21.07.2023 11:21 h

Poland midfielder Blaszczykowski retires at 37

Poland and former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski, who scored 29 goals in 109 games for his country, has announced he is retiring.

"Every road has its end... I made the difficult decision to end my career," the 37-year-old said on Facebook late Thursday.

"Thank you for the huge support I received every step of the way," Blaszczykowski told his fans.

Having started his professional career at Wisla Krakow, Blaszczykowski joined Borussia in 2007 and stayed on for ten seasons except for a one-year loan to Italian club Fiorentina.

He moved to Wolfsburg in 2016 for three seasons before returning to Wisla.

Blaszczykowski scored 28 goals in 235 Bundesliga games.

He helped to save Wisla, the 13-time Polish champions, from bankruptcy as he bought a quarter of the club's shares when he returned home in 2019.

Having played only two games last season because of injuries, he will bid farewell to Wisla in his last ever game for the club on August 5.

Blaszczykowski trails only Robert Lewandowski in terms of appearances for Poland.

He was a member of the 2018 World Cup squad in Russia but was not selected for the 2022 edition in Qatar.