Jakub Błaszczykowski

Jakub Błaszczykowski is an attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund, who is also capable of playing as a centre forward. He is one of the key players and the captain of the Polish national team. Jakub was born in a Polish village Truskolasy which is situated close to the city of Częstochowa. Błaszczykowski is also known in Germany and Europe under the nickname Kuba. This by-name is his official name on the football shirt.

Błaszczykowski is a product of Raków Częstochowa’s youth academy, where he trained for 9 years from 1993 to 2002. When Jakub was 8 years old, together with his elder brother he began playing football in Raków. The two brothers had to travel 35 kilometers in one direction by train each day to get to Częstochowa and take part in the training. Jakub and Dawid were keen on football and used play with their peers straight in the local field in their village. The love for sport was so strong that Jakub and Dawid kicked the ball around right on Christmas Eve, having fixed grandmother’s greenhouse as a sports ground.

When he was 10 years old, Błaszczykowski tragically lost his mother. It was such a strong shock for the boy that he gave up playing football and stopped attending school. Jakub’s granny brought him up becoming, in fact, his second mother. The boy’s uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, encouraged him to get back to trainings.

Kuba’s senior career began in 2003, when he joined KS Częstochowa, netting 11 goals in 24 appearances for one year. His performance attracted the attention of Wisła Kraków scouts and in 2005 Błaszczykowski moved to the club. For three years in Wisła Jakub took part in 51 matches and scored 3 goals.

In 2007 Kuba made his big move to Borussia Dortmund, in three years reuniting with his countrymen – Łukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski. These three Polish footballers soon became the leaders of both Borussia Dortmund and the Polish national team.

Kuba was twice named as the Polish footballer of the year in 2008 and 2010. He also won the Bundesliga in 2011 and 2012 with Borussia Dortmund. Jakub’s latest achievement is the DFB Cup 2012.