Thiago Cionek

Thiago Rangel Cionek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈtjaɡɔ ˈtɕɔnɛk], Brazilian Portuguese: [tʃiˈagu ˈtʃonek(i)]; born 21 April 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Italian Serie C Group C club Avellino. Born in Brazil, he played for the Poland national team.

Club career

Born in Curitiba, Paraná, Cionek began his career with local Cuiabá Esporte Clube. He moved to Europe for a brief spell at Portugal's GD Bragança before returning to Brazil with Clube de Regatas Brasil.

In 2008, Cionek went back to Europe, playing four seasons with Jagiellonia Białystok in his ancestral Poland. The team won the 2009–10 Polish Cup and the 2010 Polish Super Cup.

He then had a year in the Italian Serie B with Padova Calcio, before signing for another club from the same division, Modena FC on 2 September 2013. On 11 January 2016, he joined his third Italian club, US Città di Palermo of Serie A. Two years later, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, he was sold to SPAL of the same league on a 21⁄2-year contract.

On 28 September 2020, he signed a three-year contract with Serie B club Reggina.

On 9 August 2023, Serie C side Avellino announced the signing of Cionek on a two-year contract.

International career

While having been born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil, Cionek's family is of Polish descent and he therefore applied for Polish citizenship, which he received in October 2011. Cionek made his international debut for the Poland national team on 13 May 2014, starting in a goalless friendly draw against Germany in Hamburg. Cionek then was called up by Poland's national team to play in the 2016 European Championship in France.

In May 2018 he was named in Poland's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 19 June in Poland's initial World Cup match against Senegal, Cionek scored an own goal that opened a 2–1 loss.