Smolarek: Dortmund move paved way for Polish stars

More than 25 years after making his professional debut, Euzebiusz ‘Ebi’ Smolarek has reflected on his career at Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund, his relationship with the late Leo Beenhakker and the role he played in helping other Polish players move to Germany.

Smolarek, now 45, was born and raised in the Netherlands while his father, Wlodzimierz ‘Wlodi’ Smolarek, played for and later coached at Feyenoord. Ebi joined the club’s academy at the age of 12.

“Feyenoord is a club that always wants to win,” he told Flashscore. “When I walked past De Kuip, my goal was always to play at least one match there. I managed that.”

His father played for Feyenoord from 1988 to 1990 and returned as a youth coach in 2000, remaining for a decade. That created both pride and pressure for his son.

“It was nice, but it wasn’t easy,” Smolarek said. “The Smolarek name already meant something, a player from the academy, and my dad was working with the youth teams.”

Bert van Marwijk gave Smolarek his professional debut in 2000, and he made 80 appearances and scored 13 goals during five years at the club. He also won the UEFA Cup, the last European trophy won by a Dutch club.

When Van Marwijk left for Borussia Dortmund and Ruud Gullit took charge at Feyenoord, Smolarek made only three appearances during Gullit’s first six months. He joined Dortmund on loan in January 2005 before completing a permanent €750,000 transfer that summer.

“I wasn’t afraid,” he said. “I started well, played against Wolfsburg and scored a goal, even though Borussia was going through a difficult time. I scored my first goal, then my second, third and fourth.”

The forward quickly became popular with the club’s supporters. He made 87 appearances and scored 26 goals for Dortmund, where he felt his willingness to work for the team connected him with the Yellow Wall.

“Those fans - I knew I had to give them joy,” Smolarek said. “I’d give everything for them. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but always together.”

He remains close to the club and is invited to matches, saying the relationship “feels like family”.

Smolarek left Dortmund for Racing Santander in August 2007, a decision he now regrets. He said he had no agent at the time because his father handled his affairs, and that he did not understand how the transfer had been arranged.

“If I could do it again, I wouldn’t have left at that time,” he said. “I would have waited and talked to the coach to see whether he wanted me or if it was just the club owner.”

He added: “If there had been an association like this back then that could have analysed the contract and explained it to me, then I would never have signed that contract in Spain.”

Smolarek’s success also encouraged Dortmund to examine the Polish market. Jakub Blaszczykowski joined after him, followed by Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski. All three became important players under Jurgen Klopp as Dortmund won German league titles and reached the 2013 Champions League final.

Smolarek said Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc asked him informally about Polish football and players, including Blaszczykowski.

“I said we definitely had some talented players,” he recalled. “They were looking for players who might not cost too much but had talent. Later, they had three such players from Poland.”

Beenhakker relationship

Smolarek was an established Poland player by Euro 2008, after a successful qualifying campaign had raised expectations for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Poland lost 2-0 to Germany, drew 1-1 with Austria and ended their campaign with a 1-0 defeat by Croatia. They finished with one point and failed to reach the knockout stage.

Smolarek believes preparation, rather than media pressure, was the main problem. He had played 34 matches for Racing Santander and felt exhausted, but said the squad continued with two intense training sessions every day.

“I said several times that I felt tired,” he said. “Players who had played the entire season needed some rest or tactical training, not just fitness or endurance work.”

He also felt Beenhakker changed the system and team selection too much.

“We weren’t playing the style we used to play,” Smolarek said. “The coach changed the system, and later he admitted it might have been a mistake.”

Despite their disagreements, Smolarek praised Beenhakker, who died in April 2025, describing him as a major footballing figure who had coached Real Madrid and leading Dutch clubs.

“He was a great figure,” Smolarek said. “He emphasised passing to your team-mate’s dominant foot to keep the game moving. Tactically, we were very well positioned.”

Their relationship was tested after Smolarek was left out against Slovenia. Following a World Cup qualifier against San Marino, in which he scored, he celebrated by pretending to be injured.

“It was a little ‘flick to the nose’ for him,” he said. “I had to apologise in the dressing room later, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

Smolarek said his greatest pride came from representing Poland and the joy he brought supporters in Warsaw, Lodz, Gdansk and Poznan.

“Maybe I retired too early, but I was really proud of the matches I played,” he said. “I played in many places; no one can take that away from me.”