Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zieliński has won the Best Polish Footballer 2025/26 award, breaking years of dominance by striker Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski finished second in the voting organized by the Polish Footballers' Association, while Bartosz Nowak of GKS Katowice placed third. Players competing in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Betclic 1 Liga and Betclic 2 Liga chose the winner.
Performance and voting details
Zieliński helped Inter Milan win both the Italian championship and the Italian Cup to complete a domestic double. According to pzp.info.pl, Zieliński played 48 matches across all competitions, scoring seven goals and recording four assists. He scored six of those goals in Serie A, where his long-range shots were signature moments of his season.
Lewandowski, who is considered the best Polish footballer in history, had previously collected many individual awards alongside Polish championship, Polish Cup and Polish Supercup titles, as well as trophies in Germany, Spain and the Champions League. However, he endured a difficult season at FC Barcelona after an injury and losing his starting spot to Ferran Torres. He subsequently left the club to join Chicago Fire, where he has already started scoring goals.
Euzebiusz Smolarek, chairman of the board of the Polish Footballers' Association, said Zieliński has long been one of Poland's most valued footballers. Smolarek noted that the selection carries extra meaning because fellow players made the choice, showing a desire among professionals to recognize another outstanding national team member. He congratulated Zieliński and women's award winner Ewa Pajor, adding that he was glad the best players are judged on their on-field quality.
Women's award results
Ewa Pajor was named Best Polish Female Footballer after receiving more than 70 percent of all votes. Players from all 12 clubs in the ORLEN Ekstraliga Kobiet voted in the poll. Second place went to Paulina Tomasiak of GKS Górnik Łęczna, and Patrycja Sarapata of KKS Czarni Antrans Sosnowiec finished third.
