Łukasz Fabiański

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Łukasz Fabiański
Image:Łukasz Fabiański Arsenal v. Everton 1.png
Personal information
Full name Łukasz Fabiański
Date of birth April 18, 1985 (1985-04-18) (age 23)
Place of birth    Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Number 21
Youth clubs
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
Polonia Słubice
MSP Szamotuły
Lubuszanin Drezdenko
Sparta Brodnica
Mieszko Gniezno
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2004-2005
2005-2007
2007-
Lech Poznań
Legia Warszawa
Arsenal
00 (0)
53 (0)
03 (0)   
National team2

2006–
Poland U21
Poland

07 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 11 May 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 20 December 2007 17:31.
* Appearances (Goals)

Łukasz Fabiański (pron. IPA[ˈwukaʂ faˈbʲaɲski]; born April 18, 1985 in Kostrzyn nad Odrą) is a Polish football goalkeeper, who currently plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and the Poland national team.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Beginning his career with the club Polonia Słubice, Fabiański joined the noted independent football academy MSP Szamotuły when he was 14 years old, where he honed his footballing skills.[1] He then played for three clubs: Lubuszanin Drezdenko, Sparta Brodnica and Mieszko Gniezno, after which he was signed in the 2004-05 season by Lech Poznań.

[edit] Legia Warszawa

In the winter of 2005, Fabiański was signed by Legia Warszawa, where he competed with Artur Boruc for a place on the team. After Boruc was sold to Celtic, Fabiański took over as starting goalkeeper in the July 24, 2005 game against Arka Gdynia, which ended 0-0. He helped Legia win the Polish league championship in the following 2005-06 season.

In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, his performances led to him being awarded the Football Oscar for the best goalkeeper in the Polish Ekstraklasa. [1]

[edit] Arsenal

On 8 May 2007, Fabiański underwent medical tests in London after Arsenal agreed an undisclosed fee with Legia Warszawa.[2], with the move confirmed on 11 May 2007 by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.[3] Fabiański formally signed for Arsenal on 26 May 2007, with a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.[4]

He made his debut for Arsenal on 14 July 2007 in a pre-season friendly against Barnet, replacing Manuel Almunia at half-time. The match ended 2-0 to Arsenal.

He was subsequently made Arsenal's first-choice keeper for their 2007-08 Carling Cup campaign and appeared in all of the club's five matches in the competition. He made his competitive Arsenal debut on 25 September 2007 against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup third round, Arsenal's first match in the competition, keeping a clean sheet as Arsenal won the match 2-0. He kept another clean sheet in the fourth round, a 3-0 away victory at Sheffield United on 31 October 2007, where he also captained the team in only his second competitive match for Arsenal. He also produced several good saves as Arsenal knocked out Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals, winning 3-2 in extra time. However, Arsenal were then knocked out of the competition by their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur after losing 5-1 in the second leg of the semi-finals at White Hart Lane.

Fabiański made his Premier League debut on 28 April 2008 in an away match against Derby County and despite conceding two goals, Arsenal won 6-2 and Wenger praised his performance. He kept his place for the following home match against Everton on 4 May 2008, where he was replaced by Jens Lehmann in the 70th minute as the German was given his farewell in front of the home supporters, as well as the final match of the season away at Sunderland on 11 May 2008. Arsene Wenger has stated that he will be Arsenal's second choice Goalkeeper for next season, behind Manuel Almunia.

[edit] Arsenal career statistics

(correct as of 4 May 2008)
Club Season League FA Cup Carling Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Arsenal 2007-08 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0

[edit] International career

Having represented Poland regularly at under-21 level, Fabiański's performances for Legia Warszawa saw him soon making his debut for the senior international team in a friendly against Saudi Arabia on March 29, 2006.[4] He was also reserve goalkeeper for the squad in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, held in Germany. During the qualifying campaign for the UEFA Euro 2008, he made one appearance, playing all 90 minutes in Poland's 2-2 away draw against Serbia on 21 November 2007.[5]

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Fabiański, Łukasz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fabiański, Łukasz
SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 1985-04-18
PLACE OF BIRTH Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH