Lucasz Fabianski
| Personal Information | |
| Full Name: | Lucasz Fabianski |
| Date of Birth: | 18-Apr-1985 |
| Place of Birth: | Kostrzyn nad Odra, Poland |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Playing position: | Goalkeeper |
| Club Information | |
| Current Club: | Arsenal |
| Number: | 21 |
| Youth Career |
| Years | Club |
| 1999-2000 | Polonia Slubice |
| 2000–2001 | MSP Szamotuly |
| 2001–2002 | Lubuszanin Drezdenko |
| 2002-2003 | Sparta Brodnica |
| 2003-2004 | Mieszko Gniezno |
| Senior Career |
| Years | Club |
| 2004-2005 | Lech Poznan |
| 2005-2007 | Legia Warszawa |
| 2007- | Arsenal |
| National team |
| 2006- | Poland U21 |
Club career
Club careerEarly career
Beginning his career with the club Polonia Słubice, Fabiański joined the noted independent football academy MSP Szamotuły when he was 14 years old, where he honed his footballing skills.[2] He then played for three clubs: Lubuszanin Drezdenko, Sparta Brodnica and Mieszko Gniezno, after which he was signed in the 2004-05 season by Lech Poznań.
Legia Warszawa
In the winter of 2005, Fabiański was signed by Legia Warszawa, where he competed with Artur Boruc for a place on the team. After Boruc was sold to Celtic, Fabiański took over as starting goalkeeper in the July 24, 2005 game against Arka Gdynia, which ended 0-0. He helped Legia win the Polish league championship in the following 2005-06 season.
In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, his performances led to him being awarded the Football Oscar for the best goalkeeper in the Polish Ekstraklasa. [2]
Arsenal
2007–08 season
On May 8, 2007, Fabiański underwent medical tests in London after Arsenal agreed an undisclosed fee with Legia Warszawa,[3] with the move confirmed on May 11, 2007 by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.[4] Fabiański formally signed for Arsenal on May 26, 2007, with a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.[5]
He made his debut for Arsenal on July 14, 2007 in a pre-season friendly against Barnet, replacing Manuel Almunia at half-time. The match ended 2-0 to Arsenal.
He was subsequently made Arsenal's first-choice keeper for their 2007-08 Football League Cup campaign and appeared in all of the club's five matches in the competition. He made his competitive Arsenal debut on September 25, 2007 against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup third round, Arsenal's first match in the competition, keeping a clean sheet as Arsenal won the match 2-0. He kept another clean sheet in the fourth round, a 3-0 away victory at Sheffield United on October 31, 2007, where he also captained the team in only his second competitive match for Arsenal. He also produced several good saves as Arsenal knocked out Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals, winning 3-2 in extra time. However, Arsenal were then knocked out of the competition by their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur after losing 5-1 in the second leg of the semi-finals at White Hart Lane.
Fabiański made his Premier League debut on April 28, 2008 in an away match against Derby County and despite conceding two goals, Arsenal won 6-2 and Wenger praised his performance. He kept his place for the following home match against Everton on May 4, 2008, where he was replaced by Jens Lehmann in the 70th minute as the German was given his farewell in front of the home supporters, as well as the final match of the season away at Sunderland on May 11, 2008. After the departure of Jens Lehmann at the end of the 2007-08 season, Fabiański became Arsenal's second-choice goalkeeper, behind Manuel Almunia.
2008–09 season
On November 5, 2008, he made his first appearance of the 2008-2009 season aganist Turkish side Fenerbahce, due to Manuel Almunia getting the flu. (This was also his Champions League debut). The match finished 0-0 with Fabiański keeping a clean sheet.
On November 8, 2008, he made his first Premier League appearance of the season against arch rivals Manchester United, coming on as a second half substitute for first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia who suffered a facial injury from a challenge by Michael Carrick. Fabianski produced some fine saves as Arsenal went on to win the game 2-1, thanks to a brace by Samir Nasri.
On November 11, 2008, he received much praise for a stunning double save in the Carling Cup against Wigan Athletic, first denying a shot from Daniel de Ridder with a side push and then showed incredible reflexes and agility to spring up and tip Amir Zaki's close-range effort onto the underside of the crossbar.
On April 7, 2009, he replaced the injured Almunia in the 28th minute against Villarreal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after Almunia suffered an ankle injury and Arsenal were 1-0 down as a result.
Fabianski made a good save to deny Marcos Senna before making a quick reaction save for the follow up shot. He stood firm in Arsenal goals and kept Villarreal scoreless for the rest of the match, Arsenal finishing with a 1-1 draw thanks to an Emmanuel Adebayor goal.
On April 18, 2009, his 24th birthday, he gifted Chelsea FC a victory in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium, when he rushed out to meet Didier Drogba's goal attempt. However, the Ivory Coast striker managed to sidestep Fabianski to put the ball into an empty net, thus giving Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
On April 21, 2009, few days after the match against Chelsea FC for which he was heavily criticised, he managed to stop Liverpool FC on it's march for the Premiership title. The game ended 4-4, with Fabiański being praised by fans and journalists for his parades that saved Arsenal from losing 3 goals in the first 15 minutes. In a post-match summaries, he was mostly ranked second man of the match, behind Andrei Arshavin who netted four.