_44.jpg) Milik withMarseille in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arkadiusz Krystian Milik[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-02-28)28 February 1994 (age 31)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tychy, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Juventus | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2010 | Rozwój Katowice | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Rozwój Katowice | 10 | (4) |
| 2011–2013 | Górnik Zabrze | 38 | (11) |
| 2013–2015 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | →FC Augsburg (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | →Ajax (loan) | 21 | (11) |
| 2015–2016 | Ajax | 31 | (21) |
| 2016–2022 | Napoli | 93 | (38) |
| 2021–2022 | →Marseille (loan) | 38 | (16) |
| 2022–2023 | Marseille | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | →Juventus (loan) | 27 | (7) |
| 2023– | Juventus | 32 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Poland U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Poland U19 | 11 | (3) |
| 2012–2014 | Poland U21 | 15 | (3) |
| 2012– | Poland | 73 | (17) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:47, 25 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 June 2024 | |||
Arkadiusz Krystian Milik (pronounced[arˈkadjuʂˈmilik]ⓘ; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forSerie A clubJuventus and thePoland national team.[2]
Milik began his career as a footballer in theRozwój Katowice youth squad. In 2011, he signed a one-year contract withGórnik Zabrze, and in 2012 he transferred toBayer Leverkusen and later played on loan forFC Augsburg andAjax respectively. In2015–16, he was purchased by Ajax on a four-year deal for a reported€2.8 million fee. While playing for Ajax, Milik became one of the top goalscorers inEredivisie. On 1 August 2016, he joined Italian clubNapoli for €35 million, effectively replacingGonzalo Higuaín. On 21 January 2021, he joined French clubMarseille on loan from Napoli.
At international level, Milik participated atUEFA Euro 2016 with Poland and reached the quarter-final stage of the tournament. He also took part at the2018 FIFA World Cup, where his team was eliminated in the group stage, and the2022 World Cup, where his team advanced to the round of 16.
Sławomir "Moki" Mogilan, a football coach, recognized Milik's footballing talent and helped develop his abilities, fostering a greater professionalism in his outlook. When he was 16 years old, reports of the talented youngster had reached England and he was invited to trial withTottenham Hotspur andReading, but ultimately decided to focus on his football in Poland.[3]
Milik began his career as a youth player forRozwój Katowice and played in the reserve team during the 2009–10 season.[4] On 23 October 2010, the 16-year-old made hisIII liga debut when he scored two goals in a 4–0 victory over KS Krasiejów.[5] In November, he went on trial atGórnik Zabrze, where he scored one goal in two appearances for the club'sMłoda Ekstraklasa team.[6] In winter, he and his teammate Wojciech Król were on trial with Reading, Tottenham Hotspur andLegia Warszawa.[7][8] Milik ended the season with ten appearances and four goals for Rozwój Katowice.[6]
Despite offers from other clubs, on 1 July 2011 Milik signed a one-year contract with Górnik Zabrze for a fee of 500,000zlotys.[9][10] Milik made hisEkstraklasa debut on 31 July in a 1–1 draw withŚląsk Wrocław;[11] in the 53rd minute, he wassubstituted byDaniel Gołębiewski.[12]
On 17 December 2012,Bundesliga sideBayer Leverkusen confirmed they had signed Milik on a contract until summer 2018,[13] for a reported transfer fee of €2.6 million.[14] Milik failed to impress at Leverkusen though, making only 6 appearances before being demoted to the Leverkusen reserve team.
On 30 August 2013,FC Augsburg signed Milik on a one-year loan deal.[15] The loan fee was reported to be €150,000, and composed of a base amount that decreased the more games Milik played for Augsburg and increased if Augsburg maintained its Bundesliga status.[16] During his spell in Augsburg, he was capped in 18 matches, but he only scored 2 goals. However, he scored an equalizer in the 88th minute in a 2–2 home draw againstBorussia Mönchengladbach, helping Augsburg earn a vital point.[17]
On 15 May 2014, it was announced that Milik would spend the2014–15 season on loan at reigning Dutch championsAjax, with a purchase option of €2.8 million.[18]
On 24 September 2014, Milik played in the first officialAmsterdam derby to be contested since 1983 when Ajax took onJOS Watergraafsmeer in theKNVB Cup. Milik earned the man of the match award after scoring six out of the club's nine goals and assisting a further two in theOlympic Stadium.[19] On 10 December 2014, he scored his firstChampions League goal in a 4–0 victory overAPOEL.[20] On 1 April 2015, Ajax reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to purchase Milik outright on a four-year deal for a reported €2.8 million fee.[21]
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On 26 June 2015, Ajax announced Milik would replace departing strikerKolbeinn Sigþórsson as the club's number 9 for the2015–16 season, switching from kit number 19. Milik scored his first goal that season in aUEFA Champions League qualifier againstRapid Wien, making the scoreline 1–2. The game was eventually lost 2–3 and the two-legged tie 4–5 on aggregate to Rapid, relegating Ajax to theUEFA Europa League play-off against Czech sideJablonec.
Milik scored his first goal of the2015–16 Eredivisie season againstWillem II after newly appointed captainDavy Klaassen provided him with a cross, which Milik headed-in. Ajax went on to win the game 3–0 after a brace fromAnwar El Ghazi. In the first leg of the Europa League play-off qualifier against Jablonec, Milik scored a penalty after Klaassen was fouled in the box; the goal was the winner in a 1–0 match. During the beginning of the season, Milik also scored goals against Willem II,NEC andExcelsior. Nearly a month later, on 31 October, he began a scoring streak again, this time scoring two againstRoda JC in a 6–0 rout. Milik also scored league goals againstCambuur on 11 November andHeerenveen on 5 December, the latter in which he also missed a penalty. On 26 November, Milik scored the 1–1 equalizer againstCeltic in theEuropa League group stage, where Ajax went on to win 2–1 away inGlasgow. On 20 December, Ajax's final match before the winter break, he also scored the opening goal againstDe Graafschap in an eventual 2–1 home victory at theAmsterdam Arena.
After the winter break, Milik was out of form and got a lot of criticism, having gone scoreless in Ajax's first three Eredivisie matches. He broke his poor run of form by scoring against Roda JC on 31 January 2016 in a 2–2 away draw. On 21 February, against Excelsior, he then scored a brace, while in Ajax's next home game, on 28 February, he scored another two goals againstAZ. One week later, on 6 March, Milik scored against Willem II in an eventual 0–4 away win inTilburg.
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Milik signed withNapoli on 1 August 2016;[22] his €35 million transfer was officially confirmed by the club the following afternoon.[23] He made his club debut on 27 August, scoring his first two goals for Napoli in a 4–2 home win overMilan inSerie A.[24] He scored braces again againstDynamo Kyiv andBologna in September,[25] but on 8 October, Milik tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Polish international fixture against Denmark and was expected to be out for the rest of the season.[26] However, as of 12 February 2017, he resumed playing and was fielded again on 15 February in theChampions League match againstReal Madrid.[25]
In September, Milik suffered his second anterior cruciate ligament injury in under 12 months – in his other knee, on this occasion – and was expected to be ruled out for at least four months; in January 2018, he underwent medical tests and was cleared to resume training.[27][28][29][30]
In the2020 Coppa Italia final on 17 June, following a 0–0 draw after regulation time, Milik scored the winning spot kick in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory againstJuventus.[31]
In the 2020–21 season, after having decided not to extend his contract and at the same time rejected a number of transfer options, Milik was excluded from the official Serie A and UEFA Europa League squads.[32]
On 21 January 2021, Milik joinedLigue 1 clubOlympique de Marseille on an 18-month loan deal with an obligation to buy.[33] He made his debut in a 3–1 loss againstMonaco on 23 January.[34] On 17 October 2021, he scored his 10th goal for Marseille in his 17th appearance in a 4–1 win againstLorient becoming the most efficient goalscorer for the club sinceSonny Anderson in the1993–94 season.[35] On 19 December 2021, he scored a hat-trick againstCannet Rocheville in a 4–1 Marseille win, helping his club advance to the round of 16 in theCoupe de France.[36][37] On 31 January, he scored another goal for the club in a 1:1 draw againstMontpellier HSC helping Marseille to advance to the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France after a penalty shootout (5:4).[38] On 4 February, he scored a hat-trick in a 5:2 victory againstAngers SCO.[39][40] On 17 February, he scored two goals for Marseille in aEuropa Conference League match againstQarabağ FK.[41] By achieving this, he became the second Marseille player in the 21st century to score at least six goals inUEFA competitions afterDidier Drogba who scored 11 goals during the2003–04 UEFA Cup.[42]
On 26 August 2022,Juventus announced the signing of Milik on loan fromMarseille for the2022–23 season.[43] He became the third Polish footballer to play for the club, afterZbigniew Boniek andWojciech Szczęsny.[44] On 31 August, he scored his first goal for Juventus in a 2–0 victory overSpezia.[45]
On 21 June 2023, Juventus signed Milik from Marseille on permanent basis.[46] On 11 January 2024, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory overFrosinone helping Juventus advance to its fifth consecutiveCoppa Italia semifinal.[47] On 23 April 2024, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 loss (2–3 agg.) overLazio securing his side the spot in the Coppa Italia final.[48] He missed the entire 2024–25 season after undergoing meniscus surgery in June 2024.[49]
On 13 April 2011, Milik scored a goal forPoland under-17 side in a 4–1 victory overEngland Schools U18. On 15 July 2011, he was called up to theunder-19 team.[50]
On 12 October 2012, Milik debuted for thePolish senior team againstSouth Africa.[51] On 14 December, he scored his first goal for the national side in the 4–1 friendly victory overMacedonia.[52]
Milik scored nine times forPoland under-21s duringqualification for the2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, including back-to-back hat-tricks againstMalta andGreece in November 2013.[53]
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On 11 October 2014, Milik scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win over world championsGermany in a2016 UEFA Euro qualifying match. This was Poland's first win over Germany, who had not lost in 19 competitive games and 33 previous qualifiers.[54] Milik formed a successful strike partnership withRobert Lewandowski during qualification for the European Championships, with additional goals coming in a 2–2 draw withScotland, a 4–0 win away toGeorgia and another 4–0 defeat of the same opposition at theNational Stadium inWarsaw.[55]
In Euro 2016, Milik scored for Poland in their opening game, beatingNorthern Ireland 1–0.[56] He also netted his attempt in his nation's penalty shootout exit to eventual championsPortugal in the quarterfinals.[57]
Milik appeared in the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[58] His nation was defeated 2–1 in their opening match againstSenegal, and then lost 3–0 in their second group match againstColombia. Poland managed a 1–0 win overJapan in their final group match but were eliminated in the first round.[59]
After missingUEFA Euro 2020 due to an injury,[60] Milik was selected for Poland's next international tournament appearance, the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[61] He appeared in three out of four games, as Poland were knocked out in the round of 16 by France.[62]
On 29 May 2024, Milik was named in the preliminary squad forUEFA Euro 2024, played in Germany.[63] 80 seconds into Poland's first preparation game after the call-ups, a friendly againstUkraine on 7 June, he suffered a knee injury when challenging for a ball, which ruled him out of the tournament.[64]
Usually deployed as an out-and-out striker, Milik is a versatile and well-rounded left-footedforward who is also capable of playing off another forward as asecond striker or as awinger, due to his ability to both score and create goals. He possesses pace and good movement off the ball, as well as a powerful and accurate shot, which make him an excellent finisher and goalscorer; he is also physically strong, agile, and a good header of the ball, which allows him to excel in the air.[65][66][67] His playing style has been compared to that of his compatriotRobert Lewandowski in the Polish sports media.[68] Regarded as a promising young striker in his youth, in 2012,Don Balón named him one of the 101 most promising young players in the world born after 1991.[69]
In 2013, Milik began dating Polish model Jessica Ziółek. They had been in the relationship for nearly eight years before calling off theirengagement in late 2020. Milik has since started a relationship with Agata Sieramska.[70]
Milik features on the cover of the Polish version ofFIFA 16 alongside global cover starLionel Messi.[71]
Growing up, Milik supportedManchester United. In 2012, he was quoted as saying that he "dreams of playing for Manchester United" but insists he's "far from it".[72]
Milik's childhood football hero isCristiano Ronaldo; in an interview during Euro 2016, he said he followed Ronaldo closely and had been inspired by the Portuguese striker.[73]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rozwój Katowice | 2010–11 | III liga | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 4 | ||
| Górnik Zabrze | 2011–12 | Ekstraklasa | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ekstraklasa | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 8 | |||
| Total | 38 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 12 | ||||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| FC Augsburg (loan) | 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Ajax (loan) | 2014–15 | Eredivisie | 21 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 1[c] | 0 | 34 | 23 |
| Ajax | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 31 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | — | 42 | 24 | |
| Napoli | 2016–17 | Serie A | 17 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4[d] | 3 | — | 23 | 8 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | — | 17 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 35 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 10[e] | 2 | — | 47 | 20 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 26 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 5[d] | 3 | — | 35 | 14 | ||
| Total | 93 | 38 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 9 | — | 122 | 48 | |||
| Marseille (loan) | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 10 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 10[f] | 8 | — | 37 | 20 | ||
| Total | 38 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | — | 53 | 30 | |||
| Marseille | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Juventus (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 27 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 9[g] | 2 | — | 39 | 9 | |
| Juventus | 2023–24 | Serie A | 32 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 36 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 302 | 108 | 29 | 20 | 60 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 392 | 154 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 2012 | 4 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 73 | 17 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 December 2012 | Mardan Sports Complex,Aksu, Turkey | 4 |  Macedonia | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 June 2014 | Stadion Energa,Gdańsk, Poland | 9 |  Lithuania | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 October 2014 | National Stadium,Warsaw, Poland | 11 |  Germany | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 4 | 14 October 2014 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 12 |  Scotland | 2–2 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 5 | 14 November 2014 | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena,Tbilisi, Georgia | 13 |  Georgia | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 6 | 18 November 2014 | Stadion Miejski,Wrocław, Poland | 14 |  Switzerland | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 7 | 13 June 2015 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 16 | Georgia | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 8 | 7 September 2015 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 19 |  Gibraltar | 5–0 | 8–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 9 | 7–0 | ||||||
| 10 | 17 November 2015 | Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland | 22 |  Czech Republic | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 12 June 2016 | Stade de Nice,Nice, France | 27 |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| 12 | 4 September 2017 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 36 |  Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 20 November 2018 | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques,Guimarães, Portugal | 45 |  Portugal | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 14 | 13 October 2019 | National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 49 | North Macedonia | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 15 | 7 October 2020 | Stadion Energa, Gdańsk, Poland | 52 |  Finland | 5–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 16 | 12 November 2021 | Estadi Nacional,Andorra La Vella, Andorra | 60 |  Andorra | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 20 June 2023 | Zimbru Stadium,Chișinău, Moldova | 69 |  Moldova | 1–0 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualification |
Napoli
Juventus
Individual
Niedługo potem kibice zgotowali owację wchodzącemu na boisko (za Mierzejewskiego) 18-letniemu debiutantowi z Górnika Zabrze Arkadiuszowi Milikowi. Wcześniej debiut w kadrze zaliczył również polonista Paweł Wszołek, który został zmieniony w przerwie.[Shortly afterwards, the fans gave an ovation to the 18-year-old debutant from Górnik Zabrze, Arkadiusz Milik, who entered the pitch for Mierzejewski.]
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