Quick Facts
Biography
Wojciech Kowalczyk (born 14 April 1972) is a Polish retired footballer who played as a striker.
The bulk of his professional career was spent with Legia Warsaw and in Spain. Early into his international career, he helped the Polish national team win the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Club career
Born in Warsaw, Kowalczyk played his youth football with local Olimpia and Polonez, joining city giants Legia Warsaw in 1990 at the age of 18. Almost from the very beginning, he was an automatic first-choice; in his weakest season, his first, he only appeared in 11 Ekstraklasa games, but was crucial in helping oust U.C. Sampdoria in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup by scoring twice in Genoa for the 2–2 draw and qualification for the semifinals 3–2 on aggregate.
After having started the 1994–95 campaign with Legia (five matches, three goals, another league title), Kowalczyk moved abroad and signed with La Liga side Real Betis, but was never able to reproduce his previous form. He finished his five-year spell in Spain with UD Las Palmas in the second division, where he also appeared sparingly.
After almost one year out of football, Kowalczyk returned to his country and his main club, Legia. In late 2001 he changed countries again, joining Cyprus' Anorthosis Famagusta FC and netting a career-best 24 goals; after a nearly non-existent second season he finished his professional career in the same country, with APOEL FC, retiring at 32 – afterwards, he would play in amateur football until 2006, with AZS Absolwent UW Warszawa.
International career
Kowalczyk gained 39 caps for Poland, scoring 11 goals. His debut came at the age of 19 on 21 August 1991, against Sweden.
His biggest international highlight was helping the Olympic squad win silver at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona: he did not score at all in the group stage, but eventually ranked third in the charts at four, three behind compatriot Andrzej Juskowiak.
International goals
- Scores and results table. Poland's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 August 1991 | Gdynia, Poland |  Sweden | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 May 1992 | Salzburg, Austria |  Austria | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 14 October 1992 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |  Netherlands | 2–2 | 1994 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 27 October 1993 | Istanbul, Turkey |  Turkey | 1–2 | 1994 World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 25 April 1995 | Zabrze, Poland |  Israel | 4–3 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 6 | 1 May 1996 | Mielec, Poland |  Belarus | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 24 September 1997 | Olsztyn, Poland |  Lithuania | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 25 March 1998 | Warsaw, Poland |  Slovenia | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 10 November 1998 | Bratislava, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 10 | 10 November 1998 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Slovakia | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 10 February 1999 | Ta' Qali, Malta |  Finland | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- Legia
- Ekstraklasa: 1992–93 (later revoked by the Polish Football Association due to corruption allegations), 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02
- Polish Cup: 1993–94
- Polish SuperCup: 1994; Runner-up 1990
- Anorthosis
- Cypriot Cup: 2001–02
- APOEL
- Cypriot First Division: 2003–04
Country
- Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 1992
Individual
- Cypriot First Division: Top Scorer 2001–02