Jacek Krzynówek is a former Polish footballer. One of the most glorious moments of his career was scoring a rocket shot against Real Madrid in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League.
Still a player for GKS Bełchatów, he made his debut in the Polish national team on 10 November 1998 against Slovakia in a 3–1 Poland win. In 1999, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg in the 2. Bundesliga. He made his return to the Polish National Team in the beginning of 2000, after Jerzy Engel became coach. Very shortly, he became one of the most important players in the team qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In 2002, he contributed to the promotion of 1. FC Nürnberg to the Bundesliga, and was named the best left midfielder in the 2. Bundesliga. Also in 2002, he went to South Korea and Japan for the 2002 World Cup with Poland. Despite a poor performance by Poland, he was praised for his play, and appeared in all three matches.
As a result of an injury, he missed most of the 2002–03 season. In the fall of 2003, he played in crucial UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches for Poland. Unfortunately, Poland was unable to qualify and 1. FC Nürnberg was unable to stay in the Bundesliga. As a result of his excellent play, he was transferred to a top Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen. In the 2004–05 season, he was one of the best players for the club, and the trio of Krzynowek, Andriy Voronin, and Dimitar Berbatov drew the attention of many top European clubs. Bayer Leverkusen also played very well in the Champions League, where it eliminated such clubs as Real Madrid and A.S. Roma. Krzynowek scored three goals, one of which was scored versus Real Madrid, which was named one of the most beautiful goals in that year's tournament.
During 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, he played in the most important games for Poland and contributed to Poland's qualification to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. As a result of another injury during the spring of 2006, he was unable to play regularly at his club, Bayer Leverkusen. This was evident in his poor form during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was one of the poorest performers in the Polish team as they lost 2–0 to the surprising Ecuador and 1–0 to hosts Germany. After a disappointing 2005–06 season, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg.
