| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Krzysztof Damian Nowak | ||
| Date of birth | 27 September 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Warsaw, Poland | ||
| Date of death | 26 May 2005 (aged 29) | ||
| Place of death | Wolfsburg, Germany | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| until 1993 | Opal Lubosz, RKS Ursus Warszawa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1995 | Sokół Pniewy | 54 | (1) |
| 1995 | GKS Tychy | 15 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Panachaiki Patras | 13 | (1) |
| 1996 | Legia Warsaw | 1 | (0) |
| 1996–1998 | Atlético Paranaense | ? | (?) |
| 1998-2002 | VfL Wolfsburg | 83 | (10) |
| National team | |||
| 1997-1999 | Poland | 10 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Krzysztof Nowak (September 27, 1975 – May 26, 2005) was a Polish football (soccer) player, best known for his stint with the VfL Wolfsburg team.
Nowak began playing football in 1985. He slowly rose in prominence and in 1996 moved to Brazil, to play for Atlético Paranaense. He always wanted to play in Europe, so he moved to Germany in 1998 to play for Wolfsburg. Nowak, dubbed "ten of hearts" by his fans, was popular as well as skilled, but was forced to retire from the sport in early 2002 after he learned he had motor neurone disease (MND). Nowak continued to watch the games until shortly before his death.
Nowak was also an important player for the Polish national team, for whom he played 10 games and scored one goal.
In 2004, Nowak began a foundation to help find a cure for MND (he died from this illness). Nowak left behind a wife, Beata, and two young children - a son, Maksymillian, and a daughter, Maria.