Jakub Kiwior

Born on February 15, 2000 in southern Poland, Jakub Piotr Kiwior began playing football at GKS Tychy, but soon left his hometown to settle in Belgium. The left-footed player was only 16 when he arrived in Brussels to play for Anderlecht, where he remained until the age of 19, when he decided to return closer to home. “Slovakia is not far from Poland and the language is very similar”, so he had no difficulty adapting to Slovak culture and football. He made his senior debut at Železiarne Podbrezová and quickly caught the attention of MŠK Žilina, one of the country's leading clubs. His impressive performances in national and European competitions opened the door to the Old Continent's top leagues, and Jakub Kiwior added another stamp to his passport with his move to Italy. Under Thiago Motta at Spezia, the central defender started out playing as a midfielder and only returned to his natural position after Luca Gotti's arrival. The long-awaited British invitation came in January 2023, at a time when the versatile 1.89-metre athlete was establishing himself as one of the revelations of Italy's Serie A. Upon arriving at Arsenal, the Polish defender faced stiff competition, but he never let himself be intimidated and played 68 games in two and a half seasons for the London club. He inherited the number 4 shirt at FC Porto on the last day of the 2025 summer transfer window.