Artur Wichniarek

Artur Wichniarek

Personal information
Date of birth	28 February 1977 (1977-02-28) (age 32)
Place of birth	Poznań, Poland
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Hertha BSC
Number	18
Youth career
	SKS 13 Poznań
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–1998	Lech Poznań	66	(4)
1996	→ Aluminium Konin (loan)
1998–1999	Widzew Łódź	38	(26)
1999–2003	Arminia Bielefeld	101	(50)
2003–2006	Hertha BSC	44	(4)
2006–2009	Arminia Bielefeld	111	(33)
2009–	Hertha BSC	12	(0)
National team‡
1999–2008	Poland	18	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 January 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 September 2009

Artur Wichniarek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈartur vixˈɲarɛk], born 28 February 1977) is a Polish footballer who currently plays for Hertha BSC in the German Bundesliga.

Career

Early career in Poland

Wichniarek started his professional career at Lech Poznań in 1992–93 season. The following season he made his Ekstraklasa debut, however, he was not able to secure a place in the starting eleven. In the spring of 1996 was loaned to Polish Second League club Aluminium Konin. Upon his return to his home club he managed to win the manager's confidence and in the following 1996–97 season he played 30 times, albeit scoring only four goals. In 1998, Wichniarek joined Widzew Łódź, where he played until 1999, appearing 57 times and scoring 28 goals altogether, most of them in the 1998–99 season.^[2]

Arminia Bielefeld

His talent drew the attention of Arminia Bielefeld directors, who brought him to Bielefeld, where he impressed the fans, becoming the club's leading player and best striker. In 2001–02 season he won the title of 2. Bundesliga top scorer, which earned him the nickname King Arthur.^[3]

Hertha BSC

Hertha BSC took notice and in 2003 he moved to Olympiastadion, however, he usually appeared only as a sub. After two seasons in Berlin, in the beginning of 2006, with 44 appearances and four goals on his sheet, he moved back to Arminia Bielefeld.^[4]

Return to Bielefeld

He became one of Arminia's dominant players, scoring 33 goals in three seasons. Wichniarek was named the Bundesliga's Footballer of the Month in August 2008.^[5]

Second stint at Hertha

On 3 July 2009, Wichniarek left the newly relegated Arminia Bielefeld and turned back to sign a two year contract with his former club Hertha BSC.^[6]

International career

Wichniarek made his first appearance for the Polish national team on 3 March 1999. The fixture was against Armenia where the Poles won 1-0. Wichniarek was not among the manager's favorites and his occasional appearances were usually limited to friendlies. His first international goal was at the expense of the Czech Republic national team on 28 April 1999. Altogether, he appeared in 16 international matches and four of his shots found their way into the opponents' net. His last significant cap was against Estonia in Tallinn, where he scored one of the two goals for the winners.^[7]

References