Kacper Mieczysław Łopata (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkat͡spɛr mʲɛˈt͡ʂɨswaf wɔˈpata]; born 27 August 2001) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for National League side Southend United. Besides England, he has played in Poland.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kacper Mieczysław Łopata[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-08-27) 27 August 2001 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Kraków, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Southend United | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Vallier City AFC | |||
| Southampton | |||
| Bristol City | |||
| 2016–2017 | Yeovil Town | ||
| 2018 | Bristol City | ||
| 2018–2019 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | SGS College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Whitehawk (loan) | 15 | (3) |
| 2020 | → Zagłębie Sosnowiec (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Sheffield United | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Southend United (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2022– | Southend United | 10 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2019 | Poland U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | Poland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Poland U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022 | Poland U21 | 1 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:55, 1 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:34, 2 June 2022 (UTC) | |||
In November 2018, Łopata joined Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion from Bristol City.[3] In August 2019, he joined Whitehawk on loan.[4] He went on to make 19 appearances in all competitions for the Isthmian League South East Division side.[5] In January 2020, Łopata joined Polish I liga side Zagłębie Sosnowiec on loan until the end of the season.[6] On 29 February 2020, he made his professional debut in a 2–0 win over Miedź Legnica.[7] He was released by Brighton at the end of the 2019–20 season[8]
On 25 August 2020, Łopata joined Sheffield United.[9] On 10 August 2021, he made his debut for Sheffield United, playing the full match in a 1–0 win over Carlisle United in the EFL Cup.[10] On 28 October 2021, he was loaned to National League side Southend United, initially until January 2022, along with fellow Sheffield player Zak Brunt.[11][12] Faced with injuries, Sheffield recalled Łopata on 12 March 2022.[13]
Having spent half-a-year on loan with the club in the previous season, on 2 September 2022 Łopata joined Southend United on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal with an option for another year.[14]
Łopata has represented Poland at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.[15]
Łopata moved to Bristol with his mother aged 9.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zagłębie Sosnowiec (loan) | 2019–20 | I liga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2021–22 | EFL Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Southend United (loan) | 2021–22 | National League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Career total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
Southend United F.C. – current squad | |
|---|---|