Jakub Piotr Kiwior (born 15 February 2000) is a Polish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a defender for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and the Poland national team. Kiwior made his professional debut in 2018 for Slovak side FK Železiarne Podbrezová, before moving to

MŠK Žilina MŠK Žilina () is a Slovak football club based in the town of Žilina, that is playing in the Slovak First Football League. Since the league inception in 1993, the club has won 7 titles and comes second in All-time table that makes them one o ...

in 2019 and

Spezia Calcio Spezia Calcio is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in La Spezia, Liguria, currently competing in the Serie B. Spezia Calcio was founded in 1906 by the Swiss banker Hermann Hurni (or Hurny in some documents), who ...

in 2021. In January 2023, after making 39 appearances for Spezia, he transferred to Premier League club

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

in a deal reported to be worth £20m. Kiwior has represented

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 ...

for all youth levels U16 and up, and made his international debut on 11 June 2022. He was selected in the Polish squads for the

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

and Euro 2024, starting in all matches in both tournaments.

Club career

Youth career

Kiwior began playing football as a child with PUKKS Chrzciciel Tychy, before moving to UKS Grom Tychy in 2007. In 2012, he joined the

GKS Tychy GKS Tychy is a Polish professional football club, based in Tychy, that competes in the Polish I liga. The club was founded in 1971. It played in the Ekstraklasa between 1974–1977 and 1995–1997. Their biggest success was a second-place finish ...

where he went up their youth levels and started training with their senior team. In 2016 he moved to the academy of the Belgian club

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

where he finished his development, and stayed until 2018.

FK Železiarne Podbrezová

Kiwior moved to the Slovak club Železiarne Podbrezová in 2018, and made his senior and professional debut with them against

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

in the Fortuna Liga on 16 February 2019. Kiwior played the entirety of the 3–1 victory at pod Zoborom.

MŠK Žilina

In August 2019, Kiwior's transfer to

was announced. He made his debut in the yellow jersey on 10 August 2019 during an

away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a British film directed by David Blair * ''Away'' (2019 film), a Latvian animated silent film by Gints Zilbalodis * Away (2025 film), a drama film by Gerard Oms * ''Away'' (TV series ...

fixture against

Ružomberok Ružomberok (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of approximately 27,000. Etymology The name of the initial settlement located on today's Makovický street was ''Revúca'' ( Slovak "roaring ...

. While Žilina grabbed a three-goal lead in the first half, Ružomberok scored two in the second period and hence Kiwior was brought on to secure the defence, as a replacement for

Lukáš Jánošík Lukáš Jánošík (born 5 March 1994) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays for MŠK Považská Bystrica as a winger. Jánošík began his career at Žilina, where he started playing for the reserves and went on loan to Rimavská Sobo ...

. ''Šošoni'' managed to keep the 3–2 win and remained undefeated in the league. Over a month later, in his second appearance, Kiwior had debuted in the starting-XI against ViOn Zlaté Moravce. While Žilina's defence remained unbeaten, the strikers had failed to score and then match concluded in a goal-less tie. On 9 November Kiwior had recorded his first assist with Žilina. At

Štadión pod Dubňom Štadión pod Dubňom is an all-seater Association football, football stadium situated in Žilina, Slovakia, which is the home of MŠK Žilina. It is named after the hill ''Dubeň'', adjacent to which it is located, and the name of the stadium l ...

, Žilina was behind Ružomberok by two goals in the second half. Kiwior, a first-half replacement, managed to find

Ján Bernát Ján Bernát (born 10 January 2001) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays for as a midfielder for DAC Dunajská Streda on loan from the Belgian club Westerlo. Club career Bernát made his Fortuna Liga debut for Žilina against ViOn ...

with a pass and narrow the score. Still, Žilina lost 2–1. During the season, he also made sporadic appearances for the reserves competing in 2. Liga. During the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, as Žilina had entered liquidation to survive financially and had consequently released 17 players, Kiwior remained unaffected.

Spezia Calcio

On 31 August 2021, Kiwior signed for

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side

Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguri ...

on a four-year deal. He made his debut against

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

on 1 December 2021 as a starter and gave away a penalty after handball that converted into goal by

Lautaro Martínez Lautaro Javier Martínez (born 22 August 1997), also known mononymously as Lautaro, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan, whom he captains, and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one ...

. Kiwior was often deployed as

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

by his former manager

Thiago Motta Thiago Motta (; ; born 28 August 1982) is a professional Association football, football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Juventus FC, Juventus. A Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder, Mott ...

because of his ability to possess and control the ball.

Arsenal

2022–23 season

On 23 January 2023, Kiwior moved to

on a long-term contract. He made his debut against Sporting on 9 March 2023 in the

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 ...

last 16 first leg as Arsenal drew 2–2. He made his

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

and

debut as a substitute in Arsenal's 4–1 win against

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on 19 March. He was handed his first start in a 3–1 win over Chelsea in early May after erratic performances from Arsenal's back line, owing to William Saliba's absence due to injury. He then started in the next game against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

, where a handball decision was overturned. He helped Arsenal maintain a clean sheet in that match and gained plaudits for his performance. On the final matchday of the 2022–23 season, he scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 5–0 win over

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

International career

On 17 May 2022, Kiwior was called up to the Polish senior squad for two

2022–23 UEFA Nations League The 2022–23 UEFA Nations League was the third season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The competition was held from June to Se ...

matches against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

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 ...

. He made his debut in the latter match on 11 June 2022, which ended in a 2–2 draw. In November 2022, Kiwior was named in Poland's 26-man squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, starting in all four of Poland's matches during the tournament. On 16 June 2023, Kiwior scored his first international goal 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

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 ...

, which Poland won 1–0. In June 2024, he was selected to represent Poland in

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

in Germany.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kiwior goal.''

Personal life

Kiwior announced his marriage with fiancée Claudia Kowalczyk in 2023.

Honours

Arsenal *

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Individual * Slovak First Football League Team of the Season: 2020–21 * Slovak First Football League U21 Team of the Season: 2020–21

References

External links

Jakub Kiwior
at the Arsenal F.C. website *
Jakub Kiwior
at the MŠK Žilina website
Jakub Kiwior
at the FK Železiarne Podbrezová website * *
Jakub Kiwior
at Futbalnet {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiwior, Jakub 2000 births Living people Footballers from Tychy Polish men's footballers Poland men's international footballers Poland men's under-21 international footballers Poland men's youth international footballers Men's association football defenders FK Železiarne Podbrezová players MŠK Žilina players Spezia Calcio players Arsenal F.C. players Slovak First Football League players 2. Liga (Slovakia) players Serie A players Premier League players 2022 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2024 players Polish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in England Polish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Polish expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia Polish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Polish expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Polish sportsmen