LUKASZ FABIANSKI PROFILEPolish footballer LUKASZ FABIANSKI born 18 April 1985, in Kostrzyn nad Odrą, after starting his career with Polonia Słubice, Fabiański joined the noted independent football academy MSP Szamotuły when he was 14 years old, where he honed his footballing skills. Fabiański then was signed in the 2004-05 season by Lech Poznań.
In the winter of 2005, Fabianski was signed by Legia Warszawa, where he competed with Artur Boruc for a place in the team. After Boruc was sold to Celtic, Fabiański took over as starting goalkeeper in the 24 July 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.
On 8 May 2007, Fabianski underwent medical tests in London after Arsenal agreed an undisclosed fee with Legia Warszawa, with the move confirmed on 11 May 2007 by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. Fabiański formally signed for Arsenal on 26 May 2007 with a long-term contract. He made his debut for Arsenal in the League Cup against Sheffield United and was captain for the game. Arsenal won that game 3–0, with two goals from Eduardo and another from Denilson. Thus far his two most notable appearances for Arsenal have been the 5–1 defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2007–08 League Cup semi final and the first leg of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League second round match with F.C. Porto.
Fabianski received criticism for conceding soft goals in the Porto match as he scored an own goal and was blamed for the 2nd goal after picking up a backpass from Sol Campbell and Porto scored from the resulting free kick. Fabiański played the last 4 games for Arsenal in the 2009-10 season as number 1 goalkeeper Manuel Almunia suffered a wrist injury. He was criticised for conceding soft goals in the defeats to Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, however Fabiański was able to keep clean sheets in the games at home to Manchester City and Fulham.
Fabianski started the 2010–11 season as the second choice goalkeeper. On 21 September 2010, he made his first start of the season in a Carling Cup match against neighbours Tottenham at White Hart Lane which Arsenal won 4-1 after extra time. Fabiański almost cost the game for Arsenal, he failed to stop Robbie Keane's long range effort, despite getting a hand to the shot. After the game, he revealed that he was disappointed. He had a solid game in his second match of the season replacing the injured Manuel Almunia one week later in a Champions League 3-1 away win against FK Partizan. He saved Cléo's second penalty of the game in the second half to deny FK Partizan a lifeline. He later turned Ivica Iliev's effort around the post from point-blank range just before the final whistle. Arsène Wenger later commented that Fabiański had a "faultless" game and they finally saw the player who they usually see in training.
He kept his first clean sheet in a win over Manchester City where he made many saves in a game that ended 3-0. He was later named man of the match, on an Arsenal.com poll, after a brilliant display to keep Arsenal in the game. After the City game, Wenger admitted that he could well become the club's number one goalkeeper, after impressive displays in the games since the Partizan match.On 7 November 2010, Fabiański was widely criticised for an error that lead to the only goal as Arsenal lost at home to Newcastle.
However, he produced a strong display to keep a clean sheet in the next Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which he managed to prevent a draw with a last-minute save, and then initiating a counter-attack with a long throw of the ball that lead to another Arsenal goal. After the Wolverhampton match, Arsenal played Everton, where Fabiański received the man of the match award from Sky Sports. Arsène Wenger has publicly stated that Łukasz Fabiański can become one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Fabiański was injured for Arsenal's crucial match with Manchester United but returned for the equally important match with London rivals Chelsea, making many crucial saves in helping Arsenal to win 3–1.On 5 January 2011, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury as he was warming up with the help of Wojciech Szczęsny which ruled him out for the rest of the 2010-11 season.
LUKASZ FABIANSKI PROFILE
Full name: LUKASZ FABIANSKIDate of birth: 18 April 1985
Place of birth: Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland
Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position: Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club: Arsenal
Number: 21
Youth career
1999–2000 Polonia Słubice
2000–2001 MSP Szamotuły
2001–2002 Lubuszanin Drezdenko
2002–2003 Sparta Brodnica
2003–2004 Mieszko Gniezno
Senior career
2004–2005 Lech Poznań 0 (0)
2005–2007 Legia Warszawa 53 (0)
2007– Arsenal 27 (0)
National team
2006– Poland 18 (0)
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