Kacper Kozłowski (footballer)

Kacper Szymon Kozłowski (born 16 October 2003) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Gaziantep and the Poland national team.

Kacper Kozłowski

Kacper Kozłowski with Vitesse in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Kacper Szymon Kozłowski[1]
Date of birth	(2003-10-16) 16 October 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Koszalin, Poland
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Gaziantep
Number	10
Youth career
2013-2016	Bałtyk Koszalin
2016-2018	Pogoń Szczecin
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018-2020	Pogoń Szczecin II	25	(5)
2019-2022	Pogoń Szczecin	40	(4)
2022-2024	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	(0)
2022	→ Union SG (loan)	9	(0)
2022-2023	→ Vitesse (loan)	29	(2)
2023-2024	→ Vitesse (loan)	30	(3)
2024–	Gaziantep	25	(4)
International career‡
2017-2018	Poland U15	8	(5)
2018-2019	Poland U17	17	(6)
2020	Poland U19	1	(0)
2021-	Poland U21	16	(3)
2021-	Poland	6	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:58, 14 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:25, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

Club career

Kozłowski receiving a bronze medal in 2020–21 Ekstraklasa season during his time at Pogoń Szczecin

Kozłowski started his career with Pogoń Szczecin. In January 2022, he transferred to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported fee of £8,000,000, where he was immediately loaned to Brighton's sister club Union SG of Belgian First Division A for the rest of the season.^[3][4]

In August 2022, Kozłowski joined Vitesse in the Netherlands on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.^[5]

On 18 July 2023, he rejoined Vitesse on another season-long loan spell.^[6]

On 19 July 2024, Kozłowski left Brighton to join Turkish club Gaziantep permanently for an undisclosed fee.^[7]

International career

In June 2021, Kozłowski featured for Poland at UEFA Euro 2020 in a 1–1 draw with Spain, to become the youngest player of any nationality to play at a European Championship, aged 17 years and 246 days, breaking the previous record of Jude Bellingham, who himself had broken the same record only six days prior.^[8] He kept the record until 2024, when Lamine Yamal debuted at the European Championship at 16 years and 338 days.^[9]

Kozłowski was named in the provisional squad for Poland for the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign,^[10] but he was not included in the final 26-man squad.^[11]

Personal life

On 10 January 2020, Kozłowski suffered a traffic accident that almost ended his football career.^[12] Whilst on his way to training for Pogon Szczecin with two of his teammates, their car was involved in a crash. Suffering the most severe injuries of the three, Kozłowski had broken his pelvis and broke three vertebrae in his lower back. Despite the near life-ending and career-threatening injury, he managed to recover and return to football. Speaking to Goal in 2021 about the accident, he said "I couldn't train for almost half a year. It was a difficult time, but I focus on the here and now, not the past" and stated that the experience might help him mentally in the future having gone through it.^[13]

In the NXGN 50 in 2022, Kozłowski was ranked as the 19th best wonderkid in football.^[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 April 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Pogoń Szczecin II	2018–19[15]	III liga, group II	10	1	—		—		—		—		10	1
	2019–20[16]	III liga, group II	10	2	—		—		—		—		10	2
	2020–21[17]	III liga, group II	5	2	—		—		—		—		5	2
	Total		25	5	—		—		—		—		25	5
Pogoń Szczecin	2018–19[15]	Ekstraklasa	1	0	0	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2019–20[16]	Ekstraklasa	3	0	0	0	—		—		—		3	0
	2020–21[17]	Ekstraklasa	20	1	0	0	—		—		—		20	1
	2021–22[18]	Ekstraklasa	16	3	1	0	—		2[b]	0	—		19	3
	Total		40	4	1	0	—		2	0	—		43	4
Union SG (loan)	2021–22	Belgian First Division A	9	0	0	0	—		—		—		9	0
Vitesse (loan)	2022–23[19]	Eredivisie	29	2	1	0	—		—		—		30	2
	2023–24[20]	Eredivisie	30	3	3	0	—		—		—		33	3
	Total		59	5	4	0	—		—		—		63	5
Gaziantep	2024–25	Süper Lig	22	4	2	0	—		—		—		24	4
Career total			155	18	7	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	164	18

1. Includes Polish Cup, KNVB Cup, Turkish Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 9 October 2021

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Poland
	2021	6	0
Total		6	0

Honours

Individual

• Polish Newcomer of the Year: 2021^[21]
• Ekstraklasa Young Player of the Month: December 2020^[22]
• NXGN (19th of 50): 2022