Piotr Trochowski
Encyclopedia
Piotr Artur Trochowski (born 22 March 1984 in Tczew
, Poland
) is a Polish
-born German
footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder
for La Liga
side Sevilla FC
and the German national team
.
in Poland
. The family, with father Wiesław and mother Alicja, left for Hamburg under the right of return for those of ethnic German ancestry when Piotr was five years old. Being from the historical region West Prussia
, inside the German Empire
until 1919 (and again from 1939 until March 1945), the Trochowski family, albeit Slavic
, had legal German ancestry (i.e. need not to be Germanic
), all of his grandparents having held German nationality
for some period of time.
, and for FC St. Pauli
, in Hamburg
. In 1999, he transferred to Bayern Munich
, starting with its junior side
then progressing to the amateur team
. He became frustrated, however, with his lack of playing time.
In January 2005, he moved back to Hamburg to play for Hamburger SV
. Team manager Thomas Doll
gave him a chance and Trochowski proved his worth. Within two seasons, he played himself into the starting line-up of the team, scoring five goals (including one [and an assist] against former team Bayern Munich, in a 24 September 2005 2–0 home win) in his first full season as Hamburg reached the UEFA Champions League
.
On 5 April 2011, Trochowski's agent Roman Grill confirmed that his client would move to Sevilla when his contract expired at the end of the season. Trochowski had been an irregular player for Hamburg during the second half of the season, making just two starts out of 11 possible Bundesliga matches after the winter break.
. His mother sent several letters to the Polish Football Association
(PZPN), informing it about her talented son and about his willingness to cap for Poland. The PZPN, however, was not interested, which disappointed both Trochowski and his mother, and he chose to play for Germany. Trochowski said in response, "My heart is closer to Poland, but nobody there was interested in me, so I play for the Germans. There was no reply to my mother's letter, and the Germans were interested in me." He said this in an interview in August 2005. In the German daily Die Welt
, however, Trochowski said that, "Even back then, I wanted to play for Germany, because here I enjoyed my schooling and gained my footballing skills."
Trochowski played for the German under-20 team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
. One year after his move to Hamburg, senior national coach
Joachim Löw called him for the first time, and he debuted in an 7 October 2006 friendly against Georgia
. After having appeared six times during the qualification matches, Trochowski was selected for the final 23-man squad for Euro 2008. He scored his first goal for Germany
on 15 October 2008 in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier
against Wales
.
|2001–02||rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich II
||rowspan="2"|Regionalliga Süd
||7||0||0||0||rowspan="2" colspan="2"|—||0||0||7||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2002–03||9||1||1||0||0||0||10||1
|-
|rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
||3||0||0||0|| || ||0||0||3||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2003–04||10||1||1||1|| || ||0||0||11||2
|-
|rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich II
||rowspan="2"|Regionalliga Süd
||17||6||0||0||rowspan="2" colspan="2"|—||0||0||17||6
|-
|rowspan="2"|2004–05||5||1||1||0||0||0||6||1
|-
|rowspan="7"|Hamburg
||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga
||3||0||0||0|| || ||0||0||3||0
|-
|2005–06||32||5||3||0|| || ||16||2||51||7
|-
|2006–07||26||2||1||0|| || ||8||1||35||3
|-
|2007–08||32||1||4||2|| || ||14||3||50||6
|-
|2008–09||33||6||3||0||rowspan="3" colspan="2"|—||5||0||39||5
|-
|2009–10||33||4||1||3||13||2||47||9
|-
|2010–11||21||2||1||0||0||0||22||2
|-
|2011–12||Sevilla
||La Liga
||7||0||0||0||rowspan="1" colspan="2"|—||2||0||9||0
231||29||16||6|| || ||58||8||305||43
| 1. || 15 October 2008 || Borussia-Park
, Mönchengladbach
, Germany || || 1–0 || 1–0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| 2. || 2 June 2009 || Sheikh Zayed Stadium
, Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates || || 0–3 || 2–7 || Friendly
|}
His cousin Krystian
is a German international rugby union player
, playing for the Berliner RC
in the Rugby-Bundesliga
.
Tczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) is a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
and the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
Early life
Trochowski was born in TczewTczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The family, with father Wiesław and mother Alicja, left for Hamburg under the right of return for those of ethnic German ancestry when Piotr was five years old. Being from the historical region West Prussia
West Prussia
West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
, inside the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
until 1919 (and again from 1939 until March 1945), the Trochowski family, albeit Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
, had legal German ancestry (i.e. need not to be Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
), all of his grandparents having held German nationality
German nationality law
German citizenship is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. In other words one usually acquires German citizenship if a parent is a German citizen, irrespective of place of birth....
for some period of time.
Club career
As a nine-year-old boy, Trochowski started his career with Billstedt Horn, then played for SC Concordia HamburgSC Concordia Hamburg
The SC Concordia is a German association football club from the suburb of Wandsbek in the city of Hamburg.-Early years:The club was formed in 1907 as SC Concordia Wandsbeck by a small group of seven enthusiastic cycle polo players, with football being only the second sport of the new association...
, and for FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli
Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that also has Rugby Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that...
, in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In 1999, he transferred to Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, starting with its junior side
Bayern Munich Junior Team
Bayern Munich Junior Team is the youth academy for German football club Bayern Munich. The Junior Team was created in 1902and restructured in 1995 has educated many players who have become regulars in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the Germany national football team, such as Thomas Müller, Andreas...
then progressing to the amateur team
FC Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich II are the second team of German association football club Bayern Munich. In 2010–11 they played in the 3rd Liga, having qualified for its inaugural season in 2008, and have consistently played at the third level of German football — they played in the Regionalliga Süd from...
. He became frustrated, however, with his lack of playing time.
In January 2005, he moved back to Hamburg to play for Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
. Team manager Thomas Doll
Thomas Doll
Thomas Doll is a former footballer and coach. He is currently the Manager of Al-Hilal.- Career :...
gave him a chance and Trochowski proved his worth. Within two seasons, he played himself into the starting line-up of the team, scoring five goals (including one [and an assist] against former team Bayern Munich, in a 24 September 2005 2–0 home win) in his first full season as Hamburg reached the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
On 5 April 2011, Trochowski's agent Roman Grill confirmed that his client would move to Sevilla when his contract expired at the end of the season. Trochowski had been an irregular player for Hamburg during the second half of the season, making just two starts out of 11 possible Bundesliga matches after the winter break.
International career
Since Trochowski was born in Poland, he was eligible to play for PolandPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. His mother sent several letters to the Polish Football Association
Polish Football Association
The Polish Football Association is the governing body of football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues , the Polish Cup, the Polish SuperCup, the Polish League Cup, and the Polish national football team...
(PZPN), informing it about her talented son and about his willingness to cap for Poland. The PZPN, however, was not interested, which disappointed both Trochowski and his mother, and he chose to play for Germany. Trochowski said in response, "My heart is closer to Poland, but nobody there was interested in me, so I play for the Germans. There was no reply to my mother's letter, and the Germans were interested in me." He said this in an interview in August 2005. In the German daily Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
, however, Trochowski said that, "Even back then, I wanted to play for Germany, because here I enjoyed my schooling and gained my footballing skills."
Trochowski played for the German under-20 team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between November 27 and December 19, 2003. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested...
. One year after his move to Hamburg, senior national coach
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
Joachim Löw called him for the first time, and he debuted in an 7 October 2006 friendly against Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
. After having appeared six times during the qualification matches, Trochowski was selected for the final 23-man squad for Euro 2008. He scored his first goal for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
on 15 October 2008 in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 4
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 4 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 FIFA World Cup hosts Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein....
against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
Club performance
|-|2001–02||rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich II
FC Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich II are the second team of German association football club Bayern Munich. In 2010–11 they played in the 3rd Liga, having qualified for its inaugural season in 2008, and have consistently played at the third level of German football — they played in the Regionalliga Süd from...
||rowspan="2"|Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd
The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...
||7||0||0||0||rowspan="2" colspan="2"|—||0||0||7||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2002–03||9||1||1||0||0||0||10||1
|-
|rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
||3||0||0||0|| || ||0||0||3||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2003–04||10||1||1||1|| || ||0||0||11||2
|-
|rowspan="2"|Bayern Munich II
FC Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich II are the second team of German association football club Bayern Munich. In 2010–11 they played in the 3rd Liga, having qualified for its inaugural season in 2008, and have consistently played at the third level of German football — they played in the Regionalliga Süd from...
||rowspan="2"|Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd
The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...
||17||6||0||0||rowspan="2" colspan="2"|—||0||0||17||6
|-
|rowspan="2"|2004–05||5||1||1||0||0||0||6||1
|-
|rowspan="7"|Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
||3||0||0||0|| || ||0||0||3||0
|-
|2005–06||32||5||3||0|| || ||16||2||51||7
|-
|2006–07||26||2||1||0|| || ||8||1||35||3
|-
|2007–08||32||1||4||2|| || ||14||3||50||6
|-
|2008–09||33||6||3||0||rowspan="3" colspan="2"|—||5||0||39||5
|-
|2009–10||33||4||1||3||13||2||47||9
|-
|2010–11||21||2||1||0||0||0||22||2
|-
|2011–12||Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||7||0||0||0||rowspan="1" colspan="2"|—||2||0||9||0
231||29||16||6|| || ||58||8||305||43
International goals
|-| 1. || 15 October 2008 || Borussia-Park
Borussia-Park
Borussia-Park in Mönchengladbach is the home stadium of German football Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach...
, Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
, Germany || || 1–0 || 1–0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
|-
| 2. || 2 June 2009 || Sheikh Zayed Stadium
Sheikh Zayed Stadium
Sheikh Zayed Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is currently used mostly for football matches but can also stage athletics. It is named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the UAE. The construction of the...
, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, United Arab Emirates || || 0–3 || 2–7 || Friendly
|}
Personal
Piotr is part of a football family – his three brothers are all semi-professional players: Christoph (plays for SC V/W Billstedt), Slawomir (plays for Hamm United) and Arkadiusz (plays for TuS Hamburg).His cousin Krystian
Krystian Trochowski
Krystian Trochowski is a German international rugby union player, playing for the Berliner RC in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team.He has played rugby since 1999....
is a German international rugby union player
Germany national rugby union team
Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup...
, playing for the Berliner RC
Berliner RC
The Berliner Rugby Club is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.-History:The club was formed in 1926.While very successful in its youth department, it has not managed similar achievements on the senior level....
in the Rugby-Bundesliga
Rugby-Bundesliga
The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby...
.
Honours
Bayern Munich- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: 2002–03 - DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 2003
National team
Germany- FIFA World Cup 2010: Third place - Bronze medal
- UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
Runner-up: 2008