Michał Sławomir Helik (born 9 September 1995) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Huddersfield Town. He has previously played for Ruch Chorzów, Cracovia and Barnsley.

Michał Helik
Helik in 2018 playing for Cracovia
Personal information
Full name Michał Sławomir Helik[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-09) 9 September 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Chorzów, Poland
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Huddersfield Town
Number 5
Youth career
0000–2013 Ruch Chorzów
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Ruch Chorzów 46 (1)
2017–2020 Cracovia 88 (9)
2020–2022 Barnsley 81 (6)
2022– Huddersfield Town 81 (11)
International career
2021 Poland 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:40, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Born in Chorzów, Helik started his career at Ruch Chorzów where he made 46 Ekstraklasa appearances and scored one goal.[2] On 9 June 2017, it was announced that Helik would join fellow Ekstraklasa side Cracovia on a contract valid from 1 July.[3] Over three seasons at Cracovia, he appeared in 88 league matches and scored nine goals.[2]

On 9 September 2020, Helik joined Championship club Barnsley on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[4][5] He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City on 17 October 2020.[6]

On 1 September 2022, Helik signed for Championship side Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal, with an optional fourth year.[7]

International career

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Helik debuted for the Poland national team in a 3–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification tie with Hungary on 25 March 2021.[8]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 4 May 2024[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ruch Chorzów 2013–14 Ekstraklasa 8 0 0 0 8 0
2014–15 Ekstraklasa 18 1 0 0 4[c] 0 22 1
2015–16 Ekstraklasa 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Ekstraklasa 20 0 0 0 20 0
Total 46 1 0 0 4 0 50 1
Cracovia 2017–18 Ekstraklasa 32 8 2 0 34 8
2018–19 Ekstraklasa 32 0 2 1 34 1
2019–20 Ekstraklasa 23 1 5 1 2[c] 0 30 2
2020–21 Ekstraklasa 1 0 1 0 1[c] 0 3 0
Total 88 9 10 2 3 0 101 11
Barnsley 2020–21 Championship 45[d] 5 3 1 1 0 49 6
2021–22 Championship 38 1 1 0 1 0 40 1
Total 83 6 4 1 2 0 89 7
Huddersfield Town 2022–23 Championship 36 2 1 0 0 0 37 2
2023–24 Championship 41 9 1 0 0 0 42 9
Total 77 11 2 0 0 0 79 11
Career total 294 27 16 3 2 0 7 0 319 30
  1. ^ Includes Polish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Includes two appearances in Championship play-offs

International

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As of match played 12 October 2021
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Poland 2021 7 0
Total 7 0

Honours

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Cracovia

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Barnsley" (PDF). English Football League. p. 4. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Michał Helik at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. ^ Żukowski, Jacek (9 June 2017). "Michał Helik będzie grał w Cracovii". Gazeta Krakowska (in Polish). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Michal Helik Signs For The Reds!". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk. Barnsley F.C. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Barnsley sign Polish defender Helik". BBC Sport. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Barnsley 2–2 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  7. ^ "SIGNING: MICHAŁ HELIK JOINS TOWN!". Huddersfield Town AFC. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Match Report of Hungary vs Poland - 2021-03-25 - WC Qualification". Global Sports Archive. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Rozdano nagrody w Ekstraklasie za sezon 2017/18" (in Polish). 90minut. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  10. ^ Helik is your Player of the Season! Barnsley Football Club (www.barnsleyfc.co.uk), Retrieved 08 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Michał Helik named Hargreaves Memorial Player of the Year". Huddersfield Town AFC. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.