Łukasz Piszczek

Łukasz Piotr Piszczek (; born 3 June 1985) is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played mainly as a right-back. He is the current manager of KS Goczałkowice-Zdrój.

He began his senior career as a footballer by joining Hertha Berlin in 2004. He played on loan for the Ekstraklasa club Zagłębie Lubin until 2007 when he returned to Hertha and was deployed as a right back. Between 2010–2021, he played for the German club Borussia Dortmund appearing in 363 official matches for the club, winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, three DFB-Pokal Cups, three DFL-Supercups as well as reaching the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. He used to be a Poland national team member, making his debut in 2007 and going on to receive over 60 caps. He was also selected for four tournaments during his time with the national team, playing in three UEFA European Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

He confirmed his retirement from international football in 2018 following the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, in November 2019 he made one more competitive appearance for the national team, informally dubbed his farewell game. In 2021, he decided to return to Goczałkowice-Zdrój, the Polish club where he started his football career as a junior. From 2024 to 2025, he served as an assistant manager of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. In mid-2025, he re-joined Goczałkowice-Zdrój before being appointed manager of GKS Tychy in November that year. He left GKS by mutual consent in March 2026.

Club career LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój Piszczek's father, Kazimierz, the coach of the local football club of Goczałkowice-Zdrój, decided to bring him to one of the training sessions at the age of about 7–8.

Gwarek Zabrze Piszczek began his career as a striker. In 2001, he joined Gwarek Zabrze, coached by Wincent Sosiński, where he broke many goalscoring records at junior level and in 2003 won the Polish youth championship. In the 2012–13 season for Dortmund, Piszczek appeared in 11 out of 12 matches of Dortmund's road to the UEFA Champions League Final in 2013. He also started the final at right-back against Bayern Munich, but Dortmund lost by one goal after Arjen Robben scored an 89th-minute winner for Bayern. On 27 January 2016, Piszczek signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2018. On 6 April 2017, he extended his contract with Dortmund until 30 June 2019. On 13 March 2018, Borussia Dortmund announced that the club had reached an agreement with Piszczek for a contract extension which will keep him at the club until 30 June 2020. Piszczek also announced that he would retire from professional football at the end of his contract, a claim he later clarified saying he's still "not certain". On 20 May 2020, Piszczek pushed back his retirement plans by signing a one-year contract extension with Borussia Dortmund, keeping him at the club until 2021.

Return to Goczałkowice-Zdrój In May 2021, Piszczek announced his return to his hometown club Goczałkowice-Zdrój, where he had established a branch of Borussia Dortmund's academy in 2019. He retired at the end of the 2023–24 season to join Nuri Şahin's coaching staff at Borussia Dortmund as an assistant. In February 2025, following Sahin's sacking, Piszczek returned to LKS. He continued playing for LKS, later renamed to KS, until his appointment as GKS Tychy's manager in November 2025.

International career

Piszczek debuted for the Poland national football team in a friendly match against Estonia on 3 February 2007. On 6 June 2008, he was selected for the final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2008, replacing Jakub Błaszczykowski, who was left out through injury. Piszczek made one appearance at the tournament, coming on a substitute against Germany, but after receiving a training injury, he neither played in the next match nor had further role in the tournament. In September 2011, the suspension was cancelled.

Piszczek was selected for the final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He played in all three group games for Poland. On 22 March 2013, Piszczek scored his first goal for the national team in a 1–3 defeat to Ukraine. Four days later, he scored in a 5–0 win over San Marino.

Piszczek was also selected for the final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016. He made his 50th appearance for the national team in the quarter-final match against Portugal, which Poland lost. Piszczek was selected for the final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, following a disappointing tournament performance with Poland, Piszczek confirmed his retirement from international football.

In November 2019, Piszczek was named to the national team for Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Israel and Slovenia, starting in the latter which was dubbed his farewell game.

Coaching career LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój In March 2023, Piszczek became the player-manager of LKS. He won his first silverware as a manager on 3 April 2024, leading his club to victory in the Tychy Regional Polish Cup.

Assistant at Borussia On 27 June 2024, Piszczek was announced as the new assistant manager of Borussia Dortmund, joining the staff of his former teammate Nuri Şahin. On 22 January 2025, he left the club along with Şahin upon his dismissal.

Second stint at KS Goczałkowice-Zdrój On 29 July 2025, ahead of the 2025–26 III liga season, Piszczek was named KS' player-manager for a second time. He left KS on 12 November, with the club placed 4th in their group after 16 games played.

GKS Tychy On 12 November 2025, Piszczek was appointed manager of I liga club GKS Tychy on a deal running to June 2027, with an option for another year.

Third stint at KS Goczałkowice-Zdrój Following a three month hiatus from coaching, on 29 June 2026, Piszczek was named the manager of KS for the third time, this time serving the role as head manager.

Personal life Piszczek was born in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Bielsko, and raised in Goczałkowice-Zdrój. His father, Kazimierz, who worked as a coach at Goczałkowice-Zdrój, later became the vice-president of that club. His brothers, Marek and Adam were also involved in football.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

+ List of international goals scored by Łukasz Piszczek No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 22 March 2013 Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland 1–2 1–3 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 26 March 2013 Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland 2–0 5–0 3 26 March 2017 Stadion pod Goricom, Podgorica, Montenegro 2–1 2–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial statistics

+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecord Goczałkowice-Zdrój (player-manager)4 March 202327 June 2024 Goczałkowice-Zdrój (player-manager)29 July 202512 November 2025

Honours Player Zagłębie Lubin Ekstraklasa: 2006–07

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12 DFB-Pokal: 2012, 2017, 2021 DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014, 2019 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2013

LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój II Polish Cup (Silesia regionals): 2024–25

Individual Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17 Polish Football Association National Team of the Century: 1919–2019

Manager LKS Goczałkowice-Zdrój Polish Cup (Tychy regionals): 2023–24