Two-time Hero Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC have signed Polish striker Lukasz Gikiewicz on one-year deal ahead of the upcoming Hero ISL season. The centre-forward is the fifth foreign signing for Marina Machans.
Lukasz Gikiewicz, the Polish striker, who has got 200-plus appearances for his name in professional football with 49 goals and 21 assists to show for, will be eager to make his mark in his debut campaign in the Indian top-flight.
“We look forward to Lukasz strengthening our attack and providing much-needed goals this season. This is a very positive signing for us,” said Chennaiyin FC’s co-owner Vita Dani.
Lukasz has also played in other Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Bahrain. He had finished top scorer of the 2017-18 Jordanian Pro League while playing for Al-Faisaly Amman.
“I am very happy to join the club. My aim is to immediately help the team in getting a third ISL title. The fans deserve it and so does the club that has won the league two times already,” Lukasz told the club’s media team.
The Polish striker has featured in two of the world’s biggest club tournaments, the Europa League and the Champions League, making a combined 12 appearances. During his spell at Polish outfit Slask Wroclow, he played a crucial role in the club’s second league title in 2011-12 and also helped them lift the Polish Super Cup in the next year.
“Lukasz is a team player with good experience and a great personality. I believe he will help the team in many aspects, especially with goals,” Marina Machans’ head coach Bozidar Bandovic commented.
After beginning his professional career 13 years ago with Polish club Olimpia Elblag, Lukasz, now thirty-three, has also played in Cyrpus, Bulgaria and Romania.
Let’s hope the centre-forward who is also a descendant of Robert Lewandowski’s nation, will be able to gift a season to all Chennaiyin FC fans, worth remembering.
