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Michał Żewłakow (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmixaw ʐɛvˈwakɔf], born 22 April 1976) is a former Polish footballer defender who used to captain the Polish national football team and is its most capped player ever.
Career
Early career in Poland
Born in Warsaw in April 1976, Żewłakow spent eight years with Polonia Warsaw and broke into the first team in 1996–97.
Belgium
He was loaned to Belgium's KSK Beveren in October 1998 before signing – together with his twin brother Marcin – for R. Excelsior Mouscron for a combined fee of €485,000. Żewłakow went on to become a key player, helping the club reach the 2002 Belgian Cup final.
RSC Anderlecht
After following coach Hugo Broos to RSC Anderlecht, in his second season he made his UEFA Champions League debut as Anderlecht wrested back the Belgian title from Club Brugge KV. The next season, he lost his place but regained it in 2005–06 as Anderlecht won the league again.
Olympiacos F.C.
In the summer 2006, he moved to Olympiacos on a free transfer.
Ankaragücü
At the end of the 2009–10 season, Olympiacos gave him a low offer, so he preferred not to renew his contract. On 16 June 2010 Ankaragücü signed the Polish international left-back on a free transfer from Olympiakos Piraeus.
Legia Warsaw
In June 2011, he joined Polish club Legia Warsaw on a one-year contract.
International
Poland's first-choice left-back during qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Żewłakow was the only player to appear in all ten of his country's qualifying matches. He played in two games at the 2002 World Cup and was a regular in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, where he again appeared three times in the finals in Germany.
Poland goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 March 2001 | Warsaw, Poland |  Armenia | 4–0 | Win | 2002 WCQ |
| 2. | 7 February 2007 | Jerez de la Frontera, Spain |  Slovakia | 1–2 | Draw | Friendly |
| 3. | 6 September 2008 | Wrocław, Poland |  Slovenia | 1–1 | Draw | 2010 WCQ |
Family
Michał Żewłakow has a twin brother, Marcin, who plays for GKS Bełchatów as a striker. They became the first twins ever to play together for Poland when they were picked in the starting lineup to face France in February 2000 and were teammates at the 2002 World Cup.
Honours
RSC Anderlecht
- Belgian League: 2003–04, 2005–06
Olympiacos FC
- Greek Super League: 2007, 2008, 2009
- Greek Cup: 2008, 2009
- Greek Super Cup: 2007
Legia Warsaw
- Polish championship (Ekstraklasa): 2012–13
- Polish Cup (2): 2012, 2013