Arkadiusz Milik

Arkadiusz "Arek" Milik ([arˈkadjuʂ ˈmilik]; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish footballer who plays as a striker for Italian club Napoli and the Poland national team. He participated in the UEFA Euro 2016, where his nation reached the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
Milik began his career as a footballer in the Rozwój Katowice youth squad. In 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Górnik Zabrze, and in 2012 he transferred to Bayer Leverkusen and later played on loan for FC Augsburg and Ajax respectively. In 2015–16, he was purchased by Ajax on a four-year deal for a reported €2.8 million fee. While playing for Ajax, Milik became one of the top goalscorers in Eredivisie. On 1 August 2016, he joined Italian club Napoli for €35 million, effectively replacing Gonzalo Higuaín.

Milik's father left when he was very young. Sławomir "Moki" Mogilan, a football coach, recognized Milik's footballing talent and helped develop his abilities, fostering a greater professionalism in his outlook. When he was 16 years old, reports of the talented youngster had reached England and he was invited to trial with Tottenham Hotspur and Reading, but ultimately decided to focus on his football in Poland.

Rozwój Katowice

Milik began his career as a youth player for Rozwój Katowice and played in the reserve team during the 2009–10 season. On 23 October 2010, the 16-year-old made his III liga debut when he scored two goals in a 4–0 victory over KS Krasiejów. In November, he went on trial at Górnik Zabrze, where he scored one goal in two appearances for the club's Młoda Ekstraklasa team. In winter, he and his teammate Wojciech Król were on trial with Reading, Tottenham Hotspur and Legia Warszawa. Milik ended the season with ten appearances and four goals for Rozwój Katowice.

Górnik Zabrze

Despite offers from other clubs, on 1 July 2011 Milik signed a one-year contract with Górnik Zabrze for a fee of 500,000 złotys. Milik made his Ekstraklasa debut on 31 July in a 1–1 draw with Śląsk Wrocław; in the 53rd minute, he was substituted by Daniel Gołębiewski.

Bayer Leverkusen

On 17 December 2012, German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen confirmed they had signed Milik on a contract until summer 2018, for a reported transfer fee of €2.6 million.

FC Augsburg (loan)

On 30 August 2013, FC Augsburg signed Milik on a one-year loan deal. The loan fee was reported to be €150,000, and composed of a base amount that decreased the more games Milik played for Augsburg and increased if Augsburg maintained its Bundesliga status. During his spell in Augsburg, he was capped in 18 matches, but started just five. However, he scored an equalizer in the 88th minute in a 2–2 home draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, helping Augsburg earn a vital point.

Ajax

On 15 May 2014, it was announced that Milik would spend the 2014–15 season on loan at reigning Dutch champions Ajax, with a purchase option of €2.8 million.

2014–15 season (loan)

On 24 September 2014, Milik played in the first official Amsterdam derby to be contested since 1983 when Ajax took on JOS Watergraafsmeer in the KNVB Cup. Milik earned the man of the match award after scoring six out of the club's nine goals and assisting a further two in the Olympic Stadium. On 1 April 2015, Ajax reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to purchase Milik outright on a four-year deal for a reported €2.8 million fee.

2015–16 season

On 26 June 2015, Ajax announced Milik would replace departing striker Kolbeinn Sigþórsson as the club's number 9 for the 2015–16 season, switching from kit number 19. Milik scored his first goal that season in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Rapid Wien, making the scoreline 1–2. The game was eventually lost 2–3 and the two-legged tie 4–5 on aggregate to Rapid, relegating Ajax to the UEFA Europa League play-off against Czech side Jablonec.

Milik scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Eredivisie season against Willem II after newly appointed captain Davy Klaassen provided him with a cross, which Milik headed-in. Ajax went on to win the game 3–0 after a brace from Anwar El Ghazi. In the first leg of the Europa League play-off qualifier against Jablonec, Milik scored a penalty after Klaassen was fouled in the box; the goal was the winner in a 1–0 match. During the beginning of the season, Milik also scored goals against Willem II, NEC and Excelsior. Nearly a month later, on 31 October, he began a scoring streak again, this time scoring two against Roda JC in a 6–0 rout. Milik also scored league goals against Cambuur on 11 November and Heerenveen on 5 December, the latter in which he also missed a penalty. On 26 November, Milik scored the 1–1 equalizer against Celtic in the Europa League group stage, where Ajax went on to win 2–1 away in Glasgow. On 20 December, Ajax's final match before the winter break, he also scored the opening goal against De Graafschap in an eventual 2–1 home victory at the Amsterdam Arena.

After the winter break, Milik was out of form and got a lot of criticism, having gone scoreless in Ajax's first three Eredivisie matches. He broke his poor run of form by scoring against Roda JC on 31 January 2016 in a 2–2 away draw. On 21 February, against Excelsior, he then scored a brace, while in Ajax's next home game, on 28 February, he scored another two goals against AZ. One week later, on 6 March, Milik scored against Willem II in an eventual 0–4 away win in Tilburg.

Napoli

Milik signed with Napoli on 1 August 2016; his €35 million transfer was officially confirmed by the club the following afternoon. He made his club debut on 27 August, scoring his first two goals for Napoli in a 4–2 home win over Milan in Serie A. Milik tore his cruciate ligament and is expected to be out for at least six months.

Milik playing for Poland in 2013.

On 13 April 2011, Milik scored a goal for Poland under-17 side in a 4–1 victory over England Schools U18. On 15 July 2011, he was called up to the under-19 team.

On 12 October 2012, Milik made his debut for the Polish senior team against South Africa. On December 14, he scored his first goal for the national side in the 4–1 friendly victory over Macedonia.

Milik scored nine times for Poland under-21s during qualification for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Malta and Greece in November 2013.

UEFA Euro 2016

On 11 October 2014, Milik scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win over world champions Germany in a 2016 UEFA Euro qualifying match. This was Poland's first win over Germany, who had not lost in 19 competitive games and 33 previous qualifiers. Milik formed a successful strike partnership with Robert Lewandowski during qualification for the European Championships, with additional goals coming in a 2–2 draw with Scotland, a 4–0 win away to Georgia and another 4–0 defeat of the same opposition at the National Stadium in Warsaw.

In Euro 2016, Milik scored for Poland in their opening game, beating Northern Ireland 1–0. He also netted his attempt in his nation's penalty shootout exit to eventual champions Portugal in the quarter-finals.

In 2013, Milik began dating professional Polish model Jessica Ziółek. Milik features on the cover of the Polish version of FIFA 16 alongside global cover star Lionel Messi.

Milik is a devoted fan of Manchester United. Milik says he "dreams of playing for Manchester United", but insists he's "far from it".

Milik's childhood football hero is Cristiano Ronaldo; in an interview during Euro 2016, he said he followed Ronaldo closely and had been inspired by the Portuguese striker.

Club

As of 2 October 2016.

International

As of 8 October 2016

International goals

As of match played 12 June 2016. Poland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Milik goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 December 2012	Mardan Sports Complex, Aksu, Turkey	4	Macedonia	1–0	4–1	Friendly
2	6 June 2014	Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland	9	Lithuania	1–1	2–1	Friendly
3	11 October 2014	National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	11	Germany	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
4	14 October 2014	National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	12	Scotland	2–2	2–2	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
5	14 November 2014	Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia	13	Georgia	4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
6	18 November 2014	Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland	14	Switzerland	2–1	2–2	Friendly
7	13 June 2015	National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	16	Georgia	1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
8	7 September 2015	National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	19	Gibraltar	5–0	8–1	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
9					7–0
10	17 November 2015	Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland	22	Czech Republic	1–0	3–1	Friendly
11	12 June 2016	Stade de Nice, Nice, France	27	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2016