| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 April 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Warsaw, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) [1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | GKS Katowice | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2018 | Ząbkovia Ząbki | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Ząbkovia Ząbki | 34 | (13) |
| 2021–2022 | ŁKS Łódź II | 15 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | ŁKS Łódź | 38 | (7) |
| 2023–2025 | Brøndby | 1 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → GKS Katowice (loan) | 31 | (3) |
| 2025– | GKS Katowice | 7 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Poland U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Poland U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2023– | Poland U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025– | Poland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:06, 5 September 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:08, 10 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Mateusz Kowalczyk (born 16 April 2004) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ekstraklasa club GKS Katowice.
Born in Warsaw and raised in nearby Marki, Kowalczyk began his football journey at the age of six with Ząbkovia Ząbki. [2] Displaying remarkable maturity at a young age, he took his first steps in senior football at the age of 14 with Ząbkovia. [2] His talent quickly attracted the interest of several Polish clubs. [3] Ultimately, in 2021, he chose to sign with ŁKS Łódź. The club's second team competed in the fourth tier, providing Kowalczyk with an opportunity to develop against senior opposition at a higher level. [3] He made his second-team debut on 7 August 2021, starting in a 4–3 victory against Ursus Warsaw. [4]
Kowalczyk made his professional debut for the ŁKS first team on 26 February 2022, coming on as a substitute for Jakub Tosik in the 65th minute during a 1–1 away draw against GKS Jastrzębie in the second-tier I liga. [5] On 8 April 2021, he scored his first professional goal, securing a late winner in the 95th minute of a 3–2 home win over Sandecja Nowy Sącz. [6]
During the 2022–23 season, Kowalczyk played a significant role in ŁKS' promotion to the top-tier Ekstraklasa, scoring six goals in 26 appearances for the Knights of Spring—including a decisive goal that secured the league title on 26 May 2023, against Arka Gdynia. [1] [7]
On 2 August 2023, Kowalczyk signed a four-year contract with Danish Superliga club Brøndby, with the club paying a reported fee of €1.2 million to secure his services. [8] [9] He made his debut for the club on 27 September, replacing Nicolai Vallys in the 68th minute of a 3–0 victory in the Danish Cup over HIK. [10] Four days later, he made his Superliga debut, again coming on as a late substitute for Vallys in a victory against Hvidovre. [11]
On 17 July 2024, Kowalczyk returned to Poland to join newly promoted Ekstraklasa club GKS Katowice on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent. [12] On 2 June 2025, Kowalczyk joined GKS permanently on a three-year contract, for a fee reported to be €1 million. [13]
Kowalczyk has represented Poland at under-18 level. [14] In August 2022, he was called up to by Poland U-19's coach Marcin Brosz for training camp in Reda ahead of the 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Italy. [15] He scored on his debut for the under-19s, contributing to Poland's 2–0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 21 September 2022. [16] On 28 August 2023, Kowalczyk received his first call-up for the Poland U-20, and he subsequently gained his first cap for the team on 8 September during a 4–0 home win over Portugal in the Under 20 Elite League. [17] [18]
Kowalczyk was called up to the senior Poland national team for the first time for the Nations League games against Scotland and Croatia in September 2024. [19]
Kowalczyk, a hard-working central midfielder, displayed remarkable maturity on the pitch early on, making his senior football debut at the young age of 14. [3] He describes himself as a player capable of controlling the game's pace, comfortable both in attacking and defensive roles. Despite his average height (1.81 m), he possesses excellent heading abilities. [20] Often referred to as a 'piranha' in midfield, he excels in dispossessing opponents and is adept at playing a Gegenpressing style. [21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ząbkovia Ząbki | 2018–19 [22] | IV liga Masovia | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 [23] | IV liga Masovia | 8 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 [24] [25] | IV liga Masovia | 23 | 12 | — | 2 [b] | 0 | 25 | 12 | ||
| Total | 32 | 13 | — | 2 | 0 | 34 | 13 | |||
| ŁKS Łódź II | 2021–22 | III liga, gr. I | 15 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| ŁKS Łódź | 2021–22 | I liga | 12 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | I liga | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 6 | ||
| Total | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 7 | |||
| Brøndby | 2023–24 | Danish Superliga | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| GKS Katowice (loan) | 2024–25 | Ekstraklasa | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 3 | |
| GKS Katowice | 2025–26 | Ekstraklasa | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 124 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 130 | 24 | ||
Ząbkovia Ząbki
ŁKS Łódź
Individual