# Piotr Zieliński
**Piotr Sebastian Zieliński** (born 1994 in Ząbkowice Śląskie) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for [Serie A](https://www.edgepedia.org/serie-a) club [Inter Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/inter-milan) and the Poland national team, which he captained in 2025[1](https://www.xn--meb.pisz.pl/Piotr_Zieli%C5%84ski). He developed as a footballer in Poland before joining Udinese at 17, made his Serie A debut there, spent two seasons on loan at Empoli, then played eight seasons at Napoli before moving to Inter in 2024[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Poland[1](https://www.xn--meb.pisz.pl/Piotr_Zieli%C5%84ski) |
| Position | Midfielder; has played as deep-lying playmaker, box-to-box midfielder, and left-sided central midfielder[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski) • [3](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/piotr-zielinski-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics) |
| Club career | Udinese 2011–2016 (loan Empoli 2014–2016), Napoli 2016–2024 (281 apps, 37 goals), Inter from 2024[1](https://www.xn--meb.pisz.pl/Piotr_Zieli%C5%84ski) • [2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski) |
| Major honors | Scudetto 2023 with Napoli; Scudetto and Coppa Italia (the Double) with Inter in 2025/26[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski) |
| Poland | 87 caps, 12 goals, 15 assists since 2014; captain from 2025[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national/career) • [5](https://pzpn.pl/reprezentacje/reprezentacja-a/aktualnosci/2025-06-08/piotr-zielinski-nowym-kapitanem-reprezentacji-polski) |
| Inter 2025/26 | 34 Serie A appearances, 6 goals[6](https://www.inter.it/en/archivio_giocatore/G1138) |
| Physical | 1.80 m, 76 kg[7](https://en.legaseriea.it/players/piotr-sebastian-zielinski/statistics) |
## Early career: Zaglebie Lubin, Udinese, and Empoli
Zieliński grew up as a footballer in Poland at Zaglebie Lubin before Udinese signed him in 2011, when he was 17, and he played in the club's Primavera youth ranks before reaching the first team[8](https://www.pzpn.pl/public/system/files/publikacje/149/5478-PROGRAM%20MECZOWY%20CZERWIEC%202023.pdf) • [2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski). First-team opportunities at Udinese were limited: in 2013/14 he was restricted to 127 minutes of Serie A action over 10 games, after a previous campaign in which he made nine league appearances including four starts[9](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/01/piotr-zielinski-the-polish-midfielder-on-liverpools-summer-transfer-radar/).
A two-season loan at Empoli changed his trajectory. After an average 2014/15, he started 35 times in 2015/16, scored five goals as Empoli finished tenth, and was named in the Serie A team of the season alongside [Paul Pogba](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-pogba) and Miralem Pjanic, the only player from a club outside the top six to be selected[10](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/06/piotr-zielinski-polish-journalist-gives-the-lowdown-on-liverpools-transfer-target/). Across the two loan seasons he played 66 times and scored five goals[10](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/06/piotr-zielinski-polish-journalist-gives-the-lowdown-on-liverpools-transfer-target/). That form drew a £9.5 million bid from Liverpool in June 2016, and he spoke openly of his desire to work under [Jürgen Klopp](https://www.edgepedia.org/jurgen-klopp), though he also said he would be happy to remain in Italy[10](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/06/piotr-zielinski-polish-journalist-gives-the-lowdown-on-liverpools-transfer-target/). Napoli signed him in the summer of 2016[11](https://as.com/us/us/2017/02/07/futbol/1486476194_874996.html).
## Napoli, 2016–2024
At Napoli, Zieliński established himself as one of Serie A's finest midfielders over eight seasons, winning his first Scudetto in 2023[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski). His club tally there stands at 281 appearances and 37 goals[1](https://www.xn--meb.pisz.pl/Piotr_Zieli%C5%84ski). In November 2022, on reaching 300 matches for the club, he had scored 44 goals: 32 in Serie A, 5 in the Champions League, 6 in the Europa League, and 1 in the [Coppa Italia](https://www.edgepedia.org/coppa-italia)[12](https://sscnapoli.it/zielinski-300-partite-con-la-maglia-del-napoli/).
Tactically he settled on the left side of a midfield three. A 2019/20 scout report found he had played nearly all his minutes as a left central midfielder, and in [Maurizio Sarri](https://www.edgepedia.org/maurizio-sarri)'s 4-3-3 he had deputised on that flank for [Marek Hamšík](https://www.edgepedia.org/marek-hamsik)[3](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/piotr-zielinski-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics) • [13](https://as.com/us/2018/02/16/futbol/1518792144_861932.html). Under [Luciano Spalletti](https://www.edgepedia.org/luciano-spalletti)'s title-winning side he and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa roamed into advanced spaces ahead of the holding Stanislav Lobotka[14](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-83-April-2023.pdf). His value was recognized early: in February 2017, Italian reporting placed a €70 million release clause on a 22-year-old already a regular in Sarri's Napoli, with Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea linked[11](https://as.com/us/us/2017/02/07/futbol/1486476194_874996.html).
His contract ran to June 2024, and he left as a free agent.
## Inter Milan
Inzaghi did not use him as a regista, the deep-lying playmaker role he sometimes filled for Poland; the coach preferred him as a mezzala, an interior midfielder, with Çalhanoğlu and Asllani available in the deep role[15](https://www.goal.com/it/liste/inzaghi-zielinski-ruolo-mezzala-regista-inter/bltbddc7b43eae5fce2). His first season was difficult, and Polish reporting in September 2025 described his role as shrinking rather than growing in his second year[16](https://weszlo.com/2025/09/30/piotr-zielinski-inter-mediolan-analiza/).
Under [Cristian Chivu](https://www.edgepedia.org/cristian-chivu) the picture reversed. Italian coverage called him one of the surprises of the early 2025/26 season and the season's revelation at Appiano Gentile, delivering the Napoli version of himself in both the regista and mezzala roles, with goals including the 3-2 winner against Juventus[17](https://www.fcinter1908.it/ultimora/zielinski-stoccata-inzaghi-parole-vere-meta/) • [18](https://www.ilgiorno.it/milano/sport/inter/pagelle-scudetto-chfpqf35-sck/5). During that championship season, his second with the Nerazzurri, Zieliński stood out as a key figure in the Double, contributing decisively to Inter's triumphs in the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia.[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski) His Serie A numbers for 2025/26 were 34 appearances and 6 goals[6](https://www.inter.it/en/archivio_giocatore/G1138), and across all competitions he scored 8 goals with 4 assists in 50 appearances[19](https://tactix.football/player/p-zielinski/2025-26).
## Poland national team
Zieliński debuted for Poland in 2014 and has since earned 87 caps with 12 goals and 15 assists[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national/career). He played at the 2016 European Championship, the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Euro 2020, and Euro 2024[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national/career). At Euro 2024 he wore the number 10 and captained Poland in the opening match against the Netherlands in [Robert Lewandowski](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-lewandowski)'s absence through injury[20](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/EURO/2024/2036167_LU.pdf) • [21](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/06/16/euro-2024-avant-d-affronter-l-equipe-de-france-les-pays-bas-confortent-leur-statut-de-trouble-fete-contre-la-pologne_6240804_3242.html).
In 2025 he started all six of his Poland appearances, scoring two goals and delivering two assists[22](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national).
## Style of play
Zieliński's game is built on technique and game management rather than physicality. Inter's official profile describes a midfield maestro capable of performing virtually any role in the middle of the pitch, and he has been deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, a box-to-box midfielder, and an attacking midfielder[2](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski). Scouting from his Empoli years described a player who receives the ball in deep positions before advancing with short one-twos or a dribble, equally comfortable spraying longer balls, with quick feet and comfort in possession that let him evade opponents in crowded midfield areas[10](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/06/piotr-zielinski-polish-journalist-gives-the-lowdown-on-liverpools-transfer-target/).
His standing among peers is high.
## References
1. [Piotr Zieliński, Encyklopedia internetowa](https://www.xn--meb.pisz.pl/Piotr_Zieli%C5%84ski)
2. [Piotr Zieliński: stats, news and career, Inter.it](https://www.inter.it/en/teams/first-team/player/piotr-zielinski)
3. [Piotr Zieliński 2019/20 – scout report, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/piotr-zielinski-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics)
4. [Piotr Zielinski International Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national/career)
5. [Piotr Zieliński nowym kapitanem reprezentacji Polski, PZPN](https://pzpn.pl/reprezentacje/reprezentacja-a/aktualnosci/2025-06-08/piotr-zielinski-nowym-kapitanem-reprezentacji-polski)
6. [Piotr Zielinski | Players | Inter first team, Inter.it archive](https://www.inter.it/en/archivio_giocatore/G1138)
7. [Piotr Sebastian Zielinski statistics, Lega Serie A](https://en.legaseriea.it/players/piotr-sebastian-zielinski/statistics)
8. [Program meczowy czerwiec 2023, PZPN](https://www.pzpn.pl/public/system/files/publikacje/149/5478-PROGRAM%20MECZOWY%20CZERWIEC%202023.pdf)
9. [Piotr Zielinski: The Polish midfielder on Liverpool's summer transfer radar, This Is Anfield](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/01/piotr-zielinski-the-polish-midfielder-on-liverpools-summer-transfer-radar/)
10. [Piotr Zielinski: Polish journalist gives the lowdown on Liverpool's transfer target, This Is Anfield](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/06/piotr-zielinski-polish-journalist-gives-the-lowdown-on-liverpools-transfer-target/)
11. [En Italia ubican a Zielinski en el radar del Real Madrid, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2017/02/07/futbol/1486476194_874996.html)
12. [Zielinski, 300 partite con la maglia del Napoli, SSC Napoli](https://sscnapoli.it/zielinski-300-partite-con-la-maglia-del-napoli/)
13. [James vs Zielinski: ¿Diferentes los '10' de Colombia y Polonia?, AS](https://as.com/us/2018/02/16/futbol/1518792144_861932.html)
14. [Total Football Analysis Magazine 83, April 2023](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-83-April-2023.pdf)
15. [Inzaghi sul ruolo di Zielinski all'Inter, Goal.com Italia](https://www.goal.com/it/liste/inzaghi-zielinski-ruolo-mezzala-regista-inter/bltbddc7b43eae5fce2)
16. [Zieliński zniknął z mapy w Mediolanie, Weszło](https://weszlo.com/2025/09/30/piotr-zielinski-inter-mediolan-analiza/)
17. [Zielinski e la stoccata ad Inzaghi, FC Inter 1908](https://www.fcinter1908.it/ultimora/zielinski-stoccata-inzaghi-parole-vere-meta/)
18. [Piotr Zelinski: 8,5, Il Giorno](https://www.ilgiorno.it/milano/sport/inter/pagelle-scudetto-chfpqf35-sck/5)
19. [Piotr Zieliński stats 2025/26, TACTIX](https://tactix.football/player/p-zielinski/2025-26)
20. [Tactical Line-ups, Poland vs Netherlands, UEFA EURO 2024](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/EURO/2024/2036167_LU.pdf)
21. [Euro 2024: les Pays-Bas confortent leur statut de trouble-fête contre la Pologne, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/06/16/euro-2024-avant-d-affronter-l-equipe-de-france-les-pays-bas-confortent-leur-statut-de-trouble-fete-contre-la-pologne_6240804_3242.html)
22. [Piotr Zielinski International Career, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/4674/piotr-zielinski/national)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license