Yahoo Sports EURO 2024 | France opponent analysis: Poland
France face Poland in Dortmund on Tuesday with the latter already knocked out of the competition and the former looking to secure top spot in their final group-stage match. From the manager, to the most famous culinary delight and in-depth profiles of the whole squad, here is everything you need to know about Michal Probierz’s side. This piece was written by Tomasz Wlodarczyk, Maciej Luczak, Radoslaw Przybysz for Meczyki as part of GFFN’s partnership with The Guardian’s sports network.
Prospects
The appointment of Fernando Santos, who won Euro 2016 with Portugal, as new national team coach was meant to calm the mood around the team after a turbulent World Cup in Qatar. He was a well-known name with success on his CV and experience of working with world-class players. What could possibly go wrong?
It turns out that everything could go wrong. Santos, in fact, turned out to be a hopeless choice. The qualifying group seemed easy on paper and the thinking was that Poland could qualify for the Euros while also starting a rejuvenation of the squad and introducing several young players who could become the spine of the team after legends such as Wojciech Szczesny or Robert Lewandowski retire.
The qualifying campaign started with a loss against the Czech Republic and continued with a defeat against Moldova, which was the lowest-ranked team Poland had ever lost against. In addition, Santos’ body language in press conferences was so bad that it became clear a parting of ways would be the best solution.
A defeat against Albania in September 2023 sealed the Portuguese’s fate and the Polish FA gave the job to Michal Probierz instead. At the beginning of 2023, it would be considered madness to appoint Probierz but the 51-year-old picked up the pieces of this broken team and did just enough to get it through to the Euros.
It wasn’t always pretty though. After a win against the Faroe Islands and a draw against Moldova, they lost to the Czechs meaning they had to go through the play-offs. There they beat Estonia 5-1 in the semis and Wales on penalties in the final (after both opponents had been reduced to 10 men).
Supporters are not deluding themselves thinking that Poland will qualify from the group of death (they were drawn with France, Netherlands and Austria). Expectations are very low but that has often worked well in the past with Polish players. Probierz has repeatedly said that this is no time for a revolution. He has a safety-first approach with a 3-5-2 system and it is not difficult to predict who will start the first game against the Netherlands.
It has been a long time since we’ve seen a Polish national team go toe-to-toe with a stronger rival. Poland are boring and predictable. However, anything is possible in football and maybe, just maybe, Poland will surprise us all in Hamburg.
The coach
Michal Probierz and Cezary Kulesza are good friends. When Kulesza was the president of Jagiellonia Bialystok, he appointed Probierz as coach and that led to the best period in the club’s history. So it was perhaps no surprise that, in his most difficult time as Polish FA president, he turned to his proven soldier and made Probierz national team coach. Probierz improved the defence significantly, which led to that goalless draw and win on penalties in Cardiff against Wales. He does not give away much in public and trusts his gut and his people. He has also been able to make some shock selections, such as giving Patryk Peda, who was playing in Serie C at the time, a chance and picking Taras Romanczuk instead of Jakub Moder for the Wales match.
Probierz likes poems and golf. One of his favourite epigrams is from Jan Sztaudynger: “History is rolling like a wheel. I understood that under the wheel.” His career is full of ups and downs and he often gets into spats with journalists. One of his most memorable – and popular – phrases came after a defeat with Legia Warsaw after which he complained about the refereeing and said: “I am going to go home and pour myself some fucking whisky. What else is left for me to do?”
Often hot-tempered in the past, he has calmed down in a new role and is able to handle the pressure. The players praise him for his good tactical approach and for building a good team spirit.
The icon
Robert Lewandowski. It has to be him. For the past 10 years opposing managers have said the same things about the Polish national team. First some platitudes about the team’s solidity before adding: “But they have the best No. 9 in the world.” Most appearances for Poland: Lewandowski. Most goals for Poland: Lewandowski. The most popular Pole in the world – also Lewandowski (although Iga Swiatek has been closing the gap). He is an idol and a point of reference for all Polish football players and athletes in general and someone who has been sitting at the same table as Messi and Ronaldo, at least when it comes to numbers. A few months ago he accused younger players of lacking personality. Once again he will have to show that personality himself at the tournament. It may be his last (although he has not made a decision yet).
One to watch
Nicola Zalewski started the World Cup in Qatar but was dropped after 45 minutes against Mexico and was not seen until the last 19 minutes in the Round of 16 defeat against France. Now he wants to play a bigger role at the Euros and to show his talent to clubs around Europe. He won the Conference League with Roma in 2022 but has been given less playing time this season. He is the best dribbler in the Polish national team and they have no one else like him.
The maverick
Kamil Grosicki. The veteran made his national team debut in 2008 and has played nearly 100 games for his country now. He has matured in recent years but has always been considered a bit gung-ho. He used to party hard and is now the dance leader in the dressing room. Had to overcome a gambling addiction to make it in football. He is good friends with both the coach, Michal Probierz, and the FA president, Cezary Kulesza. The three of them worked together at Jagiellonia Bialystok – Grosicki as player, Probierz as coach and Kulesza as chairman and owner. The latter two were like fathers to Grosicki as he was not always easy to handle.
The spine
Szczesny-Kiwior-Zielinski-Lewandowski. Wojciech Szczesny was Poland’sbest player at the World Cup in Qatar and the hero of the qualifying penalty shootout against Wales. He has said this will be his last tournament with the national team. Jakub Kiwior has played every Poland game since his debut in 2021 and has become the most important defender in the squad. The key midfielder for Poland is Piotr Zielinski. He had a difficult season at club level with Napoli but everyone hopes that he will be one of the leaders during Euro 2024. And then there is Robert Lewandowski. Eighty-two goals in 148 games at the time of writing and for years the most important player of the team.
Probable starting XI
3-5-2 – Szczesny – Bednarek, Dawidowicz, Kiwior – Frankowski, Slisz, Moder, Zielinski, Zalewski – Lewandowski, Swiderski
Celebrity fan
At Euro 2016 there was Russel Crowe, the famous Australian actor voicing his support for Poland on Twitter as they reached the quarter-finals. Now there is Agnieszka Chylinska – a popular singer, songwriter and TV personality in Poland. Recently she has been spotted at many Ekstraklasa games, although it is not yet known whether she will translate her love for club football into international football.
Culinary delight
Poland’s national dish, known all over the world, is pierogi, but fans do not eat them in stadiums. When watching national team matches at home, the most popular snacks are chips and pizza, always accompanied by beer, but at stadiums, the must-have is gieta – a grilled sausage with a slice of bread or a roll and a drop of ketchup and mustard. There are even rankings in the media of which clubs sell the best sausage. However, in the lower league fans – especially elderly ones – still come to matches with sunflower seeds.
Poland player profiles
Wojciech Szczesny
Date of birth: 18 April 1990
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Juventus
The former Arsenal keeper has been Poland’s undisputed No 1 for years now, boasting the record number of caps for a goalkeeper – 81 – reaching the landmark against Wales in September 2022 and celebrating with a superb performance. He was also immense against Wales in the qualifying playoff final, capping his performance with the decisive save in the penalty shootout. He said after that game that defeat would have resulted in his immediate international retirement – that will now wait until after his sixth and final major tournament. Szczesny and his wife Marina recently completed construction of a dream home in Warsaw, which joins a country estate near the Polish capital and a luxury Majorca villa on their real estate portfolio. They also have a collection of cars including two Rolls-Royces, a couple of Porsches, a Bentley Bentayga, an Audi R8 Spider, a Mercedes G63 and a Citroën C4 Grand Picasso. Only kidding, he doesn’t have a Citroën.
Lukasz Skorupski
Date of birth: 5 May 1991
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Bologna
Skorupski has been unlucky to be around at a time when Poland have had a great selection of goalkeepers, but has become the No 2 since Lukasz Fabianski’s retirement from international football and does not disappoint when he gets a chance. In 2012 when he was with his hometown club Gornik Zabrze he was involved in a nightclub brawl that ended in his arrest and spending “the worst day of my life” in custody. “It happens when you’re young, you’ve got to go crazy”, he said. He still describes himself as “a psycho” but told an interviewer last year: “I hide it well. In Italy, they don’t even know that’s what I’m like.” He moved to Italy, initially with Roma, the following summer. “If I hadn’t left Zabrze I’d have ended up in prison, or working in a mine,” he said.
Marcin Bulka
Date of birth: 4 October 1999
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Nice
Bulka was just 16 when he left Poland to join Chelsea, moved again to join PSG three years later, and then had a succession of loan moves before the last of them ended in a permanent transfer to Nice in 2022. Until this season he had played only 17 league games but once confirmed as the French club’s No 1 he immediately flourished, with 10 clean sheets and no defeats in his first 13 games. He ended the campaign among the nominations for goalkeeper of the season and linked with a string of Premier League clubs, though he has announced that he wants to stay one more season in France. He may be good at keeping clean sheets but he does tend to spill beans, particularly about teammates. Highlights include the fact that “Ángel Di María hates Manchester United” so much that “when something related to them appears on television, he changes the channel quickly”, and that Eden Hazard “loves hamburgers and pizza, I saw him all the time in pizzerias”. His own diet is affected by the fact that he was diagnosed with diabetes aged 14.
Date of birth: January 23, 1999
Position: Defender
Club: Kaiserslautern
Puchacz has taken over from Robert Lewandowski as team DJ and is perfect for the role, as a long-term supporter of the Polish rap scene, and a close friend of many of the nation’s most popular musicians. “I’ve learned a lot from the music of my friends,” he says. “They kind of created my worldview and approach to life. They taught me how to behave, what is important and what is not important.” The esteem is mutual. “I’m not a football expert and never have been, but watching his journey makes my heart swell,” said the Polish rapper Bedoes. “He has character and is not afraid to express his opinion. He may be loved or hated for his views, for his cockiness, but one thing is certain: this guy will go down in history as a football legend.” Puchacz is a fast, tricky left wing-back with great stamina and good crossing, who at 25 is coming towards the end of his best season yet, with one goal and 12 assists in all competitions for a Kaiserslautern side that struggled in Germany’s second-tier but enjoyed cup success.
Pawel Dawidowicz
Date of birth: May 20, 1995
Position: Defender
Club: Hellas Verona
Dawidowicz’s international career has been hampered by a string of injuries, with his handful of caps spread over nearly a decade – a debut in 2015, a run of games in 2021, and finally getting back into the team, and playing successive games for the first time, in March’s qualifying playoffs. He left Poland as a teenager to join Benfica, and though he never played for the first team he settled well in Lisbon – “I like the mild climate, being able to train outside in the winter without having to clear snow off the pitch,” he said. “The local cuisine is also good, with lots of seafood – I like salt cod the best.” He has since played in Germany and Italy, finally settling at Hellas Verona where he has just completed a sixth season, and occasionally captains the side. Despite his small number of caps he is expected to be among the leaders of Poland’s defence in Germany.
Jan Bednarek
Date of birth: April 12, 1996
Position: Defender
Club: Southampton
No Polish footballer divides fans as much as Bednarek. Sometimes he barely seems to have appeared on the pitch, and some people are already saying that he has made mistakes. The fans don’t appreciate him, but the coaches call him up. During the World Cup in Qatar, he played very little, but he was one of the leaders of the dressing room, often speaking during breaks and before the matches from what you could see and hear from footage on the YouTube channel of the Polish National Federation. When he was relegated a year ago with Southampton many thought that his career there was over. But, in the Championship, he has become the leader of Southampton’s defence. He is one of manager Russell Martin’s favourites and had the highest percentage of accurate passes and the second-highest number of touches in the division.
Jakub Kiwior
Date of birth: February 15, 2000
Position: Defender
Club: Arsenal
He left Poland early and grew as a footballer at Anderlecht in Belgium. Three seasons in the Slovakian league toughened him up and after two years in Serie A with Spezia came the big surprise of his transfer to Arsenal in January 2023. This season, he has proved his worth as an important figure in Arsenal’s defence in the Premier League title race. Mikel Arteta changed his position, with Kiwior playing mainly as a left-back, where he did well. In total, he played more minutes for the club this season than expected. “Whenever he played, he was good. We are asking him to play in positions he is not used to playing. But I think the signs are really good,” Arteta said about him. In the Polish national team, he has a different role – he is a central defender, without whom it is difficult to imagine the starting lineup. He hasn’t missed a single match in two years. Off the pitch, he is a calm, shy man who would gladly be the last to give interviews.
Bartosz Bereszynski
Date of birth: July 12, 1992
Position: Defender
Club: Empoli
He started his career as a striker, but only after changing his position to a full-back did he become a high-level player. Bereszynski is one of the most experienced players in the national team, he has played in all the positions across the back line and although his role has decreased recently – since Michal Probierz became the coach he hasn’t played a single minute – someone so versatile can be useful at a tournament. Recently he said that if he was only interested in going to Euro 2024, he could buy a ticket and go as a fan. His ambition is not to just be in the squad, but to be on the pitch during the tournament, otherwise he wouldn’t want to be considered at all. A veteran in Serie A since joining Sampdoria seven years ago, Bereszynski recently played his 200th match in the Italian top flight, for Empoli having joined them on loan following Sampdoria’s relegation last year.
Date of birth: May 1, 1991
Position: Defender
Club: Lech Poznan
He returned to the national team after a year for the playoff matches in March. The break was due to a doping suspension. After Lech Poznan’s Europa Conference League match against Swedish club Djurgården in March 2023, Salamon tested positive for doping. He continually denied he had taken anything illegal and fought to prove that he was innocent and had not lied to anyone. He returned to the game at the end of last year. Lech Poznan have had a very disappointing season in Poland, but Salamon is a strong character, one of the club’s leaders and a player who performed well in the national team in the most important moments. One of few players from the Polish league in the squad.
Date of birth: April 5, 2000
Position: Defender
Club: Cagliari
Had represented Poland at many age-group levels but his talent went unnoticed at Legia Warsaw and he had to change clubs, moving to Pogon Szczecin, where he started playing in the Polish league at a young age. Cagliari bought him in 2019 and, at the time, he was the most expensive player Pogon had ever sold. When he made his debut in the national team in 2020, it seemed that Poland had gained a central defender for years to come, a player who not only defends well but also knows how to play with the ball at his feet. However, due to health and fitness problems, he was rarely called up but last season he played the most minutes since he left Poland, with Serie A club Empoli. His good form has been noticed, and a move to another club or league could be in the pipeline for him this summer.
Bartosz Slisz
Date of birth: March 29, 1999
Position: Midfielder
Club: Atlanta United
His impressive performances in midfield earned him the nickname “the vacuum cleaner”, so good is he at cleaning up in midfield. Slisz started his career in the vaunted academy of Zaglebie Lubin, from where he joined Legia Warsaw in 2020 for over €1.5m, becoming the most expensive transfer in the history of the club from the capital. Four years later, Legia earned twice as much by selling him to MLS side Atlanta. Not very experienced in the national team, and, at the time of writing, still waiting for his first goal for Poland, but currently the most likely successor to the experienced Grzegorz Krychowiak in the No 6 position.
Damian Szymanski
Date of birth: June 16, 1995
Position: Midfielder
Club: AEK Athens
A former player for Polish clubs Jagiellonia Bialystok and Wisla Plock, in 2019 he joined Russian Premier League club Akhmat Grozny for over €1m, and a year later he moved to AEK Athens, where he still plays. A Greek Super League champion and cup winner, Szymanski is a classic defensive midfielder, although he can also play in central defence. At the time of writing, he has scored two goals for the Polish national team, and the first one was very important – an injury-time equaliser which earned Paulo Sousa’s team a valuable and well-deserved point in the 2022 World Cup qualifying match against England in September 2021.
Date of birth: October 4, 1997
Position: Midfielder
Club: Ludogorets Razgrad
A Chelsea fan since childhood, his great idol was Frank Lampard. Just like the former England legend, Piotrowski is a goalscoring midfielder with a powerful strike from distance. Last season he scored 17 goals for Ludogorets Razgrad, added six assists and often wore the captain’s armband as they stormed to a 13th successive Bulgarian First League title. He made his debut for the Polish national team only last October, but then scored two goals in five appearances. After leaving Pogon Szczecin six years ago, he had not so successful spells in Belgium (with Genk) and Germany (Fortuna Düsseldorf), but after a great season in Bulgaria, he is being linked again with another transfer to a stronger league. A good Euro can help with that, and Piotrowski certainly has a big chance of being in Poland’s starting XI in Germany.
Jakub Moder
Date of birth: April 7, 1999
Position: Midfielder
Club: Brighton
One of the most talented Polish footballers in recent years and the subject of a record move when he went from Lech Poznan to Brighton in 2020 for about €11m. The career of this gifted, versatile midfielder took a sharp turn in April 2022, however, when he ruptured his cruciate ligaments in a Premier League match against Norwich. It took place a few days after Poland’s win against Sweden in a playoff to reach the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. Due to this injury, Moder lost not only this tournament but also the entire 2022-23 season. He only returned last November, after 575 days out, and played several matches in the Seagulls’ first team last season. He also made a welcome return to the national team squad although he may struggle to make the starting XI this summer.
Piotr Zielinski
Date of birth: May 20, 1994
Position: Midfielder
Club: Napoli
The most technically gifted and creative Polish midfielder in recent years. His ability is well known, but for years he has not been able to translate it into a similar level of performance for the national team. He played at the Euros in 2016 and 2020 and at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but only recently has he started to show his best in a Poland shirt. Zielinski moved to Italy aged 17 after being spotted by Udinese’s famous scouting operation and spent a couple of seasons on loan at Empoli before moving to Napoli in 2016. After eight years, nearly 400 appearances and one historic Scudetto the 30-year-old will move on this summer, after agreeing to join Inter on a free transfer. The Napoli owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, never shy of a controversial statement, said that “last summer he told me he wanted to stay” but that “his agent wants to transfer him to another team to earn more money”.
Sebastian Szymanski
Date of birth: May 10, 1999
Position: Midfielder
Club: Fenerbahçe
Szymanski’s skillset is similar to that of Piotr Zielinski, which has given a succession of Poland managers headaches as they attempt to fit them into the same team and free them to perform as successfully for their national side as they do for their clubs. A two-time Polish champion with Legia, Szymanski played a big role in Arne Slot’s Eredivisie-winning Feyenoord team in 2022-23 before moving to Fenerbahce, where he has immediately become a key player, easily reaching double figures for both goals and assists in his debut campaign. However, for Poland, he has scored only three goals in 32 appearances at the time of writing. The hard-working midfielder, with excellent movement and good passing, is surely playing his way to a move into one of the top five leagues, but his status in the national team remains uncertain.
Przemyslaw Frankowski
Date of birth: April 12, 1995
Position: Midfielder
Club: RC Lens
A crucial wing-back for Poland manager Michal Probierz, with whom he worked with over 10 years ago in Lechia Gdansk and Jagiellonia Bialystok. Frankowski has already played 40 times for Poland and has been a first choice since the World Cup in Qatar. Has finished his third season with Lens in France with whom he played in the Champions League last season. Started his career as a winger, but after returning to Europe from MLS club Chicago Fire, has played on the right or left flank in a system with three centre-backs. His strengths are acceleration, stamina, crosses and penalties. A consistent performer who will probably get the nod on the right flank in Germany over Matty Cash.
Taras Romanczuk
November 14, 1991
Midfielder
Jagiellonia Bialystok
Somewhat remarkably, Romanczuk is the only player called up from the champions of Ekstraklasa, Jagiellonia Białystok. Born in Kovel, Ukraine, he moved to Poland at the age of 22 and is now considered a legend of Jagiellonia, for whom he has played over 300 matches in 10 years. But last season was probably the best of his career. A defensive midfielder who brings stability to his teams, his only goal of the season came in the final league match when Jagiellonia secured the victory they needed to win the title on goal difference. Received Polish citizenship in 2018 and made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against South Korea, but had to wait six years for his next appearance, coming on for the last 15 minutes of the Euro 2024 playoff win over Wales in Cardiff. Will be a backup for Bartosz Slisz and Jakub Piotrowski when Michal Probierz wants defensive cover in midfield.
Kacper Urbanski
September 7, 2004
Midfielder
Bologna
One of the biggest revelations of the last few months for football fans in Poland. There had been excitement around Urbanski since he became the second youngest player to appear in the Ekstraklasa and the youngest Pole to play in Serie A, but before this season he had made only two appearances for Bologna. Now he has 24, of which 10 were starts, and played an important role in Thiago Motta’s team’s charge to Champions League qualification. His best performance came in the penultimate league game against Juventus, a wild 3-3 draw in which his now-international teammates Szczesny, Lukasz Skorupski and Arkadiusz Milik also took part. A technically gifted, creative midfielder often compared to Piotr Zielinski, Urbański has played for Poland under-16s, under-18s, under-19s, under-20s and under-21s. Now,, as the youngest member of the senior squad, he is desperate to make an impact on the big stage.
Nicola Zalewski
Date of birth: January 23, 2002
Position: Midfielder
Club: Roma
One of the most technically outstanding Polish players. His skill on the ball might have been helped by the fact that he was born and raised in Italy rather than Poland: his family emigrated in the 1990s, and Nicola was born in Tivoli, near Rome. Zalewski is a graduate of Roma’s academy and has never played for any other club side, though with a year remaining on his contract and having dropped out of the team since Daniele De Rossi’s appointment as coach that may soon change – apparently they have set a price tag of €15m, and his preference is to remain in Italy. He decided to represent Poland after a sustained campaign of persuasion by the then president of the Polish FA, and former Roma star, Zbigniew Boniek, first representing the country at Under-16 level. Today he is a very important figure in the Poland side, regularly contributing assists even if he is yet to score his first goal at the time of writing.
Kamil Grosicki
Date of birth: June 8, 1988
Position: Midfielder
Club: Pogon Szczecin
One of the most experienced players in the Polish team, Grosicki made his debut in February 2008, seven months before Robert Lewandowski. He is now approaching his 100th cap and is widely considered the best Polish winger of the 21st century, alongside Jakub Blaszczykowski. Fans appreciate him for his dribbling, crossing and speed, but also for his dedication to the national jersey. After years spent with Rennes in France, and Hull and West Brom in England, in 2021 he kept his promise and returned to his first club – Pogon Szczecin. Since then he has been one of the best players in the Polish Ekstraklasa as he attempted to win the first major trophy in the club’s history – this year they came closer than ever, reaching the Polish Cup final and leading second division Wisla Krakow 1-0 as the game entered its final moments, but they let in an equaliser in stoppage time and eventually lost 2-1 after extra time. Euro 2024 will probably be the last tournament in his international career. His sister Kornelia Grosicka is also a footballer, currently playing in Germany for Meppen.
Michal Skoras
Date of birth: February 15, 2000
Position: Midfielder
Club: Club Brugge
Born in Jastrzebie-Zdroj – just like a legend of the Polish national team, Kamil Glik, as a child, Skoras joined the academy of Lech Poznan. He spent eight years there, winning the league and producing a string of outstanding performances in the 2022-23 Europa Conference League, including three goals and an assist in two games against Villarreal. Club Brugge paid €6m for him last summer, and after struggling for game time in his first few months he has been more regularly involved since Christmas, playing a big role in Brugge’s fight for the title. Skoras can play on either flank and after losing his place in the Poland squad towards the end of 2023 has played his way back into the team.
Robert Lewandowski
Date of birth: 21 August 1988
Position: Striker
Club: Barcelona
The best Polish footballer of the 21st century, and according to many the best ever, a title for which he has perhaps a handful of rivals in Wlodzimierz Lubanski, Kazimierz Deyna, Grzegorz Lato and Zbigniew Boniek, and holds the record for both appearances and goals for Poland. The captain made his debut 14 years ago under Leo Beenhakker and has become the most important and influential figure in Polish football, though he has yet to taste major success with the national team: so far, their biggest achievement in his career was reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. Lewandowski also holds the record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season with 41, beating Gerd Müller by one goal. He is also the greatest foreign goalscorer in Bundesliga history, with 312. After eight trophy-laden years at Bayern Munich he left for Barcelona in the summer of 2022 and remains, even at 35 years old, their best striker.
Karol Swiderski
Date of birth: 23 January 1997
Position: Striker
Club: Hellas Verona
Swiderski has spent the second half of the season on loan from MLS side Charlotte (where he got 22 goals and 10 assists in 61 league games) to Hellas Verona as he pursued his ambition of playing in Europe again, but he has managed only a few starts and a couple of goals in Serie A, and it remains to be seen whether they will take up their purchase option. Before moving to America he spent three years at PAOK Thessaloniki, where he netted 27 times in 76 league games. For Poland, however, he has been more reliable, growing to be an important figure under Paulo Sousa, who gave him his big chance in the national team. He continues to be involved, either from the start or off the bench, in most Poland games and “Swiderek” has become a favourite with fans, who believe he can play a crucial role in partnership with Robert Lewandowski.
Krzysztof Piatek
Date of birth: 1 July 1995
Position: Striker
Club: Istanbul Basaksehir
He may have earned the nickname “Il Pistolero”, but for a while, it looked like Piatek would end up being remembered as a one-season wonder. In 2018-19 he scored 30 goals in 42 games for Genoa, who had paid a relatively trivial €4.5m for him. Six months later they sold him to Milan for €35m, but things did not work out for him at San Siro: having scored 13 goals in 19 Serie A games for Genoa he managed the same total in 36 league appearances for the Rossoneri. After a year they sold him to Hertha Berlin, where matters got worse still, and he scored 12 times in 56 matches in the Bundesliga. Loan spells back in Italy with Fiorentina and Salernitana did not turn around what seemed a sinking ship, and in the summer of 2023, he moved on a free transfer to Istanbul Basaksehir. In Turkey, he has finally relocated his mojo, and after a year in the international wilderness, he returned to the Poland set-up in March.
Adam Buksa
July 12, 1996
Position: Forward
Club: Antalyaspor (on loan from Lens)
One of several players from Poland who have moved to MLS in recent years. After two years of banging in the goals for New England Revolution, Buksa returned to Europe with Lens but insisted the move to the United States benefited his game. “In the beginning, when I signed for the Revolution, there were many opinions, especially in Europe and in Poland, with people doubting this move,” he explained. “I’m happy to prove them wrong because I improved, I developed as a player and I think I also showed that it’s a very good league for young players to develop. I’m pretty sure there will be more transfers to MLS from Europe.” Due to an injury, Buksa did not play many games at Lens and spent last season on loan in Turkey, where he was top scorer for Antalyaspor. His best period in the Polish national team came under Paulo Sousa in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, when he scored five goals. The 6ft 4in centre-forward can be particularly dangerous from set pieces.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
