Michal Zuk

Michał Żuk (born 2 January 2009) is a Polish-Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Barcelona.

Club career Early career Born in Blanes, Catalonia, Spain, to Polish parents from Zamość, Lublin Voivodeship, Żuk grew up in Girona, starting his career with Aqua Hotel, where he scored 27 goals in 16 games as a midfielder. This caught the eye of Spanish giants Barcelona, and he joined the Catalan club's La Masia academy in 2016. Żuk progressed well through Barcelona's youth ranks, racking up over 400 goals by the time he was eleven. He was seen as one of Barcelona's biggest young prospects. However, only a year later, it was reported by Spanish journalist Albert Rogé that Żuk and his brother had returned to Spain, both joining the academy of Barcelona.

International career Though born in Spain, Żuk is also eligible to represent his parents' native Poland. During a November 2021 visit to the Poland national football team's training, Żuk and his brother, Miłosz, discussed the possibility of representing Poland's youth international teams in the future with president of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza.

In September 2023, he received call-ups to both Spanish and Polish under-15 national teams, and chose to represent his country of birth. He made his debut for La Furia Roja's youth system on 2 October against Iceland.

Style of play Noted for his superior technical ability, especially his ball control and vision, Żuk has been compared to Lionel Messi and Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta.

Personal life Family Żuk's brother, Miłosz, is also a footballer, who played for FC Barcelona as well. In doing so, he became one of the youngest athletes to have signed a deal with the sporting goods manufacturer.