Arkadiusz Milik

Sławomir "Moki" Mogilan, a football coach, recognized Milik's footballing talent and helped develop his abilities, fostering a greater professionalism in his outlook. When he was 16 years old, reports of the talented youngster had reached England and he was invited to trial with Tottenham Hotspur and Reading, but ultimately decided to focus on his football in Poland. ==Club career==

Rozwój Katowice Milik began his career as a youth player for Rozwój Katowice and played in the reserve team during the 2009–10 season. Milik failed to impress at Leverkusen though, making only 6 appearances before being demoted to the Leverkusen reserve team. Loan to FC Augsburg On 30 August 2013, FC Augsburg signed Milik on a one-year loan deal. The loan fee was reported to be €150,000, and composed of a base amount that decreased the more games Milik played for Augsburg and increased if Augsburg maintained its Bundesliga status. During his spell in Augsburg, he was capped in 18 matches, but he only scored 2 goals. However, he scored an equalizer in the 88th minute in a 2–2 home draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, helping Augsburg earn a vital point. Ajax On 15 May 2014, it was announced that Milik would spend the 2014–15 season on loan at reigning Dutch champions Ajax, with a purchase option of €2.8 million. 2014–15 season On 24 September 2014, Milik played in the first official Amsterdam derby to be contested since 1983 when Ajax took on JOS Watergraafsmeer in the KNVB Cup. Milik earned the man of the match award after scoring six out of the club's nine goals and assisting a further two in the Olympic Stadium. On 10 December 2014, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–0 victory over APOEL. On 1 April 2015, Ajax reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to purchase Milik outright on a four-year deal for a reported €2.8 million fee. 2015–16 season On 26 June 2015, Ajax announced Milik would replace departing striker Kolbeinn Sigþórsson as the club's number 9 for the 2015–16 season, switching from kit number 19. Milik scored his first goal that season in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Rapid Wien, making the scoreline 1–2. The game was eventually lost 2–3 and the two-legged tie 4–5 on aggregate to Rapid, relegating Ajax to the UEFA Europa League play-off against Czech side Jablonec. Milik scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Eredivisie season against Willem II after newly appointed captain Davy Klaassen provided him with a cross, which Milik headed-in. Ajax went on to win the game 3–0 after a brace from Anwar El Ghazi. In the first leg of the Europa League play-off qualifier against Jablonec, Milik scored a penalty after Klaassen was fouled in the box; the goal was the winner in a 1–0 match. During the beginning of the season, Milik also scored goals against Willem II, NEC and Excelsior. Nearly a month later, on 31 October, he began a scoring streak again, this time scoring two against Roda JC in a 6–0 rout. Milik also scored league goals against Cambuur on 11 November and Heerenveen on 5 December, the latter in which he also missed a penalty. On 26 November, Milik scored the 1–1 equalizer against Celtic in the Europa League group stage, where Ajax went on to win 2–1 away in Glasgow. On 20 December, Ajax's final match before the winter break, he also scored the opening goal against De Graafschap in an eventual 2–1 home victory at the Amsterdam Arena. After the winter break, Milik was out of form and got a lot of criticism, having gone scoreless in Ajax's first three Eredivisie matches. He broke his poor run of form by scoring against Roda JC on 31 January 2016 in a 2–2 away draw. On 21 February, against Excelsior, he then scored a brace, while in Ajax's next home game, on 28 February, he scored another two goals against AZ. One week later, on 6 March, Milik scored against Willem II in an eventual 0–4 away win in Tilburg. Napoli in 2019 Milik signed with Napoli on 1 August 2016; his €35 million transfer was officially confirmed by the club the following afternoon. He made his club debut on 27 August, scoring his first two goals for Napoli in a 4–2 home win over Milan in Serie A. He scored braces again against Dynamo Kyiv and Bologna in September, but on 8 October, Milik tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Polish international fixture against Denmark and was expected to be out for the rest of the season. However, as of 12 February 2017, he resumed playing and was fielded again on 15 February in the Champions League match against Real Madrid. In the 2020 Coppa Italia final on 17 June, following a 0–0 draw after regulation time, Milik scored the winning spot kick in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory against Juventus. In the 2020–21 season, after having decided not to extend his contract and at the same time rejected a number of transfer options, Milik was excluded from the official Serie A and UEFA Europa League squads. Marseille On 21 January 2021, Milik joined Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille on an 18-month loan deal with an obligation to buy. He made his debut in a 3–1 loss against Monaco on 23 January. On 17 October 2021, he scored his 10th goal for Marseille in his 17th appearance in a 4–1 win against Lorient becoming the most efficient goalscorer for the club since Sonny Anderson in the 1993–94 season. On 19 December 2021, he scored a hat-trick against Cannet Rocheville in a 4–1 Marseille win, helping his club advance to the round of 16 in the Coupe de France. On 31 January, he scored another goal for the club in a 1:1 draw against Montpellier HSC helping Marseille to advance to the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France after a penalty shootout (5:4). On 4 February, he scored a hat-trick in a 5:2 victory against Angers SCO. On 17 February, he scored two goals for Marseille in a Europa Conference League match against Qarabağ FK. By achieving this, he became the second Marseille player in the 21st century to score at least six goals in UEFA competitions after Didier Drogba who scored 11 goals during the 2003–04 UEFA Cup. Juventus On 26 August 2022, Juventus announced the signing of Milik on loan from Marseille for the 2022–23 season. He became the third Polish footballer to play for the club, after Zbigniew Boniek and Wojciech Szczęsny. On 31 August, he scored his first goal for Juventus in a 2–0 victory over Spezia. On 21 June 2023, Juventus signed Milik from Marseille on permanent basis. On 11 January 2024, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over Frosinone helping Juventus advance to its fifth consecutive Coppa Italia semifinal. On 23 April 2024, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 loss (2–3 agg.) over Lazio securing his side the spot in the Coppa Italia final. He missed the entire 2024–25 season after undergoing meniscus surgery in June 2024. ==International career==

On 13 April 2011, Milik scored a goal for Poland under-17 side in a 4–1 victory over England Schools U18. On 15 July 2011, he was called up to the under-19 team. On 14 December, he scored his first goal for the national side in the 4–1 friendly victory over Macedonia. Milik scored nine times for Poland under-21s during qualification for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Malta and Greece in November 2013. UEFA Euro 2016 at Euro 2016 On 11 October 2014, Milik scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win over world champions Germany in a 2016 UEFA Euro qualifying match. This was Poland's first win over Germany, who had not lost in 19 competitive games and 33 previous qualifiers. Milik formed a successful strike partnership with Robert Lewandowski during qualification for the European Championships, with additional goals coming in a 2–2 draw with Scotland, a 4–0 win away to Georgia and another 4–0 defeat of the same opposition at the National Stadium in Warsaw. In Euro 2016, Milik scored for Poland in their opening game, beating Northern Ireland 1–0. He also netted his attempt in his nation's penalty shootout exit to eventual champions Portugal in the quarterfinals. 2018 FIFA World Cup Milik appeared in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His nation was defeated 2–1 in their opening match against Senegal, and then lost 3–0 in their second group match against Colombia. Poland managed a 1–0 win over Japan in their final group match but were eliminated in the first round. 2022 FIFA World Cup After missing UEFA Euro 2020 due to an injury, Milik was selected for Poland's next international tournament appearance, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He appeared in three out of four games, as Poland were knocked out in the round of 16 by France. UEFA Euro 2024 On 29 May 2024, Milik was named in the preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024, played in Germany. 80 seconds into Poland's first preparation game after the call-ups, a friendly against Ukraine on 7 June, he suffered a knee injury when challenging for a ball, which ruled him out of the tournament. ==Style of play==

Usually deployed as an out-and-out striker, Milik is a versatile and well-rounded left-footed forward who is also capable of playing off another forward as a second striker or as a winger, due to his ability to both score and create goals. He possesses pace and good movement off the ball, as well as a powerful and accurate shot, which make him an excellent finisher and goalscorer; he is also physically strong, agile, and a good header of the ball, which allows him to excel in the air. His playing style has been compared to that of his compatriot Robert Lewandowski in the Polish sports media. Regarded as a promising young striker in his youth, in 2012, Don Balón named him one of the 101 most promising young players in the world born after 1991. ==Personal life==

In 2013, Milik began dating Polish model Jessica Ziółek. They had been in the relationship for nearly eight years before calling off their engagement in late 2020. Milik has since started a relationship with Agata Sieramska. Milik features on the cover of the Polish version of FIFA 16 alongside global cover star Lionel Messi. Growing up, Milik supported Manchester United. In 2012, he was quoted as saying that he "dreams of playing for Manchester United" but insists he's "far from it". Milik's childhood football hero is Cristiano Ronaldo; in an interview during Euro 2016, he said he followed Ronaldo closely and had been inspired by the Portuguese striker. ==Career statistics==

Club International :''Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Milik goal.'' ==Honours==

Napoli • Coppa Italia: 2019–20 Individual • Polish Newcomer of the Year: 2012 • KNVB Cup top goalscorer: 2014–15 (8 goals) • Coppa Italia top goalscorer: 2023–24 (4 goals) ==References==