 26 appearances for the Knights of Spring—including a decisive goal that secured the league title on 26 May 2023, against Arka Gdynia.[1][7]
Brøndby
On 2 August 2023, Kowalczyk signed a four-year contract with Danish Superliga club Brøndby, with the club paying a reported fee of €1.2 million to secure his services.[8][9] He made his debut for the club on 27 September, replacing Nicolai Vallys in the 68th minute of a 3–0 victory in the Danish Cup over HIK.[10] Four days later, he made his Superliga debut, again coming on as a late substitute for Vallys in a victory against Hvidovre.[11]
GKS Katowice
On 17 July 2024, Kowalczyk returned to Poland to join newly promoted Ekstraklasa club GKS Katowice on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent.[12] On 2 June 2025, Kowalczyk joined GKS permanently on a three-year contract, for a fee reported to be €1 million.[13]
International career
Kowalczyk has represented Poland at under-18 level.[14] In August 2022, he was called up to by Poland U-19's coach Marcin Brosz for training camp in Reda ahead of the 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Italy.[15] He scored on his debut for the under-19s, contributing to Poland's 2–0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 21 September 2022.[16] On 28 August 2023, Kowalczyk received his first call-up for the Poland U-20, and he subsequently gained his first cap for the team on 8 September during a 4–0 home win over Portugal in the Under 20 Elite League.[17][18]
Kowalczyk was called up to the senior Poland national team for the first time for the Nations League games against Scotland and Croatia in September 2024.[19]
Style of play
Kowalczyk, a hard-working central midfielder, displayed remarkable maturity on the pitch early on, making his senior football debut at the young age of 14.[3] He describes himself as a player capable of controlling the game's pace, comfortable both in attacking and defensive roles. Despite his average height (1.81 m), he possesses excellent heading abilities.[20] Often referred to as a 'piranha' in midfield, he excels in dispossessing opponents and is adept at playing a Gegenpressing style.[21]