He was 11 years old when he heard a scream. His mother died in his arms. “This tragedy changed everything”

Jakub Błaszczykowski was born on December 14, 1985. He is a recognized athlete, achieving many successes, as well as a father and husband. He rarely talks about his private life and not everyone knows that at the age of 11 he experienced a huge tragedy. He told about it himself only years later.

What happened to Błaszczykowski’s mother? She died in front of her 11-year-old son

Many people remember Kuba Błaszyczkowski’s characteristic gesture after each goal he scores. It’s about raising your finger towards the sky. Not everyone knows that it is a dedication to my mother, who died on August 13, 1996. – It’s a symbolic gesture. My thanks for the goals go to my mother, who has been dead for over 15 years – he confessed in 2012 in an interview with “”.

Jakub Błaszczykowski Jakub Błaszczykowski, Photo. Jakub Porzycki / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Jakub Błaszczykowski lived with his parents and his brother Dawid, who was three years older than him, in the village of Truskolasy near Częstochowa. Mother Anna was a saleswoman in a grocery store, and father Zygmunt was a physical education teacher.

I’m playing with blocks, the window is open, and suddenly I hear a conversation. I know who’s talking, I’m frozen, and I can hear them arguing. And I hear: ‘What a f*** you have!’ And shout: “Aaah!” I ran out as I stood. And I see my mother lying in a ditch, and I see my father leaving. I came back home and shouted: “Mom is lying in a ditch.” (…) I took her hand and my two or three fingers fell into the wound. That’s when I knew it wasn’t good. I think my mother died in my arms. She took her last three breaths and nothing happened. Silence. I ran in my socks, because I didn’t even put my shoes on, to call an ambulance. When I came back, everyone was already there. And then it was all there for me. I was stunned. There is nothing. I do not remember anything

– he confessed in his autobiography “Kuba” from 2015.

Jakub was raised by his grandmother and uncle. Despite his suffering, he went to his father’s funeral

Błaszczykowski’s father went to prison, and Jakub was in shock. For many days he did not eat, did not get up, did not talk and stopped going to football training. – This tragedy changed everything in my life. She blocked me and discouraged me from many things. I even stopped growing for a few years, in the eighth grade I was only 152 centimeters. Fortunately, it evened out later. But thanks to this, I had to mature faster and become independent. It toughened me up – he said in an interview for “Viva”.

After his mother’s death, his grandmother Felicja and uncle Jerzy Brzęczek took care of Jakub’s upbringing. It was they who convinced him to return to training. – Jurek was like a father to me then. I lived with my grandmother, my uncle traveled around the world with his teams, but he often called us. When I misbehaved, talking to him always set me straight –

He did not want to have contact with his father, but when he died on May 23, 2012, he went to his hometown of Truskolas for the funeral. – At first I didn’t want to go back to it. As if I was ashamed of it. I wanted to forget about it, run away from it. But there are some things you just can’t escape from. One of my uncles once told me that I had to forgive like Jesus forgave. It was the worst thing for me. When I heard this, I was 15 or 16 years old, I was terribly rebellious and full of hatred. Now I approach it a little differently. I’m trying, but I don’t think I’ll ever understand it. For the rest of my life, I will be left with the question: why? But now I’m not mentally ready to look for answers – he confessed in the “Niepokonani” program.

If you are experiencing difficulties, remember that you can use the free help numbers:

• Support Center for Adults in Mental Crisis: 800-70-2222
• Helpline for Children and Youth: 116 111
• Emotional support phone number for adults: 116 123