Jan Urban


Jan Urban is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of the Poland national team.
His professional career was closely associated with Górnik Zabrze and Osasuna, and he coached both clubs in later years.
Urban represented Poland at the 1986 World Cup.

Club career

Urban was born in Jaworzno, being one of six children in an underprivileged mining family. In his country he played for Zagłębie Sosnowiec and Górnik Zabrze, winning three Ekstraklasa championships in a row with the latter to which he contributed with a combined 38 goals, including a career-best 17 in 1987–88.
In the summer of 1989, Urban moved to Spain and joined CA Osasuna, going on to be one of the Navarre team's most important players of the following decade. He scored 13 goals in 34 games in his second season to help the club finish in a best-ever fourth position in La Liga, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup; this included a hat-trick against Real Madrid on 30 December 1990, in a 4–0 away win.
Urban started the 1994–95 campaign with Osasuna in the second division, but returned to the top flight with Real Valladolid in the winter transfer window. He closed out his career at 36 after one-season stints with CD Toledo, VfB Oldenburg and former side Górnik.

International career

Urban earned 57 caps for Poland over six years, netting seven goals in the process. He was selected to the 1986 FIFA World Cup squad, appearing in all four matches as the national team reached the round of 16 in Mexico.

Managerial career

Beginnings in Spain

Urban settled in Pamplona after retiring, and begun his coaching career in the city, being in charge of Osasuna's youth academy. He then worked with the reserves of Osasuna in division three, moving to the offices after two seasons and leaving the club in June 2007.

Legia Warsaw and Poland's assistant coach

In the summer of 2007, Urban took over as head coach of Legia Warsaw, being responsible for signing three Osasuna players to the team, including Iñaki Astiz. He won the 2007–08 Polish Cup and the 2008 Polish Super Cup. During the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, he served as an assistant for the Poland national team. On 14 March 2010, Urban was sacked by Legia.

Polonia Bytom, Zagłębie Lubin and return to Legia

Urban took charge of Polonia Bytom on 29 October 2010. He then signed with fellow league club Zagłębie Lubin on 10 March 2011. On 30 May 2012, he returned for a second spell with Legia, which lasted until 19 December of the following year. He won the double in the 2012-13 season, guiding Legia to achieve both the 2012–13 Ekstraklasa championship and the 2012–13 Polish Cup.

Return to Osasuna

Urban returned to Osasuna after seven years, being appointed first-team manager on 3 July 2014 after their top-flight relegation. He was dismissed the following 28 February, with the side 16th after four consecutive losses.

Lech Poznań

In October 2015, Urban returned to Poland's top tier, taking over Lech Poznań. He was the cup runner-up and Super Cup winner in 2016, but was sacked on 29 August that year.

Śląsk Wrocław

Urban was hired by Śląsk Wrocław on an 18-month deal on 5 January 2017. On 18 February 2018, he was shown the door after losing eight of the last 13 games, and was replaced by Tadeusz Pawłowski.

Górnik Zabrze

On 27 May 2021, it was announced that Urban would take over as manager of Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze immediately, replacing Marcin Brosz for the 2021–22 season. On 14 June 2022, it was announced he would be leaving the club the following day.
Despite a tumultuous exit from Górnik, he was reinstated as manager on 18 March 2023. In spite of a limited budget and frequent sales of well-performing players, he guided the club to sixth and fifth-place finishes in the league, leading Urban to be linked with a return to Legia Warsaw and taking over the Poland national team. On 15 April 2025, with the club sitting in 7th after three consecutive losses, Urban was sacked by Górnik.

Poland national team

On 16 July 2025, Urban was appointed as manager of the Poland national team, succeeding Michał Probierz. The appointment followed Probierz’s resignation in June 2025, which came after a dispute with captain Robert Lewandowski, who had been stripped of the armband and subsequently refused to play under him. The Polish Football Association president, Cezary Kulesza, described the selection of Urban as a carefully considered decision and “the right choice” to restore stability and help the team reach its potential. Upon his unveiling, Urban stressed the importance of rebuilding trust and communication within the squad, announcing plans to meet individually with senior players, including Lewandowski and Piotr Zieliński. His immediate objective was to stabilise the team and prepare Poland for the remainder of their qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Urban made his debut as Poland manager on 4 September 2025 in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands, followed by a home match against Finland on 7 September 2025. The opening game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Matty Cash scoring the equaliser in the 80th minute.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
118 March 1987Municipal Stadium, Rybnik, Poland1–03–1Friendly
224 March 1987Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland3–14–1Friendly
37 February 1989Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica4–22–4Friendly
412 April 1989Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland2–12–1Friendly
517 April 1991Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland2–03–0Euro 1992 qualifying
614 August 1991Municipal Stadium, Poznań, Poland1–01–5Friendly
716 October 1991Municipal Stadium, Poznań, Poland3–33–3Euro 1992 qualifying

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Górnik Zabrze
Individual
  • Ekstraklasa Hall of Fame: 2025

    Manager

Legia Warsaw
Lech Poznań
  • Polish Super Cup: 2016
Individual