Tomasz Mariusz Rząsa (; born 11 March 1973) is a Polish former professional footballer who primarily played as a left-back and sometimes as a left midfielder. He currently serves as the sporting director of Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań.
Club career Rząsa played for several clubs during his career, including Cracovia and Sokół Pniewy in Poland, Grasshopper, Lugano, and Young Boys in Switzerland, De Graafschap, Feyenoord, and Heerenveen and ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands, Partizan in Serbia, and Ried in Austria.
While playing for Grasshopper, he won the Swiss National League twice, in the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons.
Rząsa played for Feyenoord from 1999 to 2003. Although he did not win any domestic titles during this period, he won the 2001–02 UEFA Cup after Feyenoord defeated Borussia Dortmund in the final. As a result, he participated in the 2002 UEFA Super Cup, where Feyenoord lost to Real Madrid. Rząsa played in both finals.
At Partizan, he joined as one of several new signings alongside players such as Ljubinko Drulović and Taribo West, and helped the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.
In 2006, he moved to Austria and signed for Ried. He played an important role in Ried's best-ever finish, as the club finished runners-up in the Austrian Bundesliga in the 2006–07 season. Rząsa made 58 league appearances for Ried over two seasons.
International career Rząsa made 36 appearances for the Poland national team between 1994 and 2006, scoring one goal.
He was selected as a member of Poland's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He did not play in the opening group-stage match against South Korea or the third match against the United States, but came on as a substitute for Michał Żewłakow in the 71st minute of the second match against Portugal. Rząsa played for approximately 20 minutes, but Poland lost 4–0 to Portugal.
Poland finished the group stage with one win and two losses and failed to advance to the round of 16. Rząsa likewise made only one appearance at the tournament, in the match against Portugal.
Coaching career Upon finishing his playing career, he was an assistant manager at Lech Poznań under Maciej Skorża during the 2014–15 season, and under Rafał Ulatowski in May 2018.
Career statistics International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsPoland19941120005020025020033020041002005100200620Total361
Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rząsa goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Tomasz RząsaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 10 December 1994 Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2–1 2–1 Friendly
Honours Grasshoppers Swiss Super League: 1995–96, 1996–97
Feyenoord Johan Cruijff Shield: 1999 UEFA Cup: 2001–02
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