Michał Gurgul

Michał Gurgul (born 30 January 2006) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań.

Early career
At the age of 5, Gurgul joined the Jarocin branch of Akademia Piłkarska Reissa. In 2017, he joined Lech Poznań's youth system.

With Gurgul as a regular in the starting line-up, Lech's U19 team won the 2022–23 Central Junior League title.

Senior level
Gurgul made his senior debut for Lech Poznań II on 28 February 2023 in a 2–0 league win against Radunia Stężyca. Less than two weeks later, on 12 March 2023, he made his first appearance for the senior team as a substitute in a 1–1 Ekstraklasa draw against Piast Gliwice. Two days later, it was announced he had signed a new three-year deal with the club.

On 30 April 2023, he was named in Lech's starting line-up for a league home game against Górnik Zabrze, which ended in a 0–1 loss.

In September 2023, following international break, he replaced Elias Andersson as the first-choice left-back in the team's line-up and started in every Ekstraklasa game played by Lech that month. On 28 September, Gurgul scored his first professional goal in a 4–1 win against defending champions Raków Częstochowa, levelling the score from close range in the 6th minute.

International career
Gurgul received his first call-up to the Poland U14s in 2019. At the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, he appeared in all five games played by the under-17 team as they reached the semi-finals and secured a spot at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

He then made his debut for the under-18s as a substitute in a friendly against Croatia on 6 September 2023.

He was part of the squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, and appeared in all three games played in the tournament by the Polish U17s.