Grzegorz Krychowiak (; born 29 January 1990) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Beginning his senior career in France with Bordeaux, Krychowiak later played for Reims, before joining Sevilla for €3.5 million in 2014, winning the UEFA Europa League in both of his two seasons at the club.
Krychowiak earned 100 caps for Poland national team between his international debut in 2008 to 2023, and represented the nation at two UEFA European Championships (2016 and 2020) and two FIFA World Cups (2018 and 2022).
Club career Early career
Although initially not a big fan of football, Krychowiak became involved in the sport at his brother's insistence and left home at the age of 12 to join a sports academy. He then joined the academies of various clubs, including Orzeł Mrzeżyno, Żaki 94 Kołobrzeg, Stal Szczecin, and Arka Gdynia.
During the France U16 and Poland U16 in Strasbourg, Krychowiak's performance attracted interests by Philippe Goubet, leading him to join Bordeaux in 2006. He then progressed through the ranks of the club's youth system and signed his first professional contract with them.
Stade Reims (loan)
Having previously rejected a return to Poland, joining Arka Gdynia, it was announced on 26 November 2009 that Krychowiak joined Championnat National club Stade de Reims on loan until the end of the season. He then made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against Beauvais Oise on 27 November 2009. Krychowiak quickly became a regular in the starting eleven and scored two goals to help the club win promotion to Ligue 2. At the end of the 2009–10 season, he went on to make 19 appearances and scored two times in all competitions.
Reims and Bordeaux agreed to extend Krychowiak's loan for another season. After scoring in the penalty shootout in a victory against Troyes in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue, he then scored his first goal of the season in a 2–2 draw against Le Mans. Two weeks later against Angers on 5 November 2010, he was sent off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 win. Krychowiak later faced suspension on two occasions later in the 2010–11 season. Despite this, Krychowiak was a regular starter as the club finished 10th in its return to Ligue 2 and was voted by fans as the team's player of the season. Although Krychowiak usually plays as a defensive midfielder, on rare occasions he has also appeared in central defense. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Krychowiak made 40 appearances and scored two times in all competitions.
Following this, Krychowiak returned to Bordeaux for the 2011–12 season.
FC Nantes (loan) However, Krychowiak's return to Bordeaux in the first half of the 2011–12 season restricted him to two appearances. On 17 November 2011, he joined Nantes on loan until the end of the season.
Krychowiak made his debut for the club as a starter in a 3–0 win against AS Monaco on 25 November 2011. Since joining Nantes, he continued to be a first team regular, playing in the defensive midfield position. At one point, Krychowiak played the centre-back position. Despite being suspended on three occasions later in the 2011–12 season, he went on to make 21 appearances in all competitions.
Stade Reims
In June 2012, Krychowiak signed a three-year contract with Stade de Reims who were newly promoted to Ligue 1. The move reportedly cost €800,000.
Krychowiak made his third debut for the club as a starter in a 1–0 loss against Marseille in the opening game of the season. Since joining Stade Reims on a permanent basis, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the defensive midfield position. His performance against AS Nancy on 20 September 2012 drew comparison to Zlatan Ibrahimović after he set up one of the club's two goals in the game, with a 2–0 win. On 26 January 2013, Krychowiak scored his first goal for Reims in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse. He later scored three more goals, all of which were winning goals against Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Lorient. Despite missing three matches throughout the 2012–13 season, Krychowiak went on to make 36 appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Krychowiak was linked a move away from Stade de Reims but ended up staying at the club throughout the summer. In the opening game of the 2013–14 season, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Stade Rennais. Since the start of the 2013–14 season, Krychowiak continued to establish himself in the first team, playing the defensive midfield position. He made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0–0 draw against FC Nantes on 31 August 2013, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute. In a match against Marseille on 26 October 2013, he set up the winning goal for the club as they won 3–2. This was followed up by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 4–2 win against Bastia. He later scored two more goals later in the 2013–14 season. Despite being sidelined at least five occasions throughout the season, Krychowiak went on to make 36 appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
Throughout the 2013–14 season, he continued to be linked a move away from Stade Reims. L'Union reported that he would leave the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.
Sevilla
In July 2014, Krychowiak joined La Liga side Sevilla for €4.5 million to play as a defensive midfielder.
He made his competitive debut on 12 August 2014 in the UEFA Super Cup at the Cardiff City Stadium, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat to Real Madrid. 11 days later, on 23 August 2014, Krychowiak made his La Liga debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Valencia. Since making his debut for Sevilla, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the midfield position. His performance earned praises from Marca, calling him the club's best signing this season. On 18 September 2014, Krychowiak scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win against Feyenoord in the UEFA Europa League group stage match. On 27 May 2015, he started for Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final in Poland's National Stadium in Warsaw, and scored the team's equalising goal in the 28th minute of an eventual 3–2 win over Dnipro, becoming the fifth Polish player to win the competition. He was the only Sevilla player named in the La Liga Team of the Season. Krychowiak made 48 appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
On 11 August 2015, he started the season for Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup 5–4 loss against Barcelona, and suffered a broken rib but still played the full 120 minutes. Having started in the centre-back position in the opening game of the season, he continued to play in the defensive midfield position. As a result, the club began talks with Krychowiak over a new contract. Manager Unai Emery praised his performance, calling "his sacrifice and dedication towards the team always puts them at their service". On 5 November 2015, Krychowiak signed a contract extension with Sevilla, keeping him at the club until 2019. Shortly after, he captained the club in a number of matches for the rest of the year. After serving a one match suspension, he then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against rivals Real Betis in the first leg of the Copa del Rey last 16 tournament. Three days later, on 9 January 2016, he suffered a knee injury that saw him sidelined for two months. On 20 March 2016, Krychowiak returned to the starting line-up against Real Madrid, as the club lost 3–2. Since returning to the first team, he later contributed two assists in two second leg matches in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final and semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively, to send Sevilla to the UEFA Europa League Final for the third time in a row. He started in the UEFA Europa League Final against Liverpool and played the whole game as they won 3–1, winning the tournament for the third time in a row.
Paris Saint-Germain
On 3 July 2016, Krychowiak returned to France, signing a five-year deal with champions Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee.
Following a two-match ban, he made his debut for the club, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Saint-Étienne on 9 September 2016. Four days later on 13 September 2016, he started his first games for Paris Saint-Germain, as they drew 1–1 against Arsenal.
Throughout the season, Krychowiak found himself on the bench and only started six matches by the end of the first half of the season. This led manager Unai Emery commented about Krychowiak's first team status on two separate statements, saying: "I know him well, he can do more in the field but Krychowiak and Adrien Rabiot are prepared and will be important for the whole season. At the moment, I think the three you mentioned are the best for the team. Krychowiak is an experienced player. All are important."
By the second half of the season, however, Krychowiak's first team opportunities at the club became further limited, due to continuous competitions within the midfield position and his own injury concern. He later stated about his first team status: "Today I am in a difficult situation. But a lot of good players have been through this before me. It's not what I expected, but it's a test, and I have to get over it. [...] I never thought of leaving [...]. Leaving after six months would make no sense." Krychowiak appeared three times for Paris Saint-Germain in the second half of the season, including a historic 6–1 defeat to Barcelona, eliminating the club from the tournament. By the end of the 2016–17 season, he made 19 appearances in all competitions.
Following this, Krychowiak was named 'Flop of the Season' by Le Figaro. Despite this, he was linked a move away from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window. In response, Krychowiak wanted to stay at the club.
West Bromwich Albion (loan) On 30 August 2017, it was announced that Krychowiak had joined Premier League club West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan. On 14 October while on loan, Krychowiak said to the media that he felt deceived by Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery, stating: "I spoke with the coach but every time when I spoke with him I felt deception. [...] The coach knows me very well. We spent two years together and before I signed the contract he told me to come to PSG, and I didn't play."
Krychowiak made his debut for the club in a 3–1 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion on 9 September 2017. Three weeks later, on 30 September 2017 against Watford, he set up West Bromwich Albion's first goal of the game, in a 2–2 draw. Since joining the club, Krychowiak became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. By November, he found himself placed on the substitute bench, with Jake Livermore and Sam Field preferred ahead of him. This led to reports over Krychowiak's future at the club, but new manager Alan Pardew wanted to keep him. As the season went by, he found himself alternating between the substitute bench and the starting eleven role. Krychowiak found himself in a controversy when he refused to shake Pardew's hand after being substituted in the 59th minute during a 4–1 loss against Leicester City on 10 March 2018. After the match, Krychowiak was criticised by Pardew for his actions and was fined as a result. This resulted in him being dropped to the substitute bench until Pardew's sacking. Following the appointment of Darren Moore, Krychowiak played the remaining matches of the season, as the club were relegated to the Championship. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Krychowiak made 31 appearances in all competitions. Following this, he returned to Paris Saint-Germain.
Lokomotiv Moscow (loan)
On 24 July 2018, Russian Premier League club Lokomotiv Moscow announced the signing of Krychowiak on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy for €10 million.