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Artur Boruc
Personal information
Full name	Artur Boruc
Date of birth	February 20, 1980 (1980-02-20) (age 27)
Place of birth	Siedlce, Poland
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Celtic
Number	1
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-1999 1999-2005 2000 2005 2005-	Pogoń Siedlce Legia Warszawa → Dolcan Ząbki (loan) → Celtic (loan) Celtic	69 (1) 09 (0) 72 (0)
National team2
2004-	Poland	30 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 December 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 2 October 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Artur Boruc (pronounced [ˈɑrtur ˈbɔruts]; born February 20, 1980 in Siedlce) is a Polish football player. He is a goalkeeper for Celtic and also represents the Poland national football team.

Contents 1 Career 2 Controversy 3 Clubs 4 Trivia 5 Notes 6 External links

On July 12, 2005 he signed with Celtic from the Polish club Legia Warszawa. The deal was initially a year's loan, with an option to make it permanent. It has since been made permanent, with Boruc penning a three-and-a-half year deal with Celtic until 2009.

Boruc has appeared 30 times for Poland. He was selected to the 23-men national squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals held in Germany. He had been battling with Tomasz Kuszczak for the starting slot, but was first-choice goalkeeper during the World Cup.

On November 21, 2006, in a Champions League match against Manchester United at Celtic Park, Boruc helped Celtic through to the knockout stage of the competition by saving Louis Saha's 89th-minute penalty. He was named player of the month for December 2006 in the Scottish Premier League, a very uncommon event for a goalkeeper. His form was also recognized with a nomination for the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association's player of the year award for 2007, ^[1]. Celtic were drawn against Russian champions Spartak Moscow in the third round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League 2007-08. The tie ended in a penalty shootout, with Artur Boruc saving twice to ensure Celtic's passage to the next round. This was Celtic's first European penalty shootout victory.^{[citation needed]}

Boruc makes the sign of the cross before the start of every game as part of a good-luck ritual.^[2] On August 25, 2006 he was cautioned by the Strathclyde Police for a breach of the peace for making gestures in front of Rangers fans before a game earlier that year. According to the Sunday Herald, "police reports highlighted three hand gestures made by 26-year-old Boruc ... a V sign at the crowd, another obscene gesture at the crowd and a blessing". The gestures were not caught on video and the caution was issued on the basis of police reports and witness statements.^[3]

The Procurator Fiscal said Boruc "was seen by members of the public and police officers to bless himself. Witnesses describe him smiling or laughing at a Rangers section of the crowd and making "come on" gestures. This action appeared to incense a section of the crowd to react in such a way that police officers and security personnel had to become involved to calm the situation. The police reported that it took 10 minutes to restore normality in the crowd."^[4] According to a cross-party working group of the Scottish Parliament, "the sign of the cross in itself is an expression of the Roman Catholic faith; however, using it to alarm, upset or provoke others might be a breach of the peace at common law."^[5]

The Roman Catholic Church condemned the legal action, however, expressing regret that "Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simply religious gesture is considered an offence."^[6] Following extensive press comment, the Crown Office issued a statement on 28 August stressing that the "very limited" action had been taken against Boruc for gestures made toward Rangers supporters rather than for crossing himself, and that it would not take action against individuals for "acts of religious observance".^[7] According to the BBC, the caution "brought the issue of sectarianism in Scotland back into sharp focus."^[8] The Roman Catholic Church welcomed the Crown Office's clarification of the limited action taken against Boruc, particularly the statement that it “did not in any way refer to the act of blessing himself”.^[9]

On December 17, 2006 Boruc again crossed himself during his first Old Firm game since the caution, drawing "a roar" from the Rangers fans behind his goal.^[10][11] (video). A spokesman for Celtic defended his gesture, stating "the police have said they have no problem with Artur Boruc in this regard and neither does Celtic Football Club."^[12]

On May 5, 2007 Boruc ran across the pitch at Ibrox waving a flag proclaiming Celtic as champions after their 2-0 defeat by Rangers. Strathclyde Police said that "No criminal act has occurred, but we will be addressing the matter to Celtic and the Scottish Premier League."^[13] This incident was the fifth time in sixteen months that Boruc has been accused of provoking opposition fans.^[14] Boruc was then caught on camera on September 23, 2007 making an obscene gesture towards Hibernian fans. However no action was taken against him.^[15]

Boruc was again in the media spotlight following the Rangers-Celtic clash on October 20, 2007 for refusing to shake hands with opposing players after the match. Boruc told the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza that they had "provoked" and "offended" him during the game. ^[16]

• 1998 - 1999 Pogoń Siedlce
• 1999 - 2000 Legia II Warszawa (second team)
• 2000 - 2001 Dolcan Ząbki/Legia Warszawa
• 2001 - 2005 Legia Warszawa
• 2005 - present Celtic

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• He speaks English with a Scottish (Glaswegian) accent.^[17]
• Boruc is a Legia Warszawa fan. He attends matches whenever he is in Poland.^[18] He makes the L sign using his thumb and index finger to show his love for the Polish side.
• He saved a 27 year old pregnant Polish woman, her sister and brother-in-law when they were attacked in Glasgow on 21 April 2007.^[19]
• In June 2004 Boruc scored for Legia Warszawa from the penalty spot in a home game against Widzew Łódź (final score: 6-0).^[20]

• Artur Boruc career stats at Soccerbase
• Boruc's homepage
• Fansite
• Boruc named Polish Footballer Of The Year by Pilka24.pl readers
• "Anger grows over police caution for Boruc’s blessing", Sunday Herald, 27 August, 2006
• "Police report Boruc flag-waving", BBC News 07 May, 2007

v • d • e Poland squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Boruc • 2 Jop • 3 Gancarczyk • 4 Baszczyński • 5 Kosowski • 6 Bąk • 7 Sobolewski • 8 Krzynówek • 9 Żurawski • 10 Szymkowiak • 11 Rasiak • 12 Kuszczak • 13 Mila • 14 Żewłakow • 15 Smolarek • 16 Radomski • 17 Dudka • 18 Lewandowski • 19 Bosacki • 20 Giza • 21 Jeleń • 22 Fabiański • 23 Brożek • Coach: Janas

v • d • e Celtic F.C. – current squad

1 Boruc • 3 Naylor • 5 Caldwell • 6 Baldé • 7 Żurawski • 8 S. Brown • 10 Vennegoor of Hesselink • 11 Hartley • 12 Wilson • 14 Riordan • 15 Sno • 17 Pressley • 18 Donati • 20 Jarošík • 21 M. Brown • 24 Perrier-Doumbé • 25 Nakamura • 26 Sheridan • 27 McDonald • 33 Killen • 41 Kennedy • 44 McManus • 45 O'Brien • 46 McGeady • 47 McGovern • 48 O'Dea • 49 Cuthbert • 52 Caddis • 54 Conroy • 55 McGowan • 56 Bjarnason • Manager: Strachan