Jakub Kiwior - The defensive stalwart who polished Porto’s defence
Ex-Arsenal defender succeeds in Portugal for Porto - complete story and player profile.
When a 25-year-old departs the eventual Premier League winners to play in Portugal, eyebrows are naturally raised as the traditional pathway desired gets inverted.
Upon arriving in Porto, Jakub Piotr Kiwior recognised that ‘in terms of league stature, it may be seen as a backwards step’, but subsequently guaranteed to Polish publication ‘Łączy nas piłka’ that ‘in terms of club stature, it isn’t at all - at Futebol Clube do Porto, I have everything that I did not have at Arsenal.’
Jakub Kiwior stated to club media that ‘any person who is interested in football will know how big this club is’ - fitting as the Polish defender helped ‘Os Dragões’ return to typical greatness after three seasons without a league title.
From Poland to Porto
Porto’s number four commenced his career at just four years of age, climbing the ranks at local sides within the southern city of Tychy. To complete his development, Kiwior journeyed to the prestigious academy of Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht.
As an 18-year-old, Jakub made his senior professional debut in Slovakia, representing village side Železiarne Podbrezová against historic outfit Nitra - an impressive feat for a young yet well-travelled and mature defender which warranted the attention of former champions MŠK Žilina.
Podbrezová were relegated and Kiwior’s performances merited a move to a side that regularly sat near the upper echelons of the league table regardless - for a reported fee of 250 thousand euros, no less.
The impact of the pandemic
However, less than two years and more than 50 appearances later, disaster struck for Slovak football as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic - Žilina entered liquidation in an attempt to save the historic outfit and consequently released 17 players.
While Kiwior remained unaffected, this signified the end to his rapid ascension within the country as the 'Shoshones' felt obligated to offload the valuable asset.
The Fortuna Liga soon lost more than a top prospect, but also one of the most successful clubs in the division's history.
Their loss was Spezia’s gain - Kiwior’s reputation as an elegant, progressive passer as well as a dominant aerial dueller skyrocketed across his two-year stint in Italy.
In fact, former Italy international Thiago Motta would regularly deploy the natural central defender as a fellow midfielder to maximise use of his passing ability and versatility which is particularly impressive for such a young footballer in a division infamous for defensive acumen.
'You've Gotti be kidding me'
Jakub Kiwior’s success would soon infuriate former Spezia coach Luca Gotti - “I’m not happy at all with the sale. It is very frustrating for a coach to see a player that he helped develop shine elsewhere. They are sold and then comes the hour to press the reset button”, he vented.
Arsenal directors may no longer be welcome in Spezia despite spending around 20 million euros to acquire their prized Polish asset in January, 2023. The signing raised eyebrows initially around North London, divided between unfamiliarity and recognising Arsenal’s already stellar defence.
An adaptation period was to be expected but between left-back and at the heart of The Gunners’ defence, Kiwior contributed to seven goals in the following two seasons, boasting that his versatility, aerial prowess and ability to build-up from the back could indeed scale up to the promised lands of the Premier League - despite not being able to displace the stalwarts that are Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.
Arsenal eventually looked towards younger, more athletic models in Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié, while promising Italian coach Francesco Farioli would arrive at Porto faced with the dilemma of substituting the experience of the all-time great Pepe.
Farioli and president André Villas-Boas’ (yes, Chelsea and Spurs fans, that same Villas-Boas) thesis? Proven experience and constructed chemistry would be key.
Jakub Kiwior’s elegance and refinement was surgically chosen to complement Jan Bednarek’s brute force and leadership qualities - sharing Premier League experience and nationality in common to quickly form a dependable base and a fear-inducing partnership.
Kiwior admitted to Portuguese newspaper Record: “During games, we talk in Polish the majority of the time. Sometimes, a look or a word will be enough for us to know. When other players are involved, then we will speak in English,” later talking about the curiosity of teammates in learning their language - a demonstration of the impact they have had in the north of Portugal.
Seamless integration.
Invicta > Invincible
Across 34 games, Porto would concede just 18 goals and conquer 88 points to secure their first Liga Portugal in a progressively uncommon four years.
Jakub Kiwior, in both roles on the left-sided base of Farioli’s 1-4-3-3, was one of the main protagonists despite not being the most creative sole force going forward.
In an unprecedented, physically impressive side (at least in the context of Portuguese football), Kiwior’s ball-carrying, diagonals and progressive passing provided the base from which ‘Os Dragões’ could eventually succeed.
Benfica may have gone unbeaten, but it was ‘A Cidade Invicta’ (The Undefeated City) that clinched Liga Portugal in convincing fashion with Kiwior at the epicentre - in response, Porto made the loan deal with Arsenal permanent in a somewhat complex deal (17 million euros up-front, 5 million euros in event of completion of various objectives and 2 million euros directly to Arsenal in the event of a future sale, although it is relatively safe to assume that Kiwior’s 70 million euro release clause and four-year contract may refute suitors).
As per ZeroZero.pt, Kiwior ranked third in Liga Portugal (2025/2026) for passes within the final third, second for passes completed per game and Opta recognised Kiwior as a dominant force in Portugal across all defensive metrics - from tackles to interceptions to ball recoveries.
Without boasting elite speed, pace or conditions to reach the pinnacle of domestic and Portuguese football, Jakub Kiwior has proven that elite level defending is not purely down to physicality.
Elegance and intelligence succeeded.
Will it lead Porto to glory once again in the 2026/2027 season? Only time will tell.
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