Jakub Blaszczykowski, the former captain of Poland and winger for Borussia Dortmund, announced on Thursday that he has chosen to retire from professional football.
With 109 appearances for his country, he is the second-most capped player in Poland’s history, behind Robert Lewandowski who has 142 caps.
Blaszczykowski made his debut for the national team in March 2006 during a friendly match against Saudi Arabia.
In June, he ended his international football career during a friendly match against Germany, receiving a guard of honor from both teams as he left the field.
“Every road has an end… Thank you so much for the great support I received every step of the way. It was worth playing, sacrificing myself for you,” Blaszczykowski said on Instagram.
He has decided to retire from professional football after his second stint at Wisla Krakow, a second-tier team in Poland. He initially played for them from 2004 to 2007 and won the top division title in 2005 before moving to Dortmund.
During his time at Dortmund from 2007 to 2016, he made almost 200 appearances in the Bundesliga and helped the team secure two league titles, one German Cup, and three Super Cups. They also finished as runners-up in the 2012-13 Champions League. After leaving Dortmund, he spent a year on loan at Fiorentina in Serie A before returning to Germany in August 2016 to join VfL Wolfsburg on a three-year contract.
Wisla Krakow will honor him with a farewell ceremony on August 5th during their first home game of the 2023-24 season.