Polish footballer (born 1981)
Ireneusz Jele?
(
Polish pronunciation:
[ir??n?u?
?j?l??]
ⓘ
; born 9 April 1981) is a Polish
footballer
who plays as a
right-winger
or
striker
for
Piast Cieszyn
.
Club career
[
edit
]
Jele? was born in
Cieszyn
. From 2002 to 2006 he played for
Ekstraklasa
side
Wisła Płock
. In four seasons, he scored 45 goals in 100 appearances in the Polish top league.
On 28 June 2006, Jele? moved to French
Ligue 1
club
Auxerre
. On 9 September 2006, Jele? scored his first league goal for Auxerre against
Monaco
. On 20 October 2007, he grabbed his first hat-trick, after coming off the bench in the 71st minute against
Lorient
. In his first couple of seasons at Auxerre, Jele? was plagued with recurring back problems. In October 2008, he suffered a broken collarbone. He returned to action in late January 2009.
[2]
Auxerre's manager
Jean Fernandez
has described Jele? as the player in his squad having the most ability in front of goal.
[3]
Prior to his return, Auxerre was in 17th place, barely above the relegation zone.
[4]
Upon his return, Jele? scored 11 goals in 16 league matches, with Auxerre advancing to 8th in the table. Despite missing part of the season, Jelen tied for 4th in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts. In May 2009, he was voted Auxerre's Player of the Season, garnering 79% of the votes.
[5]
In July 2009,
France Football
ranked him 4th among strikers and 15th overall among footballers playing in Ligue 1.
[6]
[7]
In December 2009, he was voted Polish Player of the Year.
[8]
During the
2009?10 season
, he helped Auxerre to finish third in the league and win a place in the
2010?11 UEFA Champions League Play-off round
. He finished fifth in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 14 goals, despite missing some matches due to injury. Auxerre lost only once with Jele? in the line up, 0?5 at
Grenoble
on 6 February 2010.
Jele? signed a contract as a free agent with
Lille
at the end of August, after his contract with Auxerre expired.
[9]
After refusing to move to
Stade Brest
, he was soon left without a club. He returned to Poland and signed for
Ekstraklasa
side
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała
but after a poor half of the season he was released. After a short stint at
Gornik Zabrze
, where he left due to his father's illness he finished his career at the local club he started his career with,
Piast Cieszyn
, before eventually retiring in 2014.
Since 2019, Jele? has been playing for Piast Cieszyn at amateur level, where he also serves as the club's chairman.
[10]
International career
[
edit
]
As of October 2011, Jele? has 28
caps
with the
Polish national team
. He was selected for the 23-man squad that took part in the
2006 FIFA World Cup
finals in Germany and played in all three of the
Group A
games, almost scoring with an impressive left foot shot that hit the crossbar against
Ecuador
in their 2?0 defeat. His
trademarks
are speed and acceleration.
[11]
Jelen failed to make Poland's squad for their upcoming
Euro 2012
campaign, however he was placed on standby.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Jele? was born the middle of three children, having an older sister and a younger brother. He and his wife, Anna, have a son, Jakub, born in 2003, and a daughter, Julia, born in January 2010.
[12]
Career statistics
[
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]
Club
[
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]
- As of 2 June 2013
International goals
[
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]
Honours
[
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]
Wisła Płock
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]