Marcin Kaczmarek (footballer, born 1974)

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Marcin Kaczmarek

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Marcin Kaczmarek

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|1|2|df=y}} {{cite web|url=http://www.90minut.pl/kariera.php?id=755|title=Marcin Kaczmarek - 90minut.pl|website=90minut.pl}}

| birth_place = Sztum, Poland

| height = 1.80m

| position = Defender, midfielder

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = MRKS Gdańsk

| youthyears2 =

| youthclubs2 = Lechia Gdańsk

| years1 = 1990–1994

| years2 = 1994–1998

| years3 = 1999–2001

| years4 = 2002

| years5 = 2003

| years6 = 2003–2004

| clubs1 = Lechia Gdańsk

| clubs2 = Pogoń Szczecin

| clubs3 = GKS Bełchatów

| clubs4 = Unia Tczew

| clubs5 = Stomil Olsztyn

| clubs6 = Lechia Gdańsk

| caps1 = 71

| caps2 = 94

| caps3 = 54

| caps4 = 5

| caps5 = 10

| caps6 = 22

| goals1 = 19

| goals2 = 2

| goals3 = 4

| goals4 = 0

| goals5 = 0

| goals6 = 3

| totalcaps = 256

| totalgoals = 28

| manageryears1 = 2004–2006

| managerclubs1 = Lechia Gdańsk

| manageryears2 = 2007

| managerclubs2 = Pogoń Szczecin

| manageryears3 = 2008–2012

| managerclubs3 = Olimpia Grudziądz

| manageryears4 = 2012–2017

| managerclubs4 = Wisła Płock

| manageryears5 = 2018–2019

| managerclubs5 = Bruk-Bet Termalica

| manageryears6 = 2019–2020

| managerclubs6 = Widzew Łódź

| manageryears7 = 2022–2023

| managerclubs7 = Lechia Gdańsk

}}

Marcin Kaczmarek (born 2 January 1974) is a Polish professional football manager and former player, most recently in charge of Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk. He occasionally works as a pundit and commentator for Polsat Sport. During his career, Kaczmarek played in Ekstraklasa for Pogoń Szczecin and GKS Bełchatów, making a total of 97 appearances in Poland's top division.

Senior career

Kaczmarek had been part of the Lechia Gdańsk academy, before being promoted to the first team at the beginning of the 1990 season. His Lechia debut came in a 1–0 win over Szombierki Bytom on 3 June 1990, in which he played 44 minutes.{{cite web|url=https://lechia.net/rozgrywki/pp/terminarz/player/42-199091-ii-liga/1-lechia-gdask/628-marcin-kaczmarek/|title=1990/91 II Liga - Marcin Kaczmarek|website=lechia.net}} During his first two seasons with Lechia, Kaczmerek struggled to break into the first team, relying on few substitute appearances to get game time. Kaczmarek's first professional league start came in his third season when he started in a home game against Miedź Legnica. As he developed as a player, he also saw more game time with the club, making over 20 league appearances in each of his last two seasons. Despite becoming a more important player, Kaczmarek played with Lechia during a difficult period in their history in which they found themselves mostly uncompetitive and finishing towards the lower ends of the II liga. Despite Lechia's struggles, Kaczmarek made a total 77 appearances and scored 22 goals in all competitions during his first spell with the club, with his most successful season with Lechia being during the 1993–94 campaign, where he played 32 games and scored 9 goals.{{cite web|url=https://lechia.net/rozgrywki/pp/terminarz/player/36-199394-ii-liga-gr-zachodnia/1-lechia-gdask/628-marcin-kaczmarek/|title=1993-94 II Liga Gr. zachodnia- Marcin Kaczmarek|website=lechia.net}}

His good form for Lechia earned Kaczmarek a move to Poland's top division when he joined I liga team Pogoń Szczecin in 1994 aged 21.{{cite web|url=http://www.90minut.pl/wystepy.php?id=755&id_sezon=45/|title=Marcin Kaczmarek Pogon Szczecin 1994-95|website=90minut.pl}} He instantly found himself to be an important player with Pogoń, going on to make 26 appearances in his first I liga season, also scoring a goal against Widzew Łódź in a 1–0 win, the goal would turn out to be Kaczmareks only goal in Polands highest division. He made another 26 appearances the following season, however it was a season where the team as a whole struggled, winning only 2 of their 30 league games, and scoring only 9 points all season. After facing relegation with Pogoń to the II liga, they bounced back to the top flight at the first time of asking in 1997, finishing runners-up behind Dyskobolia Grodzisk. He made a further 33 appearances in the I liga with Pogoń over the next 18 months, before being transferred to fellow Ekstraklasa team GKS Bełchatów in January 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.gksbelchatow.net/kariera.php?id=124|title=Marcin Kaczmarek dane ogólne - GKS Bełchatów|website=gksbelchatow.net}} Kaczmarek made 11 appearances with Bełchatów that season, with the team struggling in the league, and Kaczmarek being relegated from the I liga for a second time. He continued to play with Bełchatów in the second division for a further two years before injuries started to affect his playing time and abilities and he was released midway through his fourth season with the club. In 2002 Kaczmarek dropped down into the lower leagues with Unia Tczew,{{cite web|url=http://unia.tczew.pl/zawodnicy/marcin_kaczmarek.htm|title=MARCIN KACZMAREK|website=unia.tczew.pl}} spending 6 months with Unia, and making only 5 appearances with the club, due to his time in Tczew being plagued by injury,{{cite web|url=http://www.unia.tczew.pl/archiwum-j02.htm|title=OKIEM JASTRZĘBIA - PODSUMOWANIE RUNDY JESIENNEJ|website=unia.tczew.pl}} before joining Stomil Olsztyn for the next six months. After his time at Stomil, Kaczmarek returned to Lechia Gdańsk for a season working as both the assistant manager while also being a player. He went on to make 22 appearances and scoring 3 goals for the club as they won promotion from the fourth tier.{{cite web|url=https://lechia.net/component/joomleague/player/12-200304-iv-liga-gr-pomorska/1-lechia-gdask/628-marcin-kaczmarek/|title=2003/04 IV Liga - Gr. pomorska|website=lechia.net}} In 2004, at the age of 30, and seeing a decline in performance and a drop down the leagues due to consistent injuries for the last 3 years of his playing career, Kaczmarek decided to retire from playing football and to focus on coaching in football.

Managerial career

After the game on 22 May 2004, Jerzy Jastrzębowski left as the manager of Lechia. Kaczmarek retired from playing and instantly found first managerial position with Lechia Gdańsk, leading the club in the final six games of the season.{{cite web|url=http://lechia.pl/trenerzy-27|title=Trenerzy|website=lechia.pl}} Under his guidance, Lechia achieved promotion from the fourth tier to the second tier of Polish football.{{cite web|url=https://www.przegladsportowy.pl/pilka-nozna/lotto-ekstraklasa/wisla-plock/marcin-kaczmarek-jest-fanem-lechii-ale-chce-wygranych-wisly/k22th08|title=LECHISTA Z KRWI I KOŚCI. SENTYMENTALNY POWRÓT KACZMARKA|website=przegladsportowy.pl}}

After achieving safety for Lechia in I liga, Kaczmarek returned to another club he had previously played for, joining Pogoń Szczecin in 2007. After managing the team for the first half of the season, Kaczmarek was told he would not be manager for the second half.{{cite web|url=https://gs24.pl/pogon-zegna-trenera/ar/5277208|title=Pogoń żegna trenera|website=gs24.pl}}

After his short spell with Pogoń, Kaczmarek took charge of Olimpia Grudziądz in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://pomorska.pl/marcin-kaczmarek-po-derbach/ar/7138335|title=Marcin Kaczmarek po derbach|website=pomorska.pl}} His 4 seasons with Olimpia were successful, and while under his command he saw Olimpia winning the III liga in 2009, and the II liga in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://olimpiagrudziadz.com/klub/historia|title=Historia klubu|website=olimpiagrudziadz.com}}

In 2012, he joined Wisła Płock, who had just been relegated from I liga.{{cite web|url=http://old.wisla-plock.pl/aktualnosci/1064-marcin_kaczmarek_nowym_trenerem_wisly.html|title=Marcin Kaczmarek nowym trenerem Wisły|website=old.wisla-plock.pl}} In his first season Wisła won the third tier, ensuring promotion back to I liga. After a further three more seasons with Wisła, Kaczmarek saw his side finish runners-up in I Liga,{{cite web|url=https://www.przegladsportowy.pl/pilka-nozna/lotto-ekstraklasa/wisla-plock/wisla-plock-szykuje-hitowy-transfer/7mpkr6c|title=BENIAMINEK SZYKUJE HITOWY TRANSFER. WIELKI POWRÓT DO EKSTRAKLASY?|website=przegladsportowy.pl}} and promoted to Ekstraklasa. His first season in top division saw Wisła finish comfortably in 10th.

In 2018, Kaczmarek joined recently relegated Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza in I liga, leading the club until the end of the season.{{cite web|url=https://www.przegladsportowy.pl/pilka-nozna/fortuna-1-liga/marcin-kaczmarek-trenerem-bruk-bet-termaliki-nieciecza/e82k6ek|title=KACZMAREK WRACA NA ŁAWKĘ TRENERSKĄ. ZOSTAŁ TRENEREM BRUK-BETU|website=przegladsportowy.pl}}

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Kaczmarek was appointed manager of Widzew Łódź, leaving after his contract finished the following summer.[https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/pilka-nozna/830312/oficjalnie-marcin-kaczmarek-trenerem-widzewa-lodz-checi-jest-mnostwo-czasu-niewi Oficjalnie: Marcin Kaczmarek trenerem Widzewa Łódź. "Pracy jest mnóstwo. Czasu - niewiele"], sportowefakty.wp.pl, 1 July 2019

On 19 September 2022, Kaczmarek returned to Ekstraklasa and Lechia, agreeing to a two-year deal to manage his former club who at the time were placed bottom of the league table.{{cite web |title=Marcin Kaczmarek nowym trenerem Lechii Gdańsk |url=https://lechia.pl/marcin-kaczmarek-nowym-trenerem-lechii-gdansk/ |publisher=Lechia Gdańsk |language=pl |date=19 September 2022}} On 21 March 2023, after leading Lechia to six wins and two draws in 16 league games, with the team placed 17th and three points away from safety, Kaczmarek was dismissed.{{cite web |title=Lechia Gdańsk kończy współpracę z trenerem Marcinem Kaczmarkiem oraz pozostałymi członkami sztabu szkoleniowego KOMUNIKAT KLUBU |url=https://lechia.pl/lechia-gdansk-konczy-wspolprace-z-trenerem-marcinem-kaczmarkiem-oraz-pozostalymi-czlonkami-sztabu-szkoleniowego-komunikat-klubu/ |publisher=Lechia Gdańsk |language=pl |date=21 March 2023}}

Personal life

He is the son of former footballer and manager Bogusław Kaczmarek.{{Citation |title = Magdalena Skorupka-Kaczmarek otworzyła firmę KomunikujMY|date = 2020-07-20 |publisher = Press.pl |url = https://www.press.pl/tresc/57815,magdalena-skorupka-kaczmarek-otworzyla-firme-komunikujmy |language = pl}} His wife, Magdalena Skorupka-Kaczmarek, is a journalist.

Managerial statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
rowspan="2" \|Team !rowspan="2" \|From !rowspan="2" \|To !colspan="8" \|Record
{{Tooltip\|G\|Games managed}} !{{Tooltip\|W\|Games won}} !{{Tooltip\|D\|Games drawn}} !{{Tooltip\|L\|Games lost}} !{{Tooltip\|GF\|Goals for}} !{{Tooltip\|GA\|Goals against}} !{{Tooltip\|GD\|Goal difference}} !{{Tooltip\|Win %\|Winning percentage}}
align=left\|Lechia Gdańsk \|align=left\|22 May 2004 \|align=left\|16 June 2006 {{WDL\|76\|39\|19\|18\|for=128\|against=82\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Pogoń Szczecin \|align=left\|July 2007 \|align=left\|29 November 2007 {{WDL\|20\|13\|5\|2\|for=47\|against=16\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Olimpia Grudziądz \|align=left\|1 July 2008 \|align=left\|15 June 2012 {{WDL\|146\|81\|34\|31\|for=264\|against=140\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Wisła Płock \|align=left\|22 June 2012 \|align=left\|5 July 2017 {{WDL\|180\|87\|47\|46\|for=259\|against=185\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Bruk-Bet Termalica \|align=left\|17 September 2018 \|align=left\|30 June 2019 {{WDL\|28\|13\|8\|7\|for=41\|against=31\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Widzew Łódź \|align=left\|1 July 2019 \|align=left\|27 July 2020 {{WDL\|36\|18\|8\|10\|for=69\|against=40\|diff=yes}}
align=left\|Lechia Gdańsk \|align=left\|19 September 2022 \|align=left\|21 March 2023 {{WDL\|18\|7\|3\|8\|for=23\|against=26\|diff=yes}}
colspan="3"\|Career total {{WDLtot\|504\|258\|124\|122\|for=831\|against=520\|diff=yes}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Managerial record by team and tenure

rowspan="2" |Team

!rowspan="2" |From

!rowspan="2" |To

!colspan="8" |Record

!{{Tooltip|W|Games won}}

!{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}}

!{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}}

!{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}

!{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}

!{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}}

!{{Tooltip|Win %|Winning percentage}}

align=left|Lechia Gdańsk

|align=left|22 May 2004

|align=left|16 June 2006

align=left|Pogoń Szczecin

|align=left|July 2007

|align=left|29 November 2007

align=left|Olimpia Grudziądz

|align=left|1 July 2008

|align=left|15 June 2012

align=left|Wisła Płock

|align=left|22 June 2012

|align=left|5 July 2017

align=left|Bruk-Bet Termalica

|align=left|17 September 2018

|align=left|30 June 2019

align=left|Widzew Łódź

|align=left|1 July 2019

|align=left|27 July 2020

align=left|Lechia Gdańsk

|align=left|19 September 2022

|align=left|21 March 2023

colspan="3"|Career total

Honours

=Player=

Pogoń Szczecin

II liga West runner-up: 1996–97

Lechia Gdańsk

IV liga Pomerania: 2003–04

=Manager=

Lechia Gdańsk

III liga, group II: 2004–05
IV liga Pomerania: 2003–04

Olimpia Grudziądz

II liga West: 2010–11
III liga Kuyavia-Pomerania – Greater Poland: 2008–09
Polish Cup (Kuyavia-Pomerania regionals): 2008–09{{cite web |title=Puchar Polski 2008/2009, grupa: Kujawsko-Pomorski ZPN |url=http://www.90minut.pl/liga/0/liga4373.html |website=90minut.pl |access-date=1 January 2025 |language=pl}}

Wisła Płock