Grzegorz Krychowiak

Grzegorz Krychowiak (born 29 January 1990) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Abha.

During the France U16 and Poland U16 in Strasbourg, Krychowiak's performance attracted interests by Philippe Goubet, leading him to join Bordeaux in 2006.

He then progressed through the ranks of the club's youth system and signed his first professional contract with them.

Krychowiak earned 100 caps for Poland national team between his international debut in 2008 to 2023, and represented the nation at two UEFA European Championships (2016 and 2020) and two FIFA World Cups (2018 and 2022).

Although initially not a big fan of football, Krychowiak became involved in the sport at his brother's insistence and left home at the age of 12 to join a sports academy.

He then joined the academies of various clubs, including Orzeł Mrzeżyno, Żaki 94 Kołobrzeg, Stal Szczecin, and Arka Gdynia.

Having previously rejected a return to Poland, joining Arka Gdynia, it was announced on 26 November 2009 that Krychowiak joined Championnat National club Stade de Reims on loan until the end of the season.

He then made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against Beauvais Oise on 27 November 2009.

Krychowiak quickly became a regular in the starting eleven and scored two goals to help the club win promotion to Ligue 2.

At the end of the 2009–10 season, he went on to make 19 appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

Reims and Bordeaux agreed to extend Krychowiak's loan for another season.

After scoring in the penalty shootout in a victory against Troyes in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue, he then scored his first goal of the season in a 2–2 draw against Le Mans.

Two weeks later against Angers on 5 November 2010, he was sent off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 win.

Krychowiak later faced suspension on two occasions later in the 2010–11 season.

Despite this, Krychowiak was a regular starter as the club finished 10th in its return to Ligue 2 and was voted by fans as the team's player of the season.

Although Krychowiak usually plays as a defensive midfielder, on rare occasions he has also appeared in central defense.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Krychowiak made 40 appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

Following this, Krychowiak returned to Bordeaux for the 2011–12 season.

However, Krychowiak's return to Bordeaux in the first half of the 2011–12 season restricted him to two appearances.

On 17 November 2011, he joined Nantes on loan until the end of the season.

Krychowiak made his debut for the club as a starter in a 3–0 win against AS Monaco on 25 November 2011.

Since joining Nantes, he continued to be a first team regular, playing in the defensive midfield position.

At one point, Krychowiak played the centre-back position.

Despite being suspended on three occasions later in the 2011–12 season, he went on to make 21 appearances in all competitions.

In June 2012, Krychowiak signed a three-year contract with Stade de Reims who were newly promoted to Ligue 1.

The move reportedly cost €800,000.

Krychowiak made his third debut for the club as a starter in a 1–0 loss against Marseille in the opening game of the season.

Since joining Stade Reims on a permanent basis, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the defensive midfield position.

His performance against AS Nancy on 20 September 2012 drew comparison to Zlatan Ibrahimović after he set up one of the club's two goals in the game, with a 2–0 win.

Despite missing three matches throughout the 2012–13 season, Krychowiak went on to make 36 appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

On 26 January 2013, Krychowiak scored his first goal for Reims in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse.

He later scored three more goals, all of which were winning goals against Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Lorient.

Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Krychowiak was linked a move away from Stade de Reims but ended up staying at the club throughout the summer.

In the opening game of the 2013–14 season, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Stade Rennais.

Since the start of the 2013–14 season, Krychowiak continued to establish himself in the first team, playing the defensive midfield position.

He made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0–0 draw against FC Nantes on 31 August 2013, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute.

In a match against Marseille on 26 October 2013, he set up the winning goal for the club as they won 3–2.

This was followed up by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 4–2 win against Bastia.

He later scored two more goals later in the 2013–14 season.

Beginning his senior career in France with Bordeaux, Krychowiak later played for Reims, before joining Sevilla for €3.5 million in 2014, winning the UEFA Europa League in both of his two seasons at the club.