Place of birth Leczyca, Poland Name Przemyslaw Kazmierczak Career start 1999 1990–2000 LKS Lodz Weight 80 kg | Number 18 Height 1.91 m Playing position Role Footballer Salary 800,000 PLN (2010) | |
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Full name Przemyslaw Tadeusz Kazmierczak Date of birth (1982-05-05) 5 May 1982 (age 33) Current team Poland national football team (Midfielder) | ||
Przemyslaw Tadeusz Kazmierczak ([pʂe.ˈmis.waf kaʑ.ˈmʲer.t͡ʂak]; born 5 May 1982) is a Polish professional footballer who plays for Gornik Leczna as a midfielder.
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Club career
Kazmierczak was born in Leczyca. After entering LKS Lodz's youth ranks at the age of eight, and spending the following decade there, he started his professional career in 2000 with lowly Piotrcovia Piotrkow Trybunalski, playing three seasons with the club.
In 2003 Kazmierczak moved to Pogon Szczecin, establishing as an Ekstraklasa player. He then served a loan in Portugal with Boavista F.C. during the 2006–07 season, where he scored five league goals and played alongside compatriot Rafal Grzelak.
After solid overall displays, Boavista neighbours FC Porto paid Pogon around €1.4 million to acquire Kazmierczak's services. He helped the northerners retain its domestic supremacy, but appeared sparingly (11 league contests, plus 65 minutes in the side's 1–4 loss at Liverpool for the campaign's UEFA Champions League).
Kazmierczak's disappointing first year at Porto saw him linked with a move away from the club and, on 21 July 2008, he joined English Football League Championship side Derby County on a season-long loan, with a view to a £1.3m permanent deal. After coming on as a substitute he scored his first goal for his new team with a clinical finish against Norwich City, in a 3–1 win.
However, Kazmierczak fell out of favour under new Derby manager Nigel Clough, and finished the season with 22 league appearances, scoring twice. He later revealed his frustration at being left out of the team, accusing the coach of "not liking foreign [players]", and that "I have made up my mind – I want to leave. It is all over. I am leaving Derby County". Clough responded to the player's accusations, saying "Is that what he said, is it? I have got no problems with foreign players at all. If they have got the right character and they want to fight tooth and nail for Derby County, we will have players whether they are Chinese, American, Spanish – anyone to help us get three points."
On 14 July 2009 Porto arranged for another loan deal for Kazmierczak, who joined Vitoria de Setubal on a season-long move. The following year he was released and returned to his country, signing for Slask Wroclaw.
International career
Whilst at Piotrcovia Piotrkow, Kazmierczak was called into the Polish under-18 national team, helping it win the 2001 UEFA European Championship in Finland.
He eventually forced his way into the full side following his stint with Boavista, scoring once during UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers and helping his country qualify for the final stages in Austria and Switzerland, for which he was not finally picked.