Łukasz Fabiański
 Fabiański with Poland in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Łukasz Fabiański | ||
| Date of birth | 18 April 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Polonia Słubice | ||
| 2000–2001 | MSP Szamotuły | ||
| 2001–2002 | Lubuszanin Drezdenko | ||
| 2002–2003 | Sparta Brodnica | ||
| 2003–2004 | Mieszko Gniezno | ||
| 2004–2005 | Lech Poznań | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2007 | Legia Warsaw | 65 | (0) |
| 2007– | Arsenal | 32 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006– | Poland | 21 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:55, 11 May 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:50, 22 June 2012 (UTC) | |||
Łukasz Fabiański (Polish pronunciation: [ˈwukaʂ faˈbʲaɲskʲi]; born 18 April 1985) is a Polish footballer who plays for English Premier League side Arsenal and the Polish national team as a goalkeeper. Fabiański has represented his country on 21 occasions.
Contents
[hide]Club career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Born in Kostrzyn nad Odrą, after starting his career with Polonia Słubice, Fabiański joined the noted independent football academy MSP Szamotuły when he was 14 years old, where he honed his footballing skills.[2] Fabiański then was signed in the 2004–05 season by Lech Poznań.
Legia Warszawa[edit]
In the winter of 2005, Fabiański was signed by Legia Warszawa, where he competed with Artur Boruc for a place in the team. After Boruc was sold to Celtic, Fabiański took over as starting goalkeeper in the 24 July 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.[2]
Arsenal[edit]
On 8 May 2007, Fabiański underwent medical tests in London after Arsenal agreed a fee with Legia Warszawa worth about £2.1 million.[3] with the move confirmed on 11 May 2007 by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.[4] Fabiański formally signed for Arsenal on 26 May 2007 with a long-term contract.[5] He made his debut for Arsenal in the League Cup against Sheffield United and was captain for the game. Arsenal won the match 3–0, with two goals from Eduardo and another from Denilson.
In his early Arsenal career, two of his most notable appearances came in the 5–1 defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2007–08 League Cup semi-final and the first leg of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League second round match with FC Porto. Fabiański received criticism for conceding soft goals in the Porto match as he scored an own goal and was blamed for the second goal after picking up a backpass from Sol Campbell and Porto scored from the resulting free kick.[6] In January 2010, Arsène Wenger stated that Łukasz Fabiański could become one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.[7]
Fabiański played the last four games for Arsenal in the 2009–10 season as number 1 goalkeeper Manuel Almunia suffered a wrist injury. He was criticised for conceding soft goals in the defeats to Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, but kept clean sheets in the games at home to Manchester City and Fulham.[8]
2010–11 season[edit]
Fabiański started the 2010–11 season as the second choice goalkeeper. On 21 September 2010, he made his first start of the season in aFootball League Cup match against neighbours Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane which Arsenal won 4–1 after extra time. Fabiański almost cost the game for Arsenal, he failed to stop Robbie Keane's long range effort, despite getting a hand to the shot. After the game, he revealed that he was disappointed. He had a solid game in his second match of the season replacing the injured Manuel Almunia one week later in aChampions League 3–1 away win against FK Partizan. He saved Cléo's second penalty of the game in the second half to deny FK Partizan a lifeline. He later turned Ivica Iliev's effort around the post from point-blank range just before the final whistle. Arsène Wenger later commented that Fabiański had a "faultless" game and they finally saw the player who they usually see in training. He kept his first clean sheet in a win overManchester City where he made many saves in a game that ended 3–0. He was later named man of the match, on an Arsenal.com poll, after a brilliant display to keep Arsenal in the game.[9] After the City game, Wenger admitted that he could well become the club's number one goalkeeper, after impressive displays in the games since the Partizan match.[10]
On 7 November 2010, Fabiański was widely criticised for an error that lead to the only goal as Arsenal lost at home to Newcastle United. This led to supporters and fans of rival clubs giving him the nickname 'Flappy Handski' because he could not keep hold of the ball.[11][12] However, he produced a strong display to keep a clean sheet in the next Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which he managed to prevent a draw with a last-minute save, and then initiating a counter-attack with a long throw of the ball that lead to another Arsenal goal.[13]After the Wolverhampton match, Arsenal played Everton, where Fabiański received the man of the match award from Sky Sports.[14]
Fabiański was injured for Arsenal's crucial match with Manchester United but returned for the equally important match with London rivalsChelsea, making many crucial saves in helping Arsenal to win 3–1.[15] On 5 January 2011, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury as he was warming up with the help ofWojciech Szczęsny which ruled him out for the rest of the 2010–11 season.[16] During this period, Szczęsny established himself as Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper ahead of his Polish compatriot.
2011–12 season[edit]
Fabiański spent the 2011–12 season as backup to Wojciech Szczęsny, making his first appearance against Shrewsbury in the Football League Cup.
On 6 December 2011, he was selected to start in Arsenal's Champions League group stage match against Olympiacos but was substituted after 25 minutes with a knee injury. [17]
2012–13 season[edit]
Injuries limited Fabiański's appearances during the 2012–13 season where he made only five Premier League appearances as back-up to Wojciech Szczęsny. In March 2013, after Szczęsny was dropped, Fabiański started in goal in the second-leg of Arsenal's Champions Leaguetie against Bayern Munich. He kept a clean sheet as Arsenal won 2–0 and retained his place in the team to make his first Premier League start of the season away against Swansea City on 16 March 2013, again keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win. Fabiański started in Arsenal's next three league games against Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City. However, an injury sustained in the match against Norwich by Fabiański allowed Szczęsny to return to the starting line-up an reclaim his position as first choice goalkeeper.
2013–14 season[edit]
During the 2013–14 season, Fabiański has been used as Arsenal's starting goalkeeper in FA Cup and Football League Cup matches, with Wojciech Szczęsny remaining first choice in Premier League and Champions League matches.
On 19 February 2014, Fabiański came on as a substitute in the 37th minute of a 2–0 Champions League home defeat against Bayern Munich, after Szczęsny was sent off for a foul on Arjen Robben. With Szczęsny suspended, Fabiański was in the starting line-up for the second leg and saved a late penalty from Bayern's Thomas Müller.
On 12 April, he saved penalties from Gary Caldwell and Jack Collison in an FA Cup semi-final shootout victory over Wigan Athletic.[18]
On 17 May, Fabiański started for Arsenal in the 2014 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Hull City 3–2 at Wembley Stadium.[19]
International career[edit]
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 29 March 2006.[5]
He was included in Poland's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, serving as back-up to Artur Boruc and Tomasz Kuszczak. 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.[20] In September 2008, Fabiański replaced the suspended Boruc for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Slovenia. He also played in another qualifying match against San Marino in April 2009.
Career statistics[edit]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2014) |
- As of 17 May 2014.[citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | C.S. | G.C. | Apps | C.S. | G.C. | Apps | C.S. | G.C. | Apps | C.S. | G.C. | Apps | C.S. | G.C. | ||
| Arsenal | 2007–08 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| 2008–09 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 16 | |
| 2009–10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 16 | |
| 2010–11 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 16 | |
| 2011–12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2012–13 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2013–14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 11 | |
| Total | 32 | 11 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 78 | 23 | 81 | |
Apps – Appearances; G.C. – Goals conceded; C.S. – Clean sheets.
Honours[edit]
- Legia Warszawa
- Ekstraklasa: 2005–06
- Arsenal
Individual[edit]
- Polish Soccer Oscar:
- Best Goalkeeper of Polish Ekstraklasa: 2006, 2007
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