Millwall were victorious in transfer agreement for Ipswich Town stalwart | OneFootball

Bartosz Bialkowski joined Millwall from Ipswich Town and cemented himself as a modern-day Lion legend.

Bartosz Bialkowski joined Millwall from Ipswich Town on an initial loan in the summer of 2019, but the deal was quickly made a permanent one the following January, as the Polish shot-stopper became a fan favourite in South East London.

Having spent his entire youth career in his native Poland, Bialkowski decided to join Championship side Southampton in January 2006, after just a handful of appearances for Gornik Zabrze.

The Polish goalkeeper spent five-and-a-half years of his career with Southampton, largely as a backup, aside from brief loan spells with Ipswich and Barnsley, making just 42 appearances for the Saints in that time.

He'd eventually join Notts County on a permanent deal in League One during the summer of 2012, and instantly became their starting keeper for the next two years before he was on the move again, this time back to Ipswich permanently.

Bialkowski would make 178 appearances in five years at Portman Road, all in the second tier, before joining the final club of his career, Millwall, where he is arguably most fondly remembered.

Bartosz Bialkowski joined Millwall and established himself as the club's undisputed number one goalkeeper

Having nearly signed for the club on a permanent deal initially, Bialkowski joined the Lions on loan due to a complication with the medical.

After Frank Fielding picked up an injury in the opening game of the season against Preston North End, Bialkowski replaced him and kept a clean sheet on his debut, with the rest being history.

Fielding's injury meant the Polish keeper retained his place in the net, and he'd go on to start the 45 other Championship games that season for the Lions, with his loan deal being made a permanent one that January, a testament as to how much he impressed.

When Millwall were close to signing the shotstopper that summer, it was reported that the Lions would've been paying around £900k for his signature, and it was understood that the permanent deal this time around was also worth a figure in that ballpark too.

In fact, after initially joining as a backup to Fielding, Bialkowski played every single Championship game for three years at Millwall, winning the Championship Golden Glove in his maiden season after keeping 16 clean sheets.

Bialkowski was also awarded Millwall's Player of the Year award in his first two consecutive years, firmly establishing himself as a popular figure throughout the club, and would go on to keep 17 clean sheets in 2020/21, and another 14 in 2021/22 respectively.

He started his fourth season off as the club's number one once more, but would be replaced in net with George Long by manager Gary Rowett, and would see out the remaining two years of his contract at The Den as backup to both Long and then the late Matija Sarkic.

Bialkowski retired upon leaving Millwall and left a lasting impact at The Den

Upon his deal with Millwall expiring in June 2024, Bialkowski announced his retirement from professional football.

He told the Millwall website: "I want to say thank you to everyone at the football club - fans, staff and players, as well as everyone who works behind-the-scenes. It's been an amazing five years.

"I still remember the day I joined the club! I've enjoyed it from day one - the five years have gone very quick but it is now time to say goodbye. I'm sure I will come back to The Den one day.

"I've had so many great memories working for this club, but my favourite one is probably the Charlton Athletic game at home, in which we scored the last-minute winner. We knew how important that was for everybody and the atmosphere, especially when we scored, was great.

"The fans have always been great with me and we've always had such a special bond. It's a sad time for myself but it's also the right time for everyone to move on. I look back on my time with pride and knowing that I gave everything.

"There have been ups and downs but the good memories will stick with me, such as winning the Player of the Season trophy back-to-back and winning the Golden Glove with the help of my team-mates - that was amazing.

"I wish everyone a world of success. I hope to see the club in the Premier League in years to come, where it deserves to be."

Bialkowski played a pivotal role in helping Millwall establish themselves as a Championship force, following their promotion from League One in 2017.

The season prior to him arriving at The Den, Millwall had narrowly avoided the drop back into the third tier of English football, finishing 21st and just four points above the relegation zone, in a campaign that saw them ship 64 league goals.

However, over the next three seasons of Bialkowski being the number one goalkeeper, the Lions finished eighth, 11th and ninth respectively in the second tier, with the 52 goals conceded in the 2020/21 campaign being the most he conceded during his three terms as the starter in-between the sticks.

As such, the Polishman was a cornerstone piece of Rowett's side during them years, and helped enable the club to evolve from relegation contenders into perennial top-half finishers.

Bialkowski left Millwall as nothing short of a club hero. Having joined as nothing more than a backup initially, once he got his early chance, he and the club never looked back.