Michał Helik
Polish footballer (born 1995)
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Michał Sławomir Helik (born 9 September 1995) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Oxford United.
|
Helik in 2018 playing for Cracovia | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michał Sławomir Helik[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Chorzów, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Oxford United | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2013 | Ruch Chorzów | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Ruch Chorzów | 46 | (1) |
| 2017–2020 | Cracovia | 88 | (9) |
| 2020–2022 | Barnsley | 81 | (6) |
| 2022–2025 | Huddersfield Town | 94 | (13) |
| 2025– | Oxford United | 53 | (6) |
| International career | |||
| 2021 | Poland | 7 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:12, 6 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Born in Chorzów, Helik started his career at Ruch Chorzów where he made 46 Ekstraklasa appearances and scored one goal.[2] On 9 June 2017, it was announced that Helik would join fellow Ekstraklasa side Cracovia on a contract valid from 1 July.[3] Over three seasons at Cracovia, he appeared in 88 league matches and scored nine goals.[2]
On 9 September 2020, Helik joined Championship club Barnsley on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[4][5] He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City on 17 October 2020.[6]
On 1 September 2022, Helik signed for Championship side Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal, with an optional fourth year.[7]
After Huddersfield's relegation at the end of the 2023–24 season, Helik remained with the club for another half-a-year, before returning to the second tier on 17 January 2025 to join Oxford United for an undisclosed fee.[8]
International career
Helik was selected by coach Paulo Sousa for the Poland squad for UEFA Euro 2020, but didn't play in the tournament.[9][10] He later made his debut in a 3–3 draw against Hungary in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 25 March 2021.[11]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 6 March 2026[2]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ruch Chorzów | 2013–14 | Ekstraklasa | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Ekstraklasa | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Ekstraklasa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Ekstraklasa | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 50 | 1 | ||||
| Cracovia | 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 8 | |||
| 2018–19 | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 34 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Ekstraklasa | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| 2020–21 | Ekstraklasa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 88 | 9 | 10 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 101 | 11 | ||||
| Barnsley | 2020–21 | Championship | 43 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 49 | 6 | |
| 2021–22 | Championship | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 1 | |||
| Total | 81 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 89 | 7 | |||
| Huddersfield Town | 2022–23 | Championship | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 41 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 9 | |||
| 2024–25 | League One | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 94 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 100 | 13 | |||
| Oxford United | 2024–25 | Championship | 20 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 5 | ||||
| 2025–26 | Championship | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 1 | |||
| Total | 53 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 55 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 362 | 35 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 395 | 38 | ||
- Includes Polish Cup, FA Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in Championship play-offs
- Appearances in EFL Trophy
International
- As of match played 12 October 2021
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 2021 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Honours
Cracovia
Individual
- Ekstraklasa Defender of the Season: 2017–18[12]
- Barnsley Player of the Season: 2020–21[13]
- Huddersfield Town Player of the Year: 2022–23, 2023–24[14]
