Bartosz Grzelak

Bartosz Grzelak
Personal information
Full name Bartosz Piotr Grzelak
Date of birth (1978-11-02) 2 November 1978
Place of birth Szczecin, Poland
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Cracovia (manager)
Youth career
1983–1991 Vasalund
1992–1993 Brommapojkarna
1996 AIK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Brommapojkarna
1997 AIK 1 (0)
1998–2004 Vallentuna
2005–2006 Nybergsund
2007 Frej
2007 Valsta Syrianska
2008–2011 Frej 73 (12)
International career
1996 Sweden U19 7 (0)
Managerial career
2012–2017 Frej
2020–2022 AIK
2023–2024 Fehérvár
2024–2025 Újpest
2026– Cracovia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bartosz Piotr Grzelak (born 2 November 1978) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Born in Poland, he represented Sweden at youth international level. He is currently the manager of Ekstraklasa club Cracovia.

Playing career

Grzelak made his sole Allsvenskan appearance for AIK on 26 October 1997 in a 1997 Allsvenskan game against Malmö FF when he replaced Johan Mjällby in the last couple of minutes of the game.[1] He was also a Sweden U19 international, appearing in seven games in 1996.[2]

Managerial career

In 2009, Grzelak became playing assistant manager of the small suburban Stockholm club IK Frej when they played in division 2 (fourth tier). He became head coach and sporting director for the club in 2012 when the club was playing in Division 1 Norra (third tier). In 2014, Frej won promotion to Superettan for the first time in club history. The team finished 14th in their debut season (2015) but retained their place after winning the relegation play-offs. In 2016, IK Frej finished in 10th place — their best-ever league finish. Grzelak left the club in the summer of 2017 to join AIK’s coaching staff.

In June 2017, he joined Allsvenskan side AIK as an assistant manager to Rikard Norling. The team finished second behind Malmö FF in the 2017 Allsvenskan. In the 2018 season, AIK won the league, becoming Swedish champions for the 12th time.

In December 2018, he was appointed assistant manager of the Sweden national under-21 team.[3]

In July 2020, he was appointed as AIK's new head coach,[4] following the dismissal of Norling. At the time, the team was in 12th place in Allsvenskan. After a strong second half of the season, AIK finished in 9th place. In the 2021 season, AIK finished second, level on points with Malmö FF, who won the title on goal difference.

In August 2022, Grzelak was dismissed as the head coach of AIK after a string of poor performances in August, including a 3–0 defeat away against 1. FC Slovácko in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round, as well as a 1–0 defeat against Kalmar FF and a 2–2 draw against IFK Värnamo in Allsvenskan.[5] At the time, AIK were in 5th place in Allsvenskan.

Fehérvár

In March 2023, Grzelak became the head coach of Hungarian side Fehérvár.[6][7][8] With ten games left in the 2022–23 season and the club sitting in the relegation zone, Grzelak led the team to safety. In the 2023–24 season, Fehérvár finished fourth in the league, securing qualification for the UEFA Conference League.

Újpest

On 14 June 2024, he was appointed as the manager of Újpest. He debuted with a 2–1 defeat against Puskás Akadémia in the first round of the 2024–25 Nemzeti Bajnokság I at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion.[9] After a disappointing start to the spring phase of the 2025 season, the club announced on 3 May 2025 that he had left his position by mutual consent.

Cracovia

On 20 April 2026, Grzelak took over as Polish Ekstraklasa club Cracovia's manager after agreeing to a two-year deal. He replaced Luka Elsner, who had left them in 13th in the league table, three points above the relegation zone.[10]

Personal life

Grzelak was born in Szczecin, Polish People's Republic, to Polish parents before moving to Sweden at the age of four.[1]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 21 August 2026
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nation From To Record
G W D L Win %
IK Frej Sweden 1 January 2012 25 June 2017 167654359038.92
AIK Sweden 31 July 2020 18 August 2022 80411821051.25
Fehérvár Hungary 1 March 2023 30 June 2024 44181115040.91
Újpest Hungary 14 June 2024 3 May 2025 34111211032.35
Cracovia Poland 20 April 2026 Present 10271020.00
Total 33513791107040.90

References

  1. 1 2 "500 AIK:are - Bartosz Grzelak". www.aik.se. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bartosz Grzelak - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Bartosz Grzelak assisterar Roland Nilsson" (in Swedish). Svenska Fotbollförbundet. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Bartosz Grzelak ny chefstränare i AIK Fotboll" (in Swedish). AIK Fotboll. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Förändringar i herrlagets ledarstab" (in Swedish). AIK Fotboll. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  6. ↑ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Fehérvár: megvan az egyezség Bartosz Grzelakkal, éjjel érkezik Magy". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  7. ↑ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "NB I: megvan a Fehérvár új vezetőedzője - NSO". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "Bartosz Grzelak a Vidi új vezetőedzője!". www.molfehervarfc.hu. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Öt percen belül három gól – nyert a Puskás Akadémia az Újpest otthonában". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 28 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  10. ↑ Galiński, Tomasz (20 April 2026). "Wszystko jasne. Oto nowy trener Cracovii". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 20 April 2026.
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