Bartlomiej Smolarczyk

Bartłomiej Smolarczyk credited coach Piotr Dziewicki and his family with helping him through a difficult period at Pogoń Szczecin as a youth player, and he stayed the course — a decision that eventually took him from regional football in Poland to the Eerste Divisie and, in July 2024, to Korona Kielce.

His senior career began at Ząbkovia Ząbki, where he made 44 appearances and scored three goals across the 2021–2022 seasons in the IV liga and III liga, helping the club win the IV Liga Masovia title in 2020–21. That form earned him a move abroad in August 2022 to FC Dordrecht in the Netherlands, where he made 33 league appearances. Smolarczyk has said the spell in the Netherlands sharpened his technical game, even if game time was not always guaranteed given Dordrecht's partnership with Feyenoord.

He joined Korona Kielce on a permanent transfer in July 2024, signing a contract to June 2027 with a club option for a further year. A centre-back known for his physical strength and aerial presence, he netted what he described as a "beautiful goal" against Zagłębie Lubin in the 2025/26 season.

Smolarczyk has represented Poland at youth level and was named in the U21 squad for Euro 2025 qualifying, though he was later cut from the final list; he is yet to win a senior cap. Football runs in the family — his father, Maciej Smolarczyk, was also a professional player and trained at Legia Warszawa.