Arkadiusz Milik

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Arkadiusz Milik is a Polish footballer who plays as a striker for Juventus in Serie A and for the Poland national team. He was born on 28 February 1994 in Tychy, Poland.

Milik started his career with Rozwój Katowice and quickly moved through several clubs before making his name at Ajax. He joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 and had loan spells at Augsburg and Ajax, where he began to show his goal-scoring talent. Ajax signed him outright in 2015 after a productive spell on loan. In 2016, Milik moved to Napoli for a reported 35 million euros, aiming to replace Gonzalo Higuaín. He began strongly but suffered two serious knee injuries (ACL tears) in 2016 and 2017, which kept him out for long periods. He returned to form and scored important goals for Napoli.

In January 2021, Milik joined Marseille on loan with an option to buy. Marseille later made the move permanent. For the 2022–23 season, he moved on loan to Juventus, who then signed him on a permanent basis in 2023. Milik kept contributing with goals, including a hat-trick in the Coupe de France for Marseille and a sequence of important strikes in European and domestic competitions. He scored in Coppa Italia matches for Juventus as well. He missed the 2024–25 season after undergoing knee surgery in June 2024.

Internationally, Milik debuted for Poland in 2012. He played at Euro 2016, where Poland reached the quarter-finals, and appeared in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. He was named in the preliminary squad for Euro 2024 but suffered a knee injury in a friendly just before the tournament.

Style and strengths: Milik is a left-footed forward who can play as the main striker or as a second striker or winger. He is fast, has good movement, a powerful shot, and strong headers, making him a reliable goalscorer. He has often been compared to Robert Lewandowski in Polish discussions of his potential.

Personal notes: Milik grew up a Manchester United fan and has spoken of admiring Cristiano Ronaldo. He has dated notable figures in Poland and has been open about his journey from youth football to top European leagues.