Marcin Bułka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmart͡ɕin ˈbuwka]; born 4 October 1999) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Poland national team.

Marcin Bułka
Bułka with Paris Saint-Germain in 2020
Personal information
Full name Marcin Bulka[1]
Date of birth (1999-10-04) 4 October 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Płock, Poland
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Nice
Number 1
Youth career
2011–2012 Stegny Wyszogród
2012 MDK Król Maciuś Club Płock
2013 Stegny Wyszogród
2013–2016 FCB Escola Varsovia
2016–2019 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Paris Saint-Germain 2 (0)
2020–2021Cartagena (loan) 3 (0)
2021Châteauroux (loan) 9 (0)
2021–2022Nice (loan) 1 (0)
2022– Nice 47 (0)
International career
2017 Poland U18 1 (0)
2018 Poland U19 3 (0)
2019–2020 Poland U20 3 (0)
2019 Poland U21 1 (0)
2023– Poland 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:50, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:57, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Early career

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Bułka began his career in his native Poland, playing in the youth ranks at Stegny Wyszogród, MDK Król Maciuś Club Płock and FCB Escola Varsovia, an official Barcelona satellite academy in Poland.[3] In March 2016, whilst at FCB Escola Varsovia, Bułka underwent a trial with Barcelona, before trialling at English club Chelsea the following month.[4]

Chelsea

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In the summer of 2016, Bułka joined Chelsea. In September 2016, he signed his first professional contract with the club as well as making his under-18 debut for in a 4–2 win against Arsenal U18.[5]

Paris Saint-Germain

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2019–20: Debut season

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After his contract at Chelsea expired, Bułka signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract.[6] On 30 August 2019, he made his debut for the club, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win against Metz.[7]

2020–21: Cartagena and Châteauroux loans

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Bułka made his first and only appearance for PSG in the 2020–21 season in the first match of the campaign on 10 September 2020, which was against newly-promoted Lens. With Keylor Navas and Sergio Rico absent, he would play the entirety of the match, but made a costly mistake that handed Lens a 1–0 win.[8]

On 28 September, Bułka signed a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2025. He was immediately loaned out to Spanish Segunda División club Cartagena.[9] Eventually, his loan was cut short, and he left in the January transfer window.[citation needed]

On 31 January 2021, Ligue 2 club Châteauroux signed Bułka on loan until the end of the season.[10] He made his debut in a 4–0 win against Chambly on 2 February.[11] However, in late February, he suffered an injury to his right ankle, ruling him out of play for "several weeks" according to the club.[12] Bułka made his return to play in a 1–0 loss to Toulouse on 17 April.[13]

Nice

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On 5 August 2021, Bułka joined Ligue 1 side Nice on loan with an option-to-buy.[14] During the 2021–22 season, he played in all of the club's Coupe de France matches, and one league match against Clermont. On 1 June 2022, his move to Nice was made permanent.[15]

International career

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After previously representing Poland at under-18 and under-19 level,[16][17] on 6 September 2018, Bułka made his under-20 debut for Poland against Italy in a 3–0 loss.[18]

On 4 September 2023, he received his first senior team call-up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Faroe Islands and Albania, on 7 and 10 September 2023 respectively, replacing the injured Kamil Grabara.[19] Bułka made his debut the same year on 21 November in a friendly match against Latvia.[20]

On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024 as a third-choice goalkeeper behind Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Skorupski,[21] and remained on the bench for all three of Poland's fixtures at the tournament.[22]

Personal life

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On 27 May 2020, Bułka was involved in a traffic collision near the town of Wyszogród, Poland. He was driving a rented Lamborghini on a motorway and collided with an individual driving a Hyundai in the opposite direction while attempting an overtake maneuver. A 56–year old man was injured during the crash and suffered several fractures, while Bułka was left unharmed. Bułka admitted responsibility for the collision. It was reported that he could face up to three years in jail after potentially breaking article 177 of Polish law.[23]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea U21 2017–18 4[b] 0 4 0
Paris Saint-Germain 2019–20 Ligue 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2020–21 Ligue 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Cartagena (loan) 2020–21 Segunda División 3 0 1 0 4 0
Châteauroux (loan) 2020–21 Ligue 2 9 0 0 0 9 0
Nice (loan) 2021–22 Ligue 1 1 0 5 0 6 0
Nice 2022–23 Ligue 1 2 0 0 0 3[c] 0 5 0
2023–24 Ligue 1 34 0 4 0 38 0
2024–25 Ligue 1 11 0 0 0 4[d] 0 15 0
Total 48 0 9 0 7 0 64 0
Career total 62 0 10 0 7 0 4 0 83 0
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, Coupe de France
  2. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 15 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Poland 2023 1 0
2024 3 0
Total 4 0

Honours

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Chelsea

Paris Saint-Germain

Nice

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "2018/19 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Marcin Bułka". OGC Nice. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Marcin Bułka" (in Polish). 90minut. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Romelu Lukaku and Marcin Bulka Rumours". Bleacher Report. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Marcin Bulka". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Marcin Bulka signs for Paris Saint-Germain until 2021". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Bulka makes Rouge-et-Bleu debut". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  8. ^ "MARCIN BULKA HOWLER SEES CHAMPIONS PSG SLIP TO LENS DEFEAT IN FIRST GAME OF SEASON". Eurosport. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Marcin Bulka extends Paris Saint-Germain contract and is loan to FC Cartagen". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Bulka à Châteauroux (Officiel)". CulturePSG. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Châteauroux vs. Chambly – 2 February 2021 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ^ "POINT MÉDICAL" [MEDICAL POINT]. LB Châteauroux (in French). 23 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Toulouse vs. Châteauroux". Soccerway. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  14. ^ "MARCIN BULKA À L'OGC NICE" (in French). OGC Nice Official Website. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Bulka définitivement niçois" (in French). OGC Nice Official Website. 1 June 2022.
  16. ^ "[U-18] Powołania na towarzyski dwumecz z Węgrami" (in Polish). Łączy nas piłka. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  17. ^ "U-19: Polska pokonała Szwecję" (in Polish). Łączy nas piłka. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  18. ^ "U-20: Na początku przygotowań do mistrzostw świata Włosi lepsi" (in Polish). Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  19. ^ "eME: Marcin Bułka dodatkowo powołany na mecze z Wyspami Owczymi i Albanią". 90minut.pl (in Polish). 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  20. ^ Chlebicki, Przemysław (21 November 2023). "Reprezentacja Polski wygrała z Łotwą. Dwie asysty Nicoli Zalewskiego [WIDEO]". TVP Sport (in Polish).
  21. ^ "Michał Probierz ogłosił kadrę na Euro 2024" (in Polish). Polish Football Association. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  22. ^ "(Nie)oczywiste liczby UEFA EURO 2024". laczynaspilka.pl (in Polish). 28 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  23. ^ "PSG goalkeeper Marcin Bulka could face up to 3 years in jail following May crash". Get French Football News. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Ludovic Blas penalty wins French Cup for Nantes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Marcin Bulka, joueur du mois de septembre de la Ligue 1 Uber Eats!" [Marcin Bułka, Ligue 1 Uber Eats Player of the Month for September!] (in French). National Union of Professional Footballers. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Plebiscyt tygodnika "Piłki Nożnej" rozstrzygnięty. Kto został najlepszym zawodnikiem?". pap.pl (in Polish). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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