Timothée Kolodziejczak
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Timothée Christian Kolodziejczak (; born 1 October 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender and captains club Paris FC. He can play as either a centre or
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
. Kolodziejczak is a French youth international and has competed at all levels. He played on the under-19 team that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Due to the difficulty of pronouncing his
surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
, he is a commonly referred to as ''Kolo''.


Early life

Kolodziejczak was born on 1 October 1991 in
Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...
, France, to a Polish father and a Martiniquais mother.


Club career


Early career

Kolodziejczak began his career at the age of seven playing for local club US Saint-Maurice Loos-en-Gohelle. In July 1999, he moved to hometown club Avion where he spent a year. In June 2000, Kolodziejczak joined the professional club of
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...
. While in the club's youth academy, he trained alongside youth and international teammate Gaël Kakuta at the Centre de Préformation de Football in nearby Liévin, a training center exclusively for players brought up in the
Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (; ; West Flemish: ''Nôord-Nauw van Kales'') was a former regions of France, administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new Regions of France, region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
. He spent two years at the center training there during the weekdays and playing with Lens on the weekends. One of his trainers at the facility was former Polish international Joachim Marx. After graduating from the club's youth academy, he was offered a five-year professional contract as Lens were attempting to tie down the defender who was being scouted by several prominent European clubs, most notably
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. Kolodziejczak turned down the offer with hopes of signing elsewhere stating he had no confidence in the club. Following negotiations, it was announced on 21 August 2008 that Kolodziejczak agreed to join seven-time Ligue 1 champions
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal with Lens demanding at least 3 million in compensation for the player.


Lyon

Upon his arrival to the club, Kolodziejczak was given the number 12 shirt on the first-team. However, due to signing late in the transfer window, he missed Lyon's entire pre-season campaign and was placed on the club's Championnat de France Amateur team in the fourth division by manager Claude Puel. He made his reserve debut on 13 September 2008 in the derby match against
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
's reserve team. The match resulted in a 2–1 victory with Kolodziejczak playing the entire match picking up a yellow card. Two months later, Kolodziejczak was called up to the first team for a league match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on 23 November 2008 to serve as the backup left back. In the match, he made his professional debut coming on as a substitute for the severely injured Anthony Réveillère in the 11th minute. Lyon lost the match 1–0 with Kolodziejczak being penalized with a yellow card late in the second half. Following the season, Lyon signed Kolodziejczak on a permanent deal with the player agreeing to a four-year deal and the transfer fee being priced at 2.5 million. For the 2009–10 season, Kolodziejczak's playing time was limited. On 29 September 2009, he made his
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
debut in the team's 4–0 victory over Hungarian club
Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...
appearing as a substitute for starting left back Aly Cissokho. Four days later, Kolodziejczak made another substitute appearance in a 2–0 win against his former club Lens. On 21 November, he made his first professional start playing 76 minutes in a 1–1 draw against
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
.


Nice

In the summer of 2012, Kolodziejczak moved to fellow Ligue 1 club
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionSevilla on 27 August 2014, signing a three-year contract on a transfer fee of €3 million. On 18 September he made his first appearance, as the club defeated
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
2–0 in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
. He debuted in
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
six days later, playing the entirety of a 1–0 home win against
Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
. On 2 October, he was shown a straight red card in a Europa League match at
HNK Rijeka Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka. HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...
for conceding a penalty on
Andrej Kramarić Andrej Kramarić (; born 19 June 1991) is a Croatian professional association football, footballer, who plays as a Forward (association football), forward or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, TSG Hoffenheim and the Cr ...
. This was converted for the first equaliser in an eventual 2–2 draw. He scored his first goal on 29 October, opening a 6–1 win at CE Sabadell in the first leg of the
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
round of 32. He made nine appearances as they won the Europa League in his first season, including the 3–2 win over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the final in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
.


Borussia Mönchengladbach

On 4 January 2017, Kolodziejczak signed for German club
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
.


Tigres UANL

On 4 September 2017, Kolodziejczak joined
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
club Tigres UANL.


Saint-Étienne

In August 2018, Kolodziejczak joined
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
club
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
on loan with an option to buy. On 22 August 2019, Kolodziejczak was loaned again at Saint-Étienne for another season. Saint-Étienne exercised their option to purchase Kolodziejczak in the summer of 2020 for €4.5 million.


Schalke 04

On 21 October 2022, Kolodziejczak signed for Schalke 04 on a contract until the end of the season.


Paris FC

On 2 September 2023, Kolodziejczak signed for Paris FC.


International career

Kolodziejczak has featured for all of France's national youth teams beginning with the under-16 team. He made his debut with the team in the team's last match against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
at the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
in Berlin on 30 May 2006. Germany won the match 1–0 with Felix Kroos scoring the lone goal. With the under-17 team, Kolodziejczak was a regular and made his debut in the team's opening match against
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in a 4–0 victory. In qualification for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, he appeared in both rounds of qualification with the team finishing the Elite Round portion unbeaten, which led to qualification to the UEFA-sanctioned tournament. At the tournament, Kolodziejczak scored his first youth international goal against
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
in the semi-finals. The goal came in the 69th minute with France trailing 1–0. The team later won the match 4–3 on penalties. In the final, France were defeated 4–0 by Spain. Kolodziejczak made his debut in France national under-18 football team's opening match against
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. He only made six appearances with the team. With the under-19 team, Kolodziejczak was again called upon by coach Francis Smerecki making his first appearance with the team on 9 October 2009 in 4–2 defeat to
the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. After consistently appearing with the team for the campaign, on 7 June 2010, he was named to Smerecki's 18-man squad to participate in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Kolodziejczak played in all five of the team's matches including the final match against
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, which France won 2–1. The title is the country's second UEFA Under-19 championship. Following France's victory at the UEFA Under-19 championship, the nation qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which merited under-20 team appearances for Kolodziejczak. He made his debut with the team on 7 October 2010 in a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, which ended 3–3. Kolodziejczak, subsequently, appeared in four matches for the team during the 2010–11 campaign and, on 10 June 2011, was named to the 21-man squad to participate in the U-20 World Cup. He made his debut in the competition on 30 July 2011 in the team's 4–1 defeat to the hosts
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. Kolodziejczak is also eligible to represent
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
at international level through his father. At the age of 15, he was issued a proposal by the Polish Football Association (PZPN) who sought for him to play for the country's youth international teams. However, due to not having Polish citizenship, Kolodziejczak would have been unable to play in an official match for Poland, which led to his father rejecting the opportunity, and instead deciding that it would be better to wait a few years until coming to a decision.


Career statistics

.


Honours

Sevilla *
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
: 2014–15, 2015–16 UANL *
Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
: Apertura 2017 Saint-Étienne *
Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
runner-up: 2019–20 Individual *
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
Squad of the Season: 2014–15


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolodziejczak, Timothee 1991 births Living people Footballers from Arras French men's footballers Men's association football defenders UEFA Europa League–winning players Ligue 1 players Championnat National 2 players La Liga players Bundesliga players Liga MX players Olympique Lyonnais players RC Lens players OGC Nice players Sevilla FC players Borussia Mönchengladbach players Tigres UANL footballers AS Saint-Étienne players FC Schalke 04 players Paris FC players France men's youth international footballers French expatriate men's footballers French expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain French expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Germany French expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Black French sportspeople French people of Martiniquais descent French people of Polish descent 21st-century French sportsmen