He slowly rose in prominence and in 1996 moved to Brazil with fellow countryman Mariusz Piekarski to play for Atlético Paranaense.

Nowak, dubbed "ten of hearts" by his fans, was popular as well as skilled, but was forced to retire from the sport in early 2002 after he learned he had motor neurone disease (MND).

Nowak was also an important player for the Poland national team, for whom he played 10 games and scored one goal.

Nowak left behind a wife, Beata, and two young children – a son, Maksymillian, and a daughter, Maria.

This biographical article related to a Polish association football midfielder is a stub.