Paweł Żuk (footballer, born 2001)

Paweł Żuk (born 29 January 2001) is a Polish footballer who plays as a right-back or a right midfielder who plays for Polish II liga club Ruch Chorzów.

Not to be confused with Paweł Żuk (footballer, born 1985) who also played for Lechia Gdańsk from 2003–2007.
Paweł Żuk
Personal information
Full name Paweł Żuk
Date of birth (2001-01-29) 29 January 2001
Place of birth Gdańsk, Poland
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Right-back, right midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Ruch Chorzów
Youth career
0000–2015 Oldham Athletic
2015–2019 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Lechia Gdańsk 2 (0)
2019–2020 → Lechia Gdańsk II 16 (1)
2020 Wisła Płock 3 (0)
2022– Ruch Chorzów 0 (0)
National team‡
2015–2016 Poland U15 2 (0)
2017–2018 Poland U17 11 (3)
2019 Poland U18 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 September 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 September 2021

Early life

Żuk was born in Gdańsk, before moving to England with his family at the age of four.[1]

Club career

Early years

He started his early footballing years with Oldham Athletic before moving to Everton at the age of 14 for £400k.[2] When he was 15 he received the award for the best footballer in the academy for the under-15's.[3] In the 2018–19 season Żuk made 32 appearances and scored 2 goals for the under-18's team.[4]

Lechia Gdańsk

In 2019, Żuk moved back to the city of his birth to play for Lechia Gdańsk, signing a three-year contract and being given the number 30 shirt.[5][6] He made his Lechia Gdańsk II debut in the Tricity Derby, with Arka Gdynia winning the game 2–0.[7] In September 2019, Żuk played all 90 minutes as Lechia II beat Stolem Gniewino 11–0.[8] Żuk made his first senior appearance on 7 February 2020 coming on as a substitute against Śląsk Wrocław in a 2–2 draw.[9] In total Żuk made only 2 appearances for Lechia during his first professional season, with the club deciding the player was surplus to requirements at that time and would be allowed to leave suring the simmer.

Wisła Płock

On 21 July 2020, he signed a two-year contract with Wisła Płock for a nominal fee.[10] After starting Wisła's first three games of the season, Żuk found himself dropped to the substitutes bench, before being dropped from the matchday squad altogether. After only 5 months and 4 games with Wisła, he left the club by mutual consent on 11 December 2020.[11]

Radomiak Radom & Ashton United

After 10 months without a club, and more than a year since his last game, Żuk was announced to have joined newly promoted Ekstraklasa team Radomiak Radom on trial, with the possibility of the player joining the reserve squad if the trail were to be successful.[12] After not impressing during his trial, Żuk left Radomiak without being offered a contract.[13] By January 2022 Żuk had returned to England and had started to train with English non-league club Ashton United. While the move saw Żuk training with the first team, there was no contract signed with the club and Żuk did not feature in any matchday squads, with the move most likely having been an agreement between the club and player so that Żuk could focus on his fitness while searching for another club.

Ruch Chorzów

On 26 January 2022, after spending two weeks on trial with Polish II liga side Ruch Chorzów, he signed a half-a-year contract with a one-year extension option with the club.[14]

International career

Żuk made his international debut for Poland U15 against the Republic of Ireland in a 2–1 away win.[15] He made one more appearance for the under-15's, playing twice for the age group in total. Żuk also played for Poland U17, playing 11 times in total and scoring thrice. His first two goals came in the 8–0 win over San Marino.[16] Żuk made his Poland U18 debut in an international friendly tournament held in La Manga, Spain. He played in all three of Poland's games as they finished 3rd in their group.[17]

References
  1. "LECHIA BIERZE POLAKA Z EVERTONU. PAWEŁ ŻUK WRACA DO DOMU". przegladsportowy.pl.
  2. "Paweł Żuk – realizując marzenia". zzapolowy.com.
  3. "Transfery: Paweł Żuk w Lechii Gdańsk!". lechia.net.
  4. "Pawel Zuk". football-wonderkids.co.uk.
  5. "Paweł Żuk podpisał kontrakt z Lechią Gdańsk!". lechia.pl.
  6. "Lotto Ekstraklasa. Lechia Gdańsk szykuje kolejne wzmocnienie. Paweł Żuk bliski podpisania kontraktu". sportowefakty.wp.pl.
  7. "2019/20 IV Liga, Gr. pomorska". lechia.net.
  8. "IV Liga. Lechia II - Stolem Gniewino 11:0". lechia.pl.
  9. "2019/20 Ekstraklasa". lechia.pl.
  10. "Paweł Żuk zawodnikiem Nafciarzy" (in Polish). Wisła Płock. 21 July 2020.
  11. "Paweł Żuk odchodzi z Wisły" (in Polish). Wisła Płock. 11 December 2020.
  12. "Paweł Żuk trenuje z Radomiakiem Radom". weszlo.com.
  13. "Radomiak: junior podpisze kontrakt, Silva trenuje, Żuk wrócił do domu, kilka urazów". weszlo.com.
  14. "Żuk piłkarzem Ruchu" (in Polish). Ruch Chorzów. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  15. "Republic of Ireland 1-2 Poland (Under 15's)". fai.ie.
  16. "eME U-17: Polska 8-0 San Marino". 90minut.pl.
  17. "U-18: Polska 1-0 Słowacja". 90minut.pl.
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