Sebastian Mila (born 10 July 1982) is a Polish former 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 played as an

attacking 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. ...

, who is currently the assistant coach of the Poland national team. His longest spell at a club was with

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław (), is a Polish professional Association football, football club based in Wrocław that plays in , the second level of the Polish football leagu ...

, with whom he won the

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

and

Polish Super Cup The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2024, the Polish Super Cup has been ...

. He played for two teams outside of Poland;

Austria Wien Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (), known in English as Austria Vienna, and Austria Wien in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian professional association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the most trophies of any Aust ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, where he won the

Austrian Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

and the

Austrian Cup The Austrian Cup (), known as UNIQA ÖFB Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB. During the 2008–09 season, Austria Wien won the tournament for a record 27th time. Wo ...

, and had a short spell with

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for i ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Mila was an international for the Poland national team, earning a total of 38 caps and scoring 8 goals, and was included in the nation's squad for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

Club career

Early years

Born in

Koszalin Koszalin (; ; , ) is a city in northwestern Poland, in Western Pomerania. It is located south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomera ...

, Mila grew up playing for local teams Gwardia Koszalin and

Bałtyk Koszalin Bałtyk Koszalin is a Polish multi-sports club with association football, football, tennis and Athletics (sport), athletics sections, based in Koszalin, Pomerania. The football section is technically a separate legal entity from the rest of the ...

before he moved to

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

at the age of 16 and started training with the

Lechia Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football (soccer), football club based in Gdańsk. As of the 2025–26 Ekstraklasa, 2025–26 season, they compete in the Ekstraklasa. The club was founded in 1945 by people Polish population transfers (1944–1946 ...

youth teams. Lechia Gdańsk at this time were known as

Lechia-Polonia Gdańsk Lechia-Polonia Gdańsk was a team which played in the Polish second division from 1998 to 2001. The team was created by a merger of Lechia Gdańsk and Polonia Gdańsk. History Pre-merger Polonia Gdańsk Polonia Gdańsk were founded in 194 ...

due to the merger between Lechia Gdańsk and

Polonia Gdańsk Polonia may refer to: * Poland, in Latin Places * Polonia Maior or Greater Poland, a historical region of Poland * Polonia Minor or Lesser Poland, a historical region of Poland * Polonia, Manitoba, Canada * Polonia, Texas, United States * Pol ...

Lechia Gdańsk

Mila progressed into the Lechia Gdańsk first team during the 1999–2000 season, making his professional debut against

Świt Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki Świt Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki () is a Polish football club based in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Masovian Voivodeship, currently competing in group I of the III liga, the fourth tier of Polish football. History This team competed in Ekstraklasa in th ...

in March 2000. During his first season playing for Lechia he played in 12 games and scoring two goals in the

II liga II liga (Druga liga, ), currently named Betclic II liga due to its sponsorship by Betclic, is a Polish football league that sits at the third tier of the Polish football league system. Until the end of the 2007–08 season, ''II Liga'' referre ...

. The following season Mila played 22 times and scoring two goals, being unable to prevent

from being relegated into the third division, a relegation which would result in the break up of the merger and the recreation of Lechia Gdańsk and Polonia Gdańsk in the lower divisions. The relegation saw an exodus of players leaving the club, Mila included.

Orlen Płock

Mila moved to II liga team Orlen Płock during the summer of 2001. During the first half of the season, Mila performed well, playing 15 of the 19 league games. His performances caught the eye of top division team

Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski (), previously Groclin Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski, was a Polish football club based in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Greater Poland Voivodeship. History Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski was founded on 30 April 1 ...

, with Mila making the transfer during the winter transfer window. Orlen finished the season as runners-up, and were promoted to the top division.

Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski

His move to Dyskobolia saw early success in Mila's career. In his first full season, Dyskobolia finished runners-up in the

, resulting in European football for the following season. Mila played in every game of the team's European adventure in the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, beating

FK Atlantas FK Atlantas was a Lithuanian professional football club based in the port city of Klaipėda. The club's name has changed several times. It was established in 1962 as ''Granitas'', and became ''PSK Aras'' in 1993. Since 1996, when FK Sirijus Kl ...

and

Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football, following relegation from t ...

before a second round tie with

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. After the 0–0 draw at home, it was the away leg which brought Mila to the attention of European and Polish football fans. He converted a free-kick against

David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...

resulting in Dyskobolia progressing due to

away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

. Dyskobolia faced

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

in the next round, and were knocked out losing 5–1 on aggregate. The club ended up finishing the league campaign in 4th. The following season started well for Dyskobolia, who would finish as runners-up in the Ekstraklasa once more, as well as winning the

Polish Cup The Polish Cup in Association football, football ( ) is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout football competition for Polish football club (association football), football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most i ...

. Mila played 13 games in the league during the autumn round as well as one game in the successful cup run.

Austria Vienna

During the winter break of the 2004–05 season, Mila moved to

Austria Vienna Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (), known in English as Austria Vienna, and Austria Wien in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian professional association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the most trophies of any Austr ...

. In his first season with Austria he played 13 times in half a season, during which Austria finished in third place and won the

. The following season, his first full season at the club, he didn't manage to play any more games than the previous season. Despite not being able to claim a consistent starting position, Mila helped Austria win the 2005–06

as well as his second

. The 2006–07 season was a turning point for Vienna as a club, with the team not having the same funds as before and many players leaving at the start of the season and during the winter transfer window. After playing 10 games at the start of the season, Mila was one of those players to leave in January. Austria struggled for the rest of the season, finishing in a disappointing 6th.

Vålerenga & ŁKS Łódź

In January 2007 Mila joined

for the

2007 Tippeligaen The 2007 Tippeligaen was the 63rd completed season of top division football in Norway. The season began on 9 April 2007. Originally scheduled to end on 4 November, the last round was moved to Saturday 3 November 2007, due to Rosenborg’s Champi ...

season. Mila made 14 appearances for Vålerenga over the course of the season, with the team finishing in 7th. In February 2008 Mila moved back to Poland, on loan to

ŁKS Łódź ŁKS Łódź (''Łódzki Klub Sportowy Łódź''; ) is a Polish sports club based in Łódź. They are best known for their football club but are represented in many sports such as basketball, volleyball, boxing, and in the past ice hockey, ...

for the remainder of the 2007–08 season. Mila played 12 of the remaining 15 fixtures of the season in the Ekstraklasa as he helped the team stay above the relegation zone. Sebastian Mila 2014

Śląsk Wrocław

Mila joined newly promoted Ekstraklasa team

. He instantly became a key player for Śląsk, and helped the team to win the

Ekstraklasa Cup The Ekstraklasa Cup () was an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs that played in the Polish Ekstraklasa. The Ekstraklasa Cup was the fourth attempt at introducing a League Cup competition in Poland. The first such tournament was a on ...

in the 2008–09 season, as well as an impressive 6th place in the league. Śląsk Wrocław finished the following season in 9th, with Mila becoming captain for the start of the following season. As captain he led the team finish runners-up in the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season. The 2011–12 season was to be a historic one for Śląsk. After qualifying for 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 ...

, Śląsk managed to reach the qualification playoff before losing the game to

Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...

. In the league Mila played 27 of the 30 games as Śląsk Wrocław won the league, finishing 1 point ahead of second place

Ruch Chorzów Ruch Chorzów () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland, having won fourteen List of Polish football champions, Polish Championship ...

. The

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season was Mila's most successful in terms of individual statistics. While leading the team to a

win, beating

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning a record 15 champions titles, a record 2 ...

, and to a third-place finish in the Ekstraklasa, Mila played 40 games and scored 10 goals in all competitions. The following season saw Śląsk struggle, finishing in the relegation group in the league, and finishing in 9th once the season had finished. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season Mila played every single game before the winter break. After the team's fortunes and financial status declining, the decision was made to sell Mila during the winter transfer window. Over his seasons at Śląsk Wrocław he won three competitions and made 216 and scored 39 goals in all competitions during this time.

Return to Lechia Gdańsk

During much of his time at Śląsk Wrocław, Mila often wore a Lechia Gdańsk sweat band on his right wrist during games. He often expressed his love for the team he started supporting after his early years at the club, and stated that he wanted to play for the club again. This opportunity was given to Mila in January 2015 when he made his return to Lechia after 13 years. Mila instantly became the Lechia captain, and played 16 games in his first half season back with the team. In his first full season he made 29 appearances with 2 goals, with what became his last professional goal coming against

. The following season, 2016–17, he made 8 appearances, and in 2017–18, one appearance. His final professional appearance came for Lechia Gdańsk against

Górnik Zabrze Górnik Zabrze Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Górnik Zabrze S.A. or simply Górnik Zabrze (), is a Polish association football, football club from Zabrze. Górnik is one of the most successful Polish football clubs in history, winning ...

on 5 August 2017, in which he came on as a substitute playing for the final 2 minutes.

International career

A European U18 Championship winner with Poland in 2001, Mila has 38 caps for the full

Poland national football team The Poland national football team () represents Poland in men's international Association football, football competitions since their first match in 1921. It is governed by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body for football ...

. He was selected to the 23-men national team for the

finals in Germany, but did not make an appearance in any of the games. He also participated at the

1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the eighth edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Napier, and Dunedin in New Zealand from 10 to 27 November 1999. Players born after 1 January 1982 could participate in ...

in New Zealand. On 11 October 2014, he scored his first international goal for over six years, finishing off a 2–0 European qualifying win which was Poland's first ever victory 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 ...

, as well as the first win over reigning World Champions in 29 years.

Post-playing career

Following retirement, Mila started working as a football

pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

for

TVP Sport TVP Sport is a Polish sport channel, owned by TVP, launched on 18 November 2006. The channel is available on Platforma Canal+, Polsat Box, as well as over cable providers. Broadcast SD broadcasting via satellite (''Eutelsat Hot Bird'') stoppe ...

and Meczyki. In February 2023, he obtained the UEFA A coaching license. On 20 September 2023, Mila was announced as one of three assistants joining the coaching staff of the Poland national team, following Michał Probierz's appointment as the head coach.

Career statistics

Club

¹ Appearances in

.
² Appearances in

International goals

:''Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first.''

Honours

Austria Wien *

Austrian Football Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

: 2005–06 *

: 2004–05, 2005–06 Śląsk Wrocław *

: 2011–12 *

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

: 2008–09 Poland U18 *

UEFA European Under-18 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

Poland U16 *

UEFA European Under-16 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual Association football, football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain national under-17 football team, ...

third place:

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

Individual * Ekstraklasa

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...

: 2011, 2012 * Ekstraklasa Midfielder of the Season:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mila, Sebastian 1982 births Living people Footballers from Koszalin Men's association football midfielders Polish men's footballers Poland men's youth international footballers Poland men's international footballers Lechia Gdańsk players Wisła Płock players Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski players FK Austria Wien players Vålerenga Fotball players ŁKS Łódź players Śląsk Wrocław players 2006 FIFA World Cup players Ekstraklasa players I liga players Austrian Football Bundesliga players Eliteserien players Polish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Austria Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Polish expatriate sportspeople in Austria Polish expatriate sportspeople in Norway 21st-century Polish sportsmen