Katar 2022

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FIFA WORLD CUP I QATAR 2022

Dear Fans!

We will soon be celebrating a great football event – the final tournament of the 2022 World Cup. At this point, we can already be sure of one thing: the World Cup in Qatar will be special and will make history. This is because the tournament will be played at an atypical time of year, in November and December. It was not preceded by any preparations; the players came to the training camp straight from this year’s last matches they played in their clubs. I am certain that head coach Czesław Michniewicz, together with his staff, has prepared an optimal play plan for the World Cup. During the play-off against Sweden at the Silesia Stadium in Chorzów, the head coach has already proven himself to be an excellent tactician. He then managed to keep the national team in the highest tier of the Nations League, which opened a chance for us to be drawn from the first pot in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament, allowing us to avoid the most dangerous rivals on our road to the final tournament in Germany. Now, we are focused only on the World Cup. Polish Football Association Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 r. 7 Warszawa 02-366 T: +48 732 122 222 F: +48 (22) 55 12 240 E-mail: pzpn@pzpn.pl www.pzpn.pl; www.laczynaspilka.pl @Laczy nas pilka

In the 21st century, we played in the World Cup three times, but we were unable to advance to the knockout stage even once. It’s time to change this! We have a good squad; several of our players are in top form and play for world-famous clubs, such as FC Barcelona or Juventus FC. We have reasons to believe that we can achieve a solid result, which means making it past the group stage. Within our group, we will be facing Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina. It is a very interesting mix. We remain humble, but fear no one. We will be playing in Qatar with no complexes; we are ready for battle. This is the World Cup – every match will be very important for us. We will need to give every game our all.

I hope that this very atypical World Cup period will give us plenty of reasons to feel joy and pride in the performance of the Polish national team. Let us support the White and Reds in their fight for victory! United by football!

Cezary Kulesza President of the Polish Football Association

Editorial office: Paweł Drażba, Emil Kopański, Jacek Janczewski, Andrzej Klemba, Piotr Wiśniewski, Tadeusz Danisz, Rafał Cepko, Szymon Tomasik, Rafał Byrski, Krzysztof Jaśniok, Piotr Kuczkowski, Adrian Woźniak, Jaromir Kruk. Cover design: Kamil Namysło. Graphic design studio: Piotr Przychodzeń, Iwona Polok, Michał Kołodziej. Photographs: Archiwum PZPN, Łukasz Grochala, Cyfrasport, Paula Duda, 400mm.pl, East News, PAP. Translations: GROY Translations.

Printing house: Copy General.

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POLISH NATIONAL TEAM

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Kamil Grabara 08.01.1999 FC Kopenhaga 1/0 Goalkeeper

Łukasz Skorupski 05.05.1991 Bologna FC 7/0 Goalkeeper

Wojciech Szczęsny 18.04.1990 Juventus FC 66/0 Goalkeeper

Jan Bednarek 12.04.1996 Aston Villa FC 44/1 Defender

Bartosz Bereszyński 12.07.1992 UC Sampdoria 45/0 Defender

Matty Cash 07.08.1997 Aston Villa FC 7/1 Defender

Kamil Glik 03.02.1988 Benevento Calcio 98/6 Defender

Robert Gumny 04.06.1998 FC Augsburg 4/0 Defender

Artur Jędrzejczyk 04.11.1987 Legia Warszawa 40/3 Defender

Jakub Kiwior 15.02.2000 Spezia Calcio 4/0 Defender

Mateusz Wieteska 11.02.1997 Clermont Foot 63 1/0 Defender

Nicola Zalewski 23.01.2002 AS Roma 7/0 Defender Łączy nas piłka

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Krystian Bielik 04.01.1998 Birmingham City 5/0 Midfielder

Przemysław Frankowski 12.04.1995 RC Lens 25/1 Midfielder

Kamil Grosicki 08.06.1988 Pogoń Szczecin 86/17 Midfielder

Jakub Kamiński 05.06.2002 VfL Wolfsburg 3/1 Midfielder

Grzegorz Krychowiak 29.01.1990 Al-Shabab 93/5 Midfielder

Michał Skóraś 15.02.2000 Lech Poznań 1/0 Midfielder

Damian Szymański 16.06.1995 AEK FC 8/1 Midfielder

Sebastian Szymański 10.05.1999 Feyenoord Rotterdam 17/1 Midfielder

Piotr Zieliński 20.05.1994 SSC Napoli 74/9 Midfielder

Szymon Żurkowski 25.09.1997 ACF Fiorentina 6/0 Midfielder

Robert Lewandowski 21.08.1988 FC Barcelona 134/76 Forward

Arkadiusz Milik 28.02.1994 Juventus FC 63/16 Forward

Krzysztof Piątek 01.07.1995 US Salernitana 1919 24/10 Forward

Karol Świderski 23.01.1997 Charlotte FC 17/8 Forward

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COACH OF POLAND

CZESŁAW MICHNIEWICZ He was born on 12 February 1970 in Brzozówka, located in Belarus. He started his football career at Ossa Biskupiec Pomorski, from where he moved on to Bałtyk Gdynia in 1985.

The next stop on his goalkeeper’s career path was Polonia Gdańsk; later, he reached the Ekstraklasa level with Amica Wronki. With this club, he won two Polish Cups (1999, 2000) and one Super Cup (1999). He ended his football career after the 2000/2001 season.

At the time of hanging up his boots, he was already working as a coach, leading the reserves of the Wronki club. He also took care of goalkeeper training in Amica’s first team and was briefly an assistant coach in Polonia Olimpia Elbląg in 2003. The position of the coach of Lech Poznań was Czesław Michniewicz’s first independent job in Ekstraklasa. He achieved his first success with the club, winning the Polish Cup in 2004, along with the national Super Cup. He worked at „Kolejorz” until 2006. In October 2006, he became the coach of Zagłębie Lubin. Already his first season ended with winning the Polish championship. In the following years, he led Arka Gdynia, Widzew Łódź, Jagiellonia Białystok, Polonia Warszawa, Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała, Pogoń Szczecin and Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza.

On 7 July 2017, he began his career in the national team. With the under-21 team, he advanced to the final tournament of the European Championships, beating Portugal in the playoffs. In the group stage, the youth national team led by Czesław Michniewicz won six points, beating Belgium and Italy and losing to Spain.

On 21 September 2020, he took up a job at Legia Warszawa.

He won the national championship with the club (2021) and advanced to the group stage of the Europa League. He worked at the club from the capital city of Poland until October 2021.

On 31 January 2022, he was announced the head coach of Poland’s senior national team, which he led into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and ensured that it would remain in the top division of the Nations League.

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STAFF OF THE POLISH NATIONAL TEAM

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Czesław Michniewicz Head Coach

Kamil Potrykus Assistant Coach

Alessio De Petrillo Assistant Coach

Mirosław Kalita Assistant Coach

Hubert Małowiejski Assistant Coach

Rafał Lasocki Assistant Coach

Andrzej Dawidziuk Goalkeeping Coach

Tomasz Muchiński Goalkeeping Coach

Karol Bortnik Fitness Coach

Grzegorz Witt Fitness Coach

Robert Musiałek Video Analyst

Jakub Rejmoniak Technical filming Łączy nas piłka

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Jacek Jaroszewski Team Doctor

Paweł Bamber Physiotherapist

Marcin Bator Physiotherapist

Adam Kurek Physiotherapist

Wojciech Herman Masseur

Jakub Kwiatkowski Team Sports Manager, ress Officer

Łukasz Gawrjołek Logistics Team Manager

Paweł Kosedowski Technical Manager

Paweł Sidorowicz Assistant Technical Manager

Tomasz Leśniak Chef

Radosław Marcińczyk Deputy Chef

Wojciech Zep Nutritionist

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ONE T-SHIRT – MANY DR POLAND’S NATIONAL TE FOR THE WORLD CUP IN

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REAMS. EAM OUTFIT N QATAR #DREAMT-SHIRT

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The Polish Football Association has unveiled the new T-shirt of the Polish national team, in which the White-and-Reds will perform at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. The #DreamT-shirt is another element of the campaign to promote the national team’s performance at the World Cup. Czesław Michniewicz’s team have already played in their new T-shirts in Nations League matches against the Netherlands and Wales.

The T-shirts were produced by Nike, the official supplier of the Polish national team’s sports equipment.

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here are many dreams associated with this single T-shirt.

Dreams of a football career, playing for the national team, flying with the team to Qatar, winning against Argentina or... a fantastic World Cup. That is

why we now refer to it as the #DreamT-shirt.

The Polish national team T-shirt is one of the symbols that unite the whole country. It should express the dreams of every single fan.

Already on the day of the official presentation of the new T-shirt, it became known as „historic” due to the landmark event of the

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World Cup being played for the first time in history in November/December. I would like the new T-shirt to remain in the fans’ memory long after the World Cup so that it also has a collector’s value. This would mean that our team would be successful in Qatar. And this is my private dream related to this beautiful T-shirt”, says Cezary Kulesza, President of the Polish Football Association.

The new T-shirts combine white and red as well as grey on the sleeves, which symbolises the white eagle’s nest. The shirts, kept in classic tones, correspond to the latest trends, aiming to meet the high expectations of every fan of the Polish national team, regardless of gender, origin, profession, age or place of residence. One T-shirt expresses the millions of dreams associated with our national team’s performance at the World Cup. Every fan of the White-and-Reds can buy new national team outfits in the Official Fan Shop of

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the Polish National Team, both online at Sklep.LaczyNasPilka.pl and in regular shops. The T-shirts were prepared in three models differing in the level of sophistication and technology used: TOP, STADIUM and VAPOR. There are also women’s outfits on offer, in home and away versions. “The presentation of the national team T-shirt is our strategic point in the entire #HeadedForQuatar campaign, which we launched in March, immediately after winning the play-off match against Sweden at the Silesian Stadium. That match was watched by more than 6 million fans. I am sure that even more will be watching during the World Cup, as the White-and-Red national football team is the most loved team in Poland. We want the new T-shirt design to appeal to every generation of fans. Hence the promotional campaign to emphasise its function not only in terms of football but also in terms of lifestyle”, says Łukasz Wachowski, Secretary General of the Polish Football Association.

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CZESŁAW MICHNIEWICZ: „I CAN VOUCH FOR THIS SQUAD”

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„This is the best choice I could have made”, assured Czesław Michniewicz, head coach of the Polish national team, during announcement of the squad for the World Cup in Qatar. The head coach decided to take 26 players to the tournament: three goalkeepers, nine defenders, ten midfielders and four strikers.

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efore announcing the names of those who made the main squad for the World Cup, coach Michniewicz stated that „this is a very important moment for me and for the players. And a difficult one, as I had to select 26 players out of 47 in the extended squad, which means that 21 players will be disappointed. Unfortunately, there is no way I can make this moment any less bitter for them. We have watched over 400 live matches in various setups and on different continents to ensure that the selection process was as complete as possible. I can vouch that this is the best choice I could have made. I respect the fact that the players who have not been selected may disagree, but I will be calling them and discussing this issue with them”, assured the head coach.

The head coach stressed that the decision concerning each player was difficult. „I had to think hard with respect to every player. Of the 21 players, there were some who played an important role in the national team, but also some who were only making their first steps. It was difficult to decide whether to take four goalkeepers or an additional midfielder. „We have decided that the midfield, to which Krystian Bielik and Grzegorz Krychowiak aspire, needs one more player.

The specific nature of the game is that two penalty cards eliminate a player. Our goal is to play at least four matches, and we had a shortage at this position. For this reason, I went to see several players and Damian Szymański was in the best form”, assured the head coach.Journalists also asked, among others, about Kamil Grosicki and Artur Jędrzejczyk. „Nominations are decided primarily by pure football skills, but personality, determining who suits the group, also plays a role.

Even if there are no players in the squad who would be there just to improve the atmosphere. In addition to a good player, I also need a good person. And all players meet that criterion”, assured Michniewicz. „Grosicki? Kamil has been playing very regularly since July; he probably spent the most minutes on the field out of all Pogoń players. He can give an impetus to the team in critical moments and this will be very useful”, claims the head coach.

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„Artur has personality, charisma and experience.

I worked with him before and he has never failed me.

I already wanted to take him to the match against Sweden, but he was recovering from an injury. He is universal, because he can play at any position as a stopper, regardless of whether the formation has three or four defenders. In addition, he can also play on the side of the defence”, added Michniewicz.

The head coach of the Polish national team decided to take four strikers to the World Cup. „I al-

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ready informed Dawid Kownacki that he is the fifth on Wednesday. We explained everything to each other in a good atmosphere. As a former coach of the U-21 national team, I owe him a lot and respect his abilities. He will yet be back in the national team, and these four fit each other the best, both when playing with one striker and with two. I saw no need to take Kownacki, as we are quite blessed when it comes to the wings”, states Michniewicz.

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ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI: TIME TO DISPEL ALL DOUBTS

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In club football, Robert Lewandowski has achieved virtually everything.

He can boast victories in the Champions League and the Club World Cup as well as more than ten top scorer titles in various tournaments. In Qatar, however, he has something more to prove: the ability to lead the national team to a successful performance in the World Cup, something he has so far been unable to do.

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FIFA WORLD CUP I QATAR 2022

There basically is no pass into the penalty area that Robert couldn’t handle.

A real nightmare for the defenders

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ne would be hard-pressed to find a moment in Robert Lewandowski’s career when his development slowed down. Ever since his transfer from Znicz Pruszków to Lech Poznań, the career of the captain of the Polish national team has been a constant rising tide. After his transfer to Borussia Dortmund, he immediately become one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga. With his team at the time, he won two German championships, one domestic Cup and one Super Cup, made the Champions League finals and became the league’s top scorer. After being transferred to Bayern Munich, he confirmed his class over the following years, becoming one of the absolute top players in the world. His assets and development are noticed by Bjarne Goldbæk, a Danish player with 28 appearances in the Danish national team, who formerly played for such clubs as FC Schalke 04 and Chelsea FC and shared the locker room with such players as brothers Brian and Michael Laudrup. „Ever since his first appearance in the Bundesliga, Robert has been developing each and every year”, says Goldbæk in an interview for the United by Football website. „He has definitely become a more useful player in the context of how the entire team plays. He is no longer just an executor, but also helps to play the ball.

He is excellent in protecting the ball, he tries to set up the team”, lists Goldbæk.

Paweł Kryszałowicz agrees with Goldbæk.

The former player for the Polish national team, who scored a goal for the White and Reds during the 2002 World Cup, notes that it is hard to name any aspect of Lewandowski that wouldn’t be at the highest level. „As a ‘nine”, he really is an absolutely complete striker. He can not only finish moves, when the ball is seeking him, but is also capable of combination play. He is incredibly strong and very fast. When it comes to Robert, it is impossible to say what he is the best in, as he has perfected nearly every aspect”, says the 33-time player for the Polish national team.

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Robert Lewandowski certainly impresses the entire football community with his attitude not only on the pitch, but also off the pitch. His self-awareness and willingness to work on each and every element which can be beneficial on the turf are on a very high level. That Lewandowski has not suffered any injuries over so many years of playing at the top level is certainly no accident. „Robert is constantly working hard, because he is aware that maintaining form is not limited to just training with his team in the club.

Individual work is also very important. One must not forget about appropriate regeneration and nutrition. Robert is great at this and that is why he has virtually no problems with injuries. Even if he is out, it’s just for one, sometimes two matches. This is often caused by fatigue, as he is heavily utilised both in his club and in the national team; the process of deciding the squad starts with him”, notes Kryszałowicz.

Despite playing in so many matches, the captain of the Polish national team does not lower his sights. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, he mercilessly exploits his opponents’ weaknesses and directs the ball into the goal, regardless of whether he wears the uniform of Barcelona or of the national team. Although he has multiple top scorer titles under his belt and continues to break new records, he still seems insatiable.

It’s not just about seeking new challenges, which is the reason he left Bayern Munich, but also about self-development. He keeps adding new weapons into his arsenal of skills, which makes him even more dangerous. „Lewandowski has incredible sense of space and amazing speed. It doesn’t make much difference to him which leg he uses to shoot; he has great quality in both. Every second of his play is marked by high determination, which is what distinguishes the best players”, says Bjarne Goldbæk.

All this, put together, makes Lewandowski strike fear into the hearts of defensive lines throughout the world. Regardless of whether he faces the Gibraltar national team or

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Real Madrid, he causes massive problems for defenders. „In one-on-one situations, the defending player has basically no chance against Lewandowski”, claims Stefan Majewski, former defender for the national team and World Cup medallist. „The speed and dynamic play of ‘Lewy’ mean that he can only be opposed by an equally fast defender. And those are few and far between. Robert can read the game and knows exactly where to position himself; he has the ability to predict where the ball will fall. This is what distinguishes the best strikers in the world. He also works for the entire team. Even when he does not receive a pass himself, he keeps the defenders’ attention, making things easier for his teammates. This is visible in Barcelona even more than it was in Bayern”, he adds. „Robert has developed the ability to lose defenders with incredible ease. He moves within the penalty area like a fox and is capable of losing defenders in a fraction of a second. Add to that the incredible instinct for finishing moves and smooth play using his both legs and his head and we have a real phenomenon. There basically is no pass into the penalty area that Robert couldn’t handle.

A real nightmare for the defenders”, stresses Marcin Żewłakow, 25-time player for the Polish national team.

The new records that Lewandowski keeps breaking and the trophies he keeps winning spark a debate among many fans whether the current captain of the Polish national team is already the best player in the history of Polish football. The proponents of this thesis emphasise Lewandowski’s incredible achievements in club football, while its opponents point out that he has had no comparable success with the national team. „It is very hard to compare different periods in football. Football used to be played in a different way, we also had fantastic players, such as Kazimierz Deyna or Zbigniew Boniek. Assessment is an individual matter. Others might disagree, but I believe that Lewandowski is the best Polish footballer in history”, says Paweł Kryszałowicz. „I do not compare players from different times, because that’s impossible. It’s a bit like literatu#

re: every era has its most outstanding representatives. Robert in football is the national bard of his times”, colourfully describes Marcin Żewłakow.

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Regardless of whether he faces the Gibraltar national team or Real Madrid, he causes massive problems for defenders. @Laczy nas pilka

in 2008, but the White and Reds did not make the 2010 and 2014 World Cups in South Africa and Brazil. „Lewy’s” first opportunity to play in the World Cup came only in 2018, ten years after his debut. However, Polish fans have no fond memories of the World Cup in Russia, as the team, then managed by Adam Nawałka, failed to advance beyond the group sta-

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ge. This time is supposed to be different. The eyes of the entire world will be focused especially on the duel between Lewandowski and Lionel Messi, but the captain of the Polish national team has much to prove in every subsequent match. We hope that in Qatar he will lead the White and Reds to a great success.

Emil Kopański

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A TIME OF EMOTION AND CHARACTER TESTS The final whistle of the referee. Czesław Michniewicz squats down on the substitutes’ bench, as if to escape for a moment from the crazy joy around him. „My whole life flashed before my eyes. From childhood, through adolescence, all the ups and downs”, said the head coach after the play-off against Sweden. Many fans probably remember this image.

And it captures our journey to the World Cup in Qatar – full of emotion, thrill, where we had to show not only skill but also character.

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hen Kamil Glik signalled in the third minute of the play-off against Sweden that he would need a substitution, it seemed that the road to the World Cup in a match against a rival we last won against in 1991 would unexpectedly get even longer. Glik eventually played until the very end. „I played with an injury from the first minute. I felt the pain immediately on first contact. I tore a muscle quite badly. It was difficult for me to kick or pass the ball, to accelerate. I tried to grit my teeth and help as much as I could. It seems I was 50 per cent in the game”, said the defender. „I didn’t care about anything beyond this match. Nothing mattered, what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next year. It was our match of the decade. I have fulfilled another one of my dreams”, said one of the heroes of our national team. „The team showed character”, Grzegorz Krychowiak echoed him.

The team showed character from the first minutes of the qualifiers, and they struggled against tremendous odds. Mateusz Klich proba-

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bly knows best how coronavirus could make life miserable at the beginning of the qualifiers. Positive, negative, then positive again.

A mood swing, just like the one experienced by fans during the first match againt Hungary. „We certainly feel a little disappointed.

We were losing 0-2, it was really bad. We led to a draw, it seemed like we would score another goal and yet we lost. However, we managed to draw. A crazy match”, recounted Kamil Jóźwiak, who was one of the heroes of our national team. He scored a goal and made the key pass for the second goal.

Klich missed the first qualifying matches. In Budapest, Kamil Glik was also absent from the first line-up, although he appeared on the pitch in the second half. For the defender from Jastrzębie-Zdrój, it was the 80th match for the Polish national team. The 33-year-old thus joined the Outstanding National Team Players Member Club. It was also unclear for a long time whether our strikers, Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik and Krzysztof Piątek, would play in the most important match of the spring qualifying round, an away match against England. The issue was that players could be subjected to mandatory quarantine on their return from the UK. Everything was cleared

There was a standing ovation, both teams made two rows to form a lane, there was loud chanting of „Fabian’ and there were also tears in many eyes.

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up in the end, but Lewandowski did not fly to the British Isles with his colleagues anyway.

In the match against Andorra, „Lewy” suffered an injury and the offensive duo, Krzysztof Piątek and Karol Świderski, played in the match at Wembley from the first minute. The latter had made his debut for the national team a few days earlier in a match against Andorra and immediately celebrated with a goal. „A goal in my debut match can be gratifying and it’s what I’ve really been working for all along since I was a kid. I’m glad that the moment has come for me to get a chance in the national

team. That goal will stay with me for the rest of my life”, said Świderski joyfully. There were more successful debuts in the match against Andorra, by the way. „Ever since we were children, we would dream of playing at the highest level, especially in the national team. I have fulfilled one of my dreams. Until a year ago, I could only watch the national team on TV, but now I work with the national team on the pitch”, added Kacper Kozłowski, who contributed to the third goal and became the second youngest debutant in the national team. Only Włodzimierz Lubański was younger.

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MODER:

SCORING A GOAL AT WEMBLEY IS AN AMAZING FEELING

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There were plenty of offensive actions at Wembley but the only goal for the national team was scored by Jakub Moder. „Scoring a goal at Wembley is an amazing feeling but I was mostly disappointed with the result.

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There were plenty of offensive actions at Wembley but the only goal for the national team was scored by Jakub Moder. „Scoring a goal at Wembley is an amazing feeling but I was mostly disappointed with the result. My goal didn’t change anything”, Moder admitted. A gentle consolation for the midfielder playing in the Isles on a daily basis could only be the fact that he beat Nick Pope, who has not lost a goal in national colours so far. The Burnley goalkeeper played his seventh match for the senior England national team and has not let the ball into the net in his first six matches.

In the autumn, we witnessed further debuts in the national team. One of the goals in the September match against Albania was scored by Adam Buksa. The then New England Revolution striker was just getting started, as he scored a classic hat-trick in the next match, against San Marino. „I scored my first hat-trick in the national team and the first in my senior career, I am very happy about that. I prepared for the national team training camp very meticulously. Still, I didn’t expect to score four goals in two matches”, said the modest striker, who at that point was one of five players (in the European zone) to score a hat-trick in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. This elite group included Tomas Soucek, Erling Haaland and Memphis Depay, among others.

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The autumn qualifying matches had their heroes but surely the one most unexpected, the most surprising was Damian Szymański. The AEK Athens player entered the pitch in the match against England at the National Stadium in the 68th minute and enjoyed a goal in added time after Robert Lewandowski’s cross, thus securing us a draw. „An incredible feeling. I am happy. I’m glad we managed to score a goal in the final minutes”, said the player who was initially not supposed to be at the training camp at all. It was only as a result of injuries suffered by other players that he found his place in the national team. „Dreams do come true. I have worked hard for this at the club, having previously struggled with injuries. To play against England and score a goal is a dream come true”, said the goalscorer, who found it hard to hide his emotion.

The White-and-Red’s goalscoring display in the second leg against San Marino receded into the background in the face of what happened after nearly an hour of play. It was then that Łukasz Fabiański bid a final farewell to the White-and-Red jersey. There was a standing ovation, both teams made two rows to form a lane, there was loud chanting of „Fabian” and there were also tears in many eyes. „I feel accomplished. I can check off a debut,

To play against England and score a goal is a dream come true”, said Damian Szymański, who found it hard to hide his emotion.

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being number one, playing at the World Cup, the Euros, experiencing something cool. I went down in the history of Polish football. Fifteen years can look impressive”, said Fabiański, who was substituted by Radosław Majecki in the second half.

In the last phase of the group stage, the match against Albania was crucial. The White-and-Reds were not bothered by bottles flying from the stands and Świderski once again showed his sniper’s precision. A win in this match brought us significantly closer to the play-offs. „This is the most important victory in the qualifiers. We controlled the match.

I will admit that I have played in very few stadiums where it was as loud as it was in Tirana.

But fans in Albania could not accept the defeat. The bottles were full of water. It was dangerous”, admitted Piotr Zieliński.

The last phase of the qualifiers was marked by another very fruitful debut. Matty Cash wore the White-and-Red jersey for the first time in

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A GOAL IN MY DEBUT MATCH CAN BE GRATIFYING the match against Andorra. „It’s a dream come true and a special moment for me”, said the clearly moved 24-year-old, who could be doubly pleased after the match. He appeared on the pitch in the second half and Poland secured a place in the play-offs thanks to the win.

In the match against Hungary, Cash appeared in the starting line-up and sang the Polish anthem along with his colleagues. „I hope this jo@Laczy nas pilka

urney will continue. The national team training camp was fantastic. I enjoyed every moment.

I love being here and I love playing for Poland.

I hope I will be able to play many more times”, he said in the autumn. At the time, he probably didn’t expect that a few months later he would be able to celebrate one of the biggest successes of his career to date.

Tadeusz Danisz

In the match against Andorra, „Lewy” suffered an injury and the offensive duo, Krzysztof Piątek and Karol Świderski.

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„ZIELU”, LEAD THE WAY! He is in excellent form and at the best age for a football player.

He has experience from major events and enjoys great trust of head coach Czesław Michniewicz. The World Cup in Qatar could be Piotr Zieliński’s tournament.

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he 28-year-old is a man who is rather reserved and not looking for cheap publicity, but he has been causing controversy among Polish national team fans for years. Exclusively for pitch-related reasons, though. Many people claim that, although he has played more than 70 matches for the national team, his very good matches can be counted on the fingers of one hand of a circular saw operator. However, there are also equally widespread opinions that he is an artist who defies all clichés and gives the team what an average consumer of football shows simply cannot see. There is no doubt that the Napoli player is an incredibly talented footballer, technically excellent, clever, kicking the ball with both feet with equal ease and quality. Different from everyone else.

In these opinions, Zieliński somewhat falls victim to his own talent and skill. More is expected or demanded of him. Just as in school, it is received differently when a pupil barely passing from class to class gets a C for a test and when a top student winning contests gets a C. The midfielder was and is judged more on his potential than on what he actually showed in any given match. „If Zieliński wakes up one day and a switch flips in his head, we will have a player who will be the envy of everyone in the world”, these words, uttered by Jerzy Brzęczek after the 0-0 draw in the European Championship qualifying match against Austria in September 2019, have already entered the canon of Polish football journalism. The then head coach waited for an explosion of talent in one of his most important players. Today, „ Zielu” is a completely different player than he was three years ago.

A better one, ready to carry the burden of responsibility for the performance of the Polish national team. „I don’t like judging my colleagues. However, I have to say how much Piotr Zieliński has matured in the past months”, Robert Lewandowski recently told the „Piłka Nożna” Weekly. „You can see his hunger for more goals and assists. He has finally unlocked his potential. He has made great progress. You can feel it when you play with him. I have noticed #

an important thing: the more Piotrek opens up to others off the pitch, the easier it is for him to play with others later on. He used to be reserved privately and he was missing something during matches. This has now changed. We all understand his passes better. It helps me a lot that I have got to know Piotrek better, I can predict his passes or his movements on the pitch”, added the captain of the White-and-Reds.

Zieliński made his national team debut in June 2013 against Liechtenstein. Head coach Waldemar Fornalik was bold in introducing the 19-year -old to the team. His successor, Adam Nawałka, initially had little confidence in Zieliński, and the midfielder himself, warming the bench at Udinese, provided no arguments to change this state of affairs. He only played once in the Euro 2016 qualifiers - 24 minutes against Gibraltar

Since the start of the season, he has also been playing brilliantly for Napoli, who show impressive form in both the Champions League and Serie A.

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He used to be reserved privately and he was missing something during matches. This has now changed.

We all understand his passes better. in September 2015. He was already an Empoli player at the time. Nevertheless, the head coach took the 22-year-old to France. Zieliński played 45 minutes there in the third match of the group stage against Ukraine, as a right midfielder or even winger. Nawałka’s most common tactic was the 1-4-4-2 formation and the players who were to play in midfield - the place where Zieliński feels most comfortable and is most effective – were Grzegorz Krychowiak and Krzysztof Mączyński.

After that tournament, the White-and-Red’s best tournament in the 21st century, the midfielder moved to SSC Napoli and made his Champions League debut. A fundamental change also took place in the national team.

Piotr Zieliński became its foundation. In the 10 matches of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, he was off the pitch for only 19 minutes and scored six assists in the competition. The World Cup itself, however, is another story.... „Fans have the right to expect the Italian vice-champion’s player to take responsibility for the game, create actions and be active. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Zieliński hid behind his rivals, floated about aimlessly around the pitch, and when he did have the ball, he usually passed it helplessly to his closest partner, usually backwards. Many hoped that he would take over the baton as the leader in Russia from his senior colleagues. Meanwhile, „Zielu” showed that he is completely not ready for it”, assessed Zieliński’s performance (he played in all three matches) sport.tvp.pl.

Subsequent years in the national team were unsatisfactory again. As far as the „artistic experience’ familiar from figure skating is concerned, everything was fine. It was numbers @Laczy nas pilka

that were missing. 2019 – 10 matches, one assist, 2020 – five matches, one assist, 2021 – 10 matches, a goal and three assists, including one at the European Championship finals.

The general opinion was that he did better at the Euros than at the World Cup in Russia, but Poland once again failed to advance from the group stage.

Just before the tournament, there was an event that many believe had a huge impact on the renaissance of form that Piotr Zieliński has been experiencing in recent months.

At the end of May 2021, the player became a father. The new role and the responsibility it entails in private life is often reflected on the pitch too. „Zielu” matured as a person, but he also matured as a player.

He has already scored two goals for the Polish national team in 2022, including one in the play-offs to qualify for the World Cup finals against Sweden in Chorzów. Making the most of a one-on-one situation with Robin Olsen, he proved that he doesn’t crack under pressure at moments of crucial tests. Since the start of the season, he has also been playing brilliantly for Napoli, who show impressive form in both the Champions League and Serie A. Zieliński has also gained more on-pitch freedom after Dries Mertens left and he complements Stanislav Lobotka perfectly. In the past, the way he played lacked sparkle. Today, it is a pleasure to watch the Pole working in the defence.

Also his body language or even the nonchalantly worn socks show that he feels strong, that he has become the leader of the Napoli team.

This is the Zieliński the Polish national team needs in Qatar.

Szymon Tomasik

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GOALS, IMPULSE AND PATH OF KAROL ŚWIDERSKI #

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He has not scored a goal in any of Europe’s top five leagues, he is not even the leading scorer of the competition in which he plays, and he has not been the hero of record-breaking transfers. However, Karol Świderski shows that there is no single right path to the first squad of the Polish national team. @Laczy nas pilka

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obert Lewandowski scored his eighth goal for the national team in his 29th appearance, Arkadiusz Milik scored a little sooner, in his 19th, while Krzysztof Piątek scored it in his 16th. And only he is more effective than Karol Świderski in this respect, as for the Charlotte FC striker, the winning goal against Wales came in his seventeenth match for the national team. And it’s hard not to ask: when did it all go so quickly and so well for the 25-year-old player from Rawicz? Świderski almost guarantees a goal in every game, his average of minutes needed to score for the national team only marginally exceeds ninety. What is more impressive, however, is that he has been a substitute on as many as nine occasions in seventeen matches so far. And initially that is how he was perceived: a player who will give a boost from the substitutes’ bench.

Also by the fact that in the Ekstraklasa in three seasons in a row (from 2015 to 2018) he was in the top ten of players most often let in from the bench. In the latter (2017/18), #

he entered as a substitute as many as 21 times, although his average of shots on target per 90 minutes was the second best in the entire Polish league.

He made his debut playing against Andorra and scored a goal, just before Euro 2020 he came on at the very end against Iceland and scored again, in the crucial World Cup qualifying clash against Albania in Tirana he was also the hero, using a pass from Mateusz Klich. Finally, Świderski, after barely twelve minutes on the turf of the Wrocław stadium, guaranteed the White-and-Reds a win against Wales in the Nations League.

His national team career to date can be boiled down to this: Świderski appears in the least expected moments of the national team’s matches. Just look at the last four games in which he scored goals – against Albania, Hungary and twice against Wales – when he took his only opportunities. What is even more impressive, however, is that the average score of goals expected (i.e. quality of chances) is very high with Świderski in the national team. It stands at 0.67, which means that with an average of less than three shots

He made his debut playing against Andorra and scored a goal, just before Euro 2020 he came on at the very end against Iceland and scored again, in the crucial World Cup qualifying clash against Albania in Tirana he was also the hero, using a pass from Mateusz Klich. Łączy nas piłka

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per 90 minutes, he is able to come up with very clear-cut opportunities.

This is a very important trait in a striker’s game, but Świderski is not a classic „nine” like Lewandowski, Milik or Piątek. Each of his three senior teammates, both at club and on the national team, has performed alone in the attack. However, the Charlotte footballer is much more versatile. Analytics platform WyScout points to five different roles filled by Świderski during the Major League Soccer regular season. In the national team, he was also introduced from the start as one of two or even three strikers being on the pitch at the same time.

Initially, Świderski benefited from the very offensive approach imposed on the team by Paulo Sousa.

Already in his debut as the had coach against Hungary in Budapest, the Portuguese was able to throw Lewandowski, Milik and Piątek onto the pitch at the same time. This is also why he needed more „nines” in his squad, so he sought diversity in the profiles of the strikers he called up. When asked about the call

file of play or skills is an increasingly rare occurrence. By introducing a different type of striker – such as Świderski for Buksa in Tirana – another problem is caused for rival defenders.

With Sousa, he made his debut and scored his first goals. In fact, Świderski emphasised that he owed a lot to the Portuguese. However, Czesław Michniewicz also believed in the striker’s abilities when he called him up to the youth national team. He appeared for him in eleven matches, came on the pitch in the play-offs against Portugal, and also played in the last Euro Under-21 clash against Spain (0:5). He wasn’t a leading figure, he didn’t even score any goals in this age category, but... he kept getting called up.

It was much the same in the senior national team, with the Cardiff match proving to be the culmination. After the national team’s weaker match against Belgium, he was given a chance in Wales and simply made the most of it. After the game, Czesław Michniewicz emphasised that „Świderek” was an important part of his national team. „He had some health problems, chan-

ŚWIDERSKI

ALMOST GUARANTEES A GOAL IN EVERY GAME -ups of Adam Buksa and Świderski, Sousa firstly pointed out the differences. „Karol is more mobile, has a good technique and can be even better at finishing actions. Adam is very strong, does a great job in the penalty area, not only when it comes to heading. He also has a sensational left foot”, he explained. This difference in the profiles was important because non-standard solutions may be needed in matches.

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ged the league, now he plays regularly. Today is good, very good, you could see a lot of freshness in his actions. But if his team doesn’t get into the play-offs, we will have a big problem with him. And I feel very sorry about that”, he stipulated.

His performance in Cardiff showed his full potential. Although he only completed eleven passes, as many as nine were accurate and three-quarters of his actions were scored as successful. He won as many as thirteen

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of his nineteen tackles, but where he tackled them was also important: he scored seven on each side, had as many in his own half (losing only one of them), and picked up three second balls on top of that. His partnership with Lewandowski was not direct – the captain’s assist was only one of three passes exchanged between them – but Świderski’s movement, taking on tackles and rivals was an important aspect that allowed the leading striker to contribute more to the game.

Besides, Lewandowski in the national team used to emphasise after matches that were more difficult for him, that he makes so much movement, he focuses the rivals’ attention on him in such a way that his teammates can benefit from it. Now it is the same with Świderski, who with his mobility opens up spaces especially where it is crucial for the team: between the opponent’s defence and midfield line. This is exactly what happened with the goal scored against Wales: by making a run behind the defence, he gave Jakub Kiwior the opportunity to slot the ball inside to Lewandowski, who with a fantastic pass opened up a chance for Świderski. The whole action, as well as the cooperation of these two strikers, was exemplary in this situation. Świderski arrived at the September training camp after a match against Chicago Fire in which he scored two goals. A week earlier against New York City, he scored an assist.

He finished the season as Charlotte FC’s top scorer and second best assistant. His disposition meant that already in the summer, barely six months after his transfer to the United States, there were rumours of a return to the European leagues. „That’ s the world of football. Karol is our captain, we absolutely love him, he is enjoying life in Charlotte and playing in the MLS. That’s why he’s untouchable for now. There is not even a discussion about the transfer”, said Zoran Krneta, the club’s sporting director, at the beginning of October. Such a position could be wanted by many other strikers – as well as the chance to play in the World Cup. Michał Zachodny, Viaplay #

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„WHAT A PLAYER HE IS!” IS JAKUB KIWIOR COMING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT? Jakub Kiwior is one of the fastest growing players in the Polish national team. In the last days of August 2021, he was still a player at MŠK Žilina, only to become a candidate to play at Italy’s strongest clubs a year later and force his way into the Polish national team’s starting line-up.

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akub Kiwior’s story began in Tychy. The 4-year-old coincidentally took his first steps at a local club called Chrzciciel (Eng. Baptist).

He later progressed through the ranks in local football, wearing the colours of Grom, APN GKS and finally anchoring in the GKS Tychy academy. In the first years, it did not seem as if Kiwior were to become a defender. He played on the offence and returned from many tournaments with the top scorer title. „It was a great time, a lot of competitions won. Kuba won a lot of prizes, also for the youngest player in the tournaments, as he mainly played against colleagues born even in 1997, who were up to three years older than him”, recalls Krzysztof Berger, Kiwior’s first coach.

As time passed, „Kiwi” was moving lower and lower on the pitch until he found himself in the defensive midfield.

And this proved to be a great idea. In 2016, he was included in the GKS Tychy first team but he never made his debut. That is because he was spotted by Anderlecht scouts and moved to the club from the Belgian capital. „He is an extremely promising player with a high level of skills necessary for a defender in modern football. He brilliantly plays with his left foot and shows great composure and maturity, despite his young age”, said Michel Thiry, who recommended Kiwior to Anderlecht.

At the time, the player from Tychy was already in the junior national team. In 2016, he played for the U-16 national team and kept rising through the ranks. In Brussels, he added the Belgian youth championship to his account and also played in the Youth Champions League. After playing in the reserve team, he did not get his chance in the first team after all. He decided to change his surroundings and chose a rather unusual destination for a Polish football player - Slovakia. He checked in at Železiarne Podbrezová, where he finally entered the world of senior football. He made his debut in the Slovakian league on 16 February 2019. „In my opinion, it wasn’t bad. It was a good match, the most important thing is that my team won. I don’t know how it all looked from the side but I feel

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that I could have done even better, that I could have approached a few situations differently”, he said after the opening match against FC Nitra. „For me, playing with the seniors was new, although there was no surprise. A lot of physical play, tall players and thus high balls, fast rivals, but I expected all that. After all, I wanted to get into senior football. This was the main reason for the change of club. I knew that I would have had a hard time getting into the first team at Anderlecht, and it was high time for me. I also didn’t want to transfer to possibly just train with the team. I needed a chance to play. An opportunity arose in Slovakia and I took it”, he added.

By the end of the 2018/2019 season, Kiwior had played a total of 14 matches in the colours of Železiarne. He dreamt of being called up to Poland’s U-20 national team which was preparing for the World Cup, played, incidentally, on Polish stadiums. „I’ve already found my way into senior football, maybe that will give me an extra edge, if I play, of course. So far, however, I have not received any signals. I am very calm about all this. It’s all up to the coach, I just want to do my job to the best of my ability”, he said in February 2019. In the end, Jacek Magiera, who was in charge of the Under-20 national team, did not decide to use Kiwior’s services, but the young defender’s excellent attitude at the club earned him a transfer to MŠK Žilina.

In his premiere season at Žilina, Kiwior balanced between the first and second teams. However, he consistently built his position in the team, and after the U-21 European Championships and a shift in age groups, he also became an extremely important element in the youth team led by Czesław Michniewicz. His partners in the defensive midfield changed several times but Kiwior remained irreplaceable, even after the next coach, Maciej Stolarczyk, took over the team. In autumn 2021, he found a new place of employment. His attitude was recognised by Spezia Calcio’s activists and they brought in the promising defender. The Italian club paid more than two million euros for the Pole. The leap from the Slovakian league to Serie A seemed very big and Kiwior’s first months at Spezia seemed to confirm this. „Kiwi” has not

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made his debut in the new colours until December. However, once he made it into the starting eleven, he did not give up his place in the line-up until the end of the competitions. He finished the 2021/2022 season with more than twenty matches to his credit, which could be considered a great result.

In June, „Kiwi” received an amazing reward for his attitude. The young defender’s growth was appreciated by Czesław Michniewicz, who was well aware of the potential of the player from Tychy. The head coach of the national team called up the Spezia defender for the Nations League matches. Although it seemed that Kiwior would only come to the training camp to learn, the opposite happened. On 11 June 2022, he made debut in the

Therefore, it is no surprise that activists from much bigger clubs than Spezia Calcio have started looking at Kiwior. The media began to speculate about AC Milan’s interest. Soon, other teams joined the list.

Villarreal CF, Juventus Turin, AS Roma, Inter Milan or even... FC Barcelona. Even Robert Lewandowski strongly complimented the younger colleague. „Kiwior? That’s a player! It might not be that obvious straight away during training, but when I saw him in the warm-up before the match against the Netherlands... The crosses, the way he moves, the positioning of the foot, everything. He played an amazing match against the Netherlands, he has huge potential”, said „Lewy”.

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LEWANDOWSKI: KIWIOR? THAT’S A PLAYER!

Polish senior national team in a match against the Netherlands. He also played in the match against Belgium three days later. He performed so well in both of these matches that he was already sure to play at the September training camp. He played in the matches against the Netherlands and Wales for full 90 minutes, impressing with his on-pitch performance especially in the latter. He presented himself not like a player who is only playing for the senior team for the fourth time but like a routine player.

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Thus, Jakub Kiwior came into the spotlight. Even considering what clubs he is being linked with, one thing is for sure. There is no risk that the player from Tychy will let it go to his head. He does not seek interest, he does not seek media attention. Off the pitch he seems like an introvert, a quiet, calm guy.

On the turf, however, he is turning into a man who wants to play first fiddle in the defensive line and knows how to do that. And that’s what matters the most, after all.

Emil Kopański

The young defender’s growth was appreciated by Czesław Michniewicz, who was well aware of the potential of the player from Tychy. The head coach of the national team called up the Spezia defender for the Nations League matches.

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THE POWER OF CONNECTIONS, THE „INNER CIRCLE” AND THE FUTURE ON THE LEFT WING #

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The more strong on-pitch connections, the better and more dangerous the team is.

The importance of duos or trios of central defenders, the cooperation of midfielders or strikers is most often pointed out. The Polish national team at the World Cup can surprise rivals with even less schematic solutions.

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he last time the White-and-Reds advanced from the knockout stages of a major tournament – at the European Championships in France – the strengths of the team led by Adam Nawałka were the duos. In the middle of defence, Kamil Glik and Michał Pazdan worked out an excellent collaboration, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Krzysztof Mączyński perfectly played in front of them, and in the attack, Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik threatened the opponents.

The concept itself is not new. Four years earlier, when the Euro was hosted by Poland and Ukraine, it was Franciszek Smuda who wanted the strength of the co-hosts’ national team to be made up of three players playing for the same club: Łukasz Piszczek, Jakub Błaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski. Although the latter two scored a goal each in the matches against Greece and Russia, the team proved too predictable in doing so, failing to offer enough solutions to get out of the group.

It was only in 2016 in France that „Kuba” and „Piszczu” were able to relate to their best moments with Borussia Dortmund, as they were one of several strong on-pitch connections.

In fact, the success story of Polish football is based on such collaborations. It started with Kazimierz Górski, who, having been able to observe championship tournaments before he even got to the World Cup while leading the national team, came to the conclusion that relying on club duos and trios could yield great results. The head coach of the 1974 third team in the world even had a specific name for such connections, he spoke of the „inner circle”. Lesław Ćmikiewicz, Robert Gadocha and, of course, Kazimierz Deyna knew each other very well from Legia Warszawa, Henryk Kasperczak and Grzegorz Lato from Stal Mielec. As many as five players from Wisła Kraków and four from Górnik Zabrze were in the 22-man squad.

This is something Czesław Michniewicz will not repeat, even if he wanted to. However, for

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him too, knowing the players is a very important aspect. When he called up a wide-ranging 47-strong squad for the World Cup in Qatar, he said that one important criterion was to see which players he had already had the opportunity to guide. In such cases, not only did he already have a relationship built up with the representative, but he also knew everything about him from a tactical capacity point of view and was aware of the strengths as well as the weaknesses. The players themselves were also aware of the expectations of this particular coach, his methods and his plans.

However, in the history of football at international level, there are fewer and fewer examples of teams that can be built on connections developed within clubs. The opening up of the transfer market and the flow of players has had the effect of blurring the distinctive styles of play for specific nations. Even the exceptions – although ending in great triumphs – confirm the rule. Spain in 2010 were made up mostly of Barcelona and Real Madrid players, basing their style on the first of these clubs and ended up with a world championship. Four years later, Joachim Loew followed a similar path, with seven players from Bayern Munich and four from Borussia Dortmund in his squad, although there were some who

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had already played for these clubs. Although we are talking about players from clubs that compete on a day-to-day basis in their domestic backyards, the had coaches were able to bring them together with a shared ambition that only underlined their footballing quality.

Most head coaches inevitably have to rely on what they can work out in just a few training camps a year. Czesław Michniewicz has had only three training camps since taking over the national team until the World Cup: before the play-off with Sweden, four Nations League matches at the end of the season and the completion of these competitions in September. Although he introduced new players, he also held on to those who had spent years stabilising the „backbone” of the team – from the goalkeeper, through the middle of defence and midfield, to the striker. However, what must not be underestimated is what has been forged elsewhere by players who – even without playing with each other at the club – immediately felt that working together on the pitch they felt natural, at ease and could give something extra.

Such is the case with the left wing. Due to the fact that Błaszczykowski and Piszczek played on the right wing for years, the national team’s play was often tilted towards them.

Such is the case with the left wing.

Due to the fact that Błaszczykowski and Piszczek played on the right wing for years, the national team’s play was often tilted towards them.

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They made more contacts with the ball, that’s where most of the action was directed, while the left wing – such as in 2016 – was the one with more burst, mainly thanks to Kamil Grosicki. Not necessarily giving less, but used in a different way. That may now be changing.

It is enough to look at the goals scored by the Polish national team in this year’s UEFA Nations League. All three of the goals against Wales were the result of actions carried out on the left wing, even the one by Matty Cash against the Netherlands in Rotterdam was the attack built on the opposite wing for this defender, accelerated by Nicola Zalewski with his pass. The goal scored in Brussels against Belgium was a throw-in on the left and the entrance of Piotr Zieliński into the centre of the pitch. In fact, only the second goal scored for the Netherlands was the result of direct play through the central „corridor”, starting with a long kick by Łukasz Skorupski.

However, the highlight of what is created in that zone – regardless of the setting – should be the goal scored against Wales in Cardiff. Zieliński coming down to the defence to get the ball, Jakub Kiwior joining the action bravely, Zalewski giving width to the pitch, two more strikers showing up to play there and then – perfectly exchanging positions and the ball for Karol Świderski to finish the action. A chart of the average positions of Poland’s representatives showed that it is Kiwior, Zalewski and Zieliński who are playing close together, with Robert Lewandowski also looking to play around them.

Zieliński and Zalewski exchanged twenty passes in this match. It was the third most frequent combination in the Polish national team, and one with the perfect proportion: the midfielder and the wing-back played the ball to each other ten times each. Both also had the highest number of dribbling attempts, plays into the attacking zone and into the opponent’s penalty area. On top of that, Kiwior, whose pass propelled the goal-scoring action, and who had the highest number of passes made forward out of the defenders. Even from the statistics, we can see more of an offensive-minded side of the national team, and so it is no

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surprise that Lewandowski wants to operate closer and closer to this group of players. He has made almost as much activity in this side sector as he has in midfield, where the striker should usually be. The difference in Zieliński’s game is even more decisive: 41 actions closer to the left, only 11 – from the right. All of the Poles’ successful dribbling in the Welsh half took place where the wing-back – Zalewski – should mainly run, but the interchangeability of positions resulting from this cooperation meant that Lewandowski and Zieliński also swung effectively there.

It is still far too early to refer to this very smooth cooperation of several players to historical duos or trios, but at the same time it is worth looking to the future. Piotr Zieliński has entered the best age for a footballer and is the leader of Napoli’s offensive. Jakub Kiwior played the most regularly of the defenders in the autumn and at the highest level.The 22-year -old is already attracting attention from better clubs than Spezia. Two years younger Nicola Zalewski has already won a European trophy, is learning from one of the best coaches in history and is still developing his talent. It’s a potential that the Polish national team could benefit from for years to come.

Michał Zachodny, Viaplay

The strengths of the team led by Adam Nawałka were the duos. In the middle of defence, Kamil Glik and Michał Pazdan worked out an excellent collaboration.

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OUR FACILITIES. IT IS HERE THAT THE POLES WILL PREPARE FOR THEIR MATCHES AT THE WORLD CUP

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At the previous World Cup, the Polish national team travelled thousands of kilometres, checking into several hotels between matches, which required a great deal of effort to keep logistics at the highest level. It will be very different at the World Cup in Qatar. The hotel and our training facilities are located very close to each other and our commutes to matches will take around a dozen and a few dozen minutes. Where exactly will the Poles be stationed during the World Cup?

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zdan Palace – this is the venue that the Polish national team will be staying at throughout their stay in Qatar.

One of the world’s most prestigious and luxurious hotels officially opened in May 2018, located between the old and new districts of Doha, close to Qatar’s largest shopping centres. The hotel has an amazing architectural design and is equipped with 195 richly furnished rooms and suites. „We deliberately chose this place right after the World Cup group draw in early April. We looked at several hotels that FIFA offered us and decided that this one would be the best for us. We didn’t want to stay in the tower blocks in the city centre because some of the teams will be stationed there. Besides, there will be no free space where the players can relax. We wanted more of a smaller facility where we could feel comfortable. It is crucial that the hotel will be virtually at our disposal. It was booked for the Polish national team and the people who will work with the team during the World Cup”, said national team coach Czesław Michniewicz.

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The functioning of the team at the highest level during the World Cup was a priority for the White-and-Reds’ coach and the Polish team should have everything they need at Ezdan Palace. „We have a briefing room that meets our requirements, rooms for activation on match days. We will also use the gym, which is essential for proper preparation. We want to play in the tournament for as long as possible, so every aspect is very important to us. The rooms are in perfect condition, everything is exquisitely finished. I know that we are in good hands. The directors and staff made everything we wanted available to us. I think we will have nothing to complain about. During an earlier visit, we were accompanied

by Tomasz Leśniak, our chef who looks after us. He has already been to many events and knows very well how to organise everything”, said the Polish national team coach.

Compared to previous World Cup tournaments, the one in Qatar will be completely different in terms of official training sessions or press conferences. There will be no opportunity to

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train on the World Cup pitches and all Polish national team activities will take place at the training facility. However, the conditions at the World Cup in Qatar will, from a logistical point of view, be very beneficial for all participants.

It is crucial that the teams will avoid arduous commutes and will not have to travel huge distances between the hotel and the training facility. Upon arrival in Qatar and check-in, the players will travel by buses.

Another advantage is the distance between Ezdan Palace and the training facility of the Polish national team. It will only take ten minutes for the Polish players to get to training by bus. The facility is equipped with two training pit-

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ches and an air-conditioned gym. It was already reported during the April visit what our staff would need. „I am pleased that everything is well organised here. It is great that we had the opportunity to see our centre beforehand and it already looked very good. Then the heat in Qatar reached fifty degrees and the turf didn’t grow as it should have, but there are specialised professionals taking care of it and I think it will be as we planned. It was worth coming here and checking everything out. We wanted to verify our progress so that we would not have any problems and avoid disappointment”, concluded Czeslaw Michniewicz.

Jacek Janczewski

„It is crucial that the hotel will be virtually at our disposal. It was booked for the Polish national team and the people who will work with the team during the World Cup”, said national team coach Czesław Michniewicz.

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One thousand kilometres from the Polish national team’s base in Sochi to Volgograd. Over one and a half thousand to Moscow and two thousand to Kazan.

During the previous World Cup in Russia, the White-and-Reds were condemned to pre-match plane journeys lasting many hours. However, this is in the past, because – as we have become accustomed to – things will be different in Qatar.

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STADIUMS WITHIN EASY REACH

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ardly surprising, given that the organiser this time is a country with an area almost one and a half thousand times smaller than before! Therefore, everything will be literally at your fingertips. It is time to take a look at the venues that will host the team led by Czesław Michniewicz during the group stage. Of course, we believe that our players’ journey around the Arabian Peninsula will gain new stages in the following weeks of the tournament. For now – without jinxing it – we will deal with those that are certainly ahead of us.

ber-December World Championships. The White-and-Reds will reside in the facility promoted as one of the most luxurious not only in Qatar itself, but also in the entire world. What is crucial for our team, however, is the fact that our footballers should not lack anything on site. The location is also important. The hotel will be only eight kilometres from the training base of Czesław Michniewicz’s team. The players will have a seventeen- and seven-kilometre „trip” to the stadiums where they will play their group matches, respectively. The difference compared to the previous World Cup is therefore very noticeable. Let’s hope that this will also result in favourable matches against Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina.

A glance at the base The Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha – this will be the key venue for the Polish team during the Novem-

Just like on a ship This time, unlike at the three previous World Cups in the 21st century, the Polish players will visit not

POLISH NATIONAL TEAM MATCHES A T THE STADIUM 974 22 November 2022, 5:00 pm Mexico – Poland 30 November 2022, 8:00 pm Poland – Argentina

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three, but two stadiums in the group stage. They will appear twice at Stadium 974 in Doha, where they will first face the Aztecs in their first World Cup appearance, and eight days later they will fight for a favourable result against the popular Albicelestes. The venue, built in the eastern part of the Qatari capital, right next to the airport, is unique for several reasons. First and foremost, this 40,000-seater has been prepared exclusively for the tournament and will be completely dismantled shortly after its completion! This is the first such case in the history of the World Cup. The actual construction started in 2018, so that after 36 months or so, the structure would be ready to welcome footballers and fans. The working name was Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, but it was eventually changed to Stadium 974, Referring to the unprecedented construction, which was made of modular elements that inclu-

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ded exactly 974 coloured shipping containers, mostly used on ships. The number is also the international dialling code for Qatar, so there is plenty of symbolism here. The designers and builders of the stadium insist that it is the most economical and ecological of the World Cup structures, as elements of it have been used both before and will be in use after the tournament. According to the event organisers, it will be possible to create several smaller sports venues from its fragments in the future.

The stadium is not air-conditioned, but has been designed to provide natural ventilation and air circulation. The Stadium 974’s unique location is also worth mentioning – right on the Persian Gulf, with a stunning panoramic view of the city above the venue itself. Including the White-and-Reds’ matches, the venue will host six group stage matches and one round of 16 match.

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POLISH NATIONAL TEAM MATCH AT THE EDUCATION CITY STADIUM 26 November 2022, 2:00 pm Poland – Saudi Arabia

Among the students The atmosphere of knowledge and education will, in turn, hover over the stadium where the Polish national team will play their second group match, against Saudi Arabia. The Education City Stadium, as its name suggests, has been built on a huge university campus, where eight international universities have their headquarters. And although it is formally located in Ar-Rajjan, it is only about 15 kilometres from the centre of Doha. The opening of the stadium in June 2020 had an unprecedented #

format, as the virtual event honoured the healthcare workers fighting on the front line against the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue itself is slightly larger than Stadium 974, but will also be able to accommodate 40 000 spectators during the World Cup. Once the world’s best teams have finished competing, however, the upper part of the stands will be dismantled, reducing the existing seating capacity by more than 30 per cent. The facade of Education City Stadium is finished with triangular elements forming diamond-like shapes, which are specialŁączy nas piłka

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ly illuminated after dark and change colour during the day depending on the angle of the sun. Due to the enclosed structure, the venue has been equipped with state-of-the-art ventilation systems to enhance both the comfort of the competition and the viewing of the football spectacle. As head coach Czesław Michniewicz himself pointed out during his personal inspection in Qatar, this could be a bit of a problem for substitutes and staff sitting on the benches, who may simply be too cold. Such fears, moreover, were confirmed by Polish internatio@Laczy nas pilka

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nal referee Szymon Marciniak, who has already had the opportunity to officiate at this arena. Six group stage matches, one round of 16 clash and one quarter-final are scheduled at Education City Stadium.

It is interesting to note that at both venues our players (not only due to the presence of fans from Poland) will be able to feel almost at home. This is because the seats at Stadium 974 and Education City Stadium have been manufactured under licence by the Polish company from Krosno.

Piotr Kuczkowski

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POLISH WORLD CUPS IN NUMBERS AND FUN FACTS The event in Qatar is the ninth World Cup finals in which the Polish national team will take part. Let’s look at the previous eight performances from the perspective of numbers and related trivia.

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n sport, trophies are the most important thing, and Poland has returned from the World Cup finals with trophis twice – in 1974 from the West Germany and in 1982 from Spain. The White-and-Reds then took third place and won silver medals. For a sporting event, this is an unusual reward for such a success. In 1974, however, FIFA introduced a peculiar medal award policy. The world champions got gold, the runners-up gold-plated silver, the third team silver and the fourth team bronze medals.

In eight tournaments, the White-and-Reds played a total of 34 matches.

They won 16, drew five and lost 13. All five draws were matches ending in 0-0. There were three times when we drew our first World Cup match without a goal (in 1978 against West Germany, in 1982 against Italy and in 1986 against Morocco). Of the eight opening matches, we won only one – 3-2 against Argentina in 1974. None of Poland’s matches at the World Cup ended in a penalty shoot-out and only one match was concluded in extra time. It was the White-and-Reds debut in the World Cup finals – on 5 June 1938, and it ended with a 5-6 defeat to Brazil (it was 4-4 after 90 minutes). The Poles’ goal difference was 46 goals scored and 45 goals lost.

Władysław Żmuda took part in as many as 21 of Poland’s 34 matches at the World Cup. He holds the record among our players for both the number of matches played and the number of World Cup finals he has appeared in. He was the only Pole to play at four World Cups: in 1974 (seven matches), 1978 (six matches), 1982 (seven matches) and 1986 (one match).

For 12 years, Żmuda held not only the Polish but also the world record for the number of matches played in World

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Cup finals. In 1998, he was overtaken

by Lothar Matthäus from Germany (25 matches). A total of 117 Polish players played in the World Cup finals.

Of the 46 goals scored by the White-and-Reds at the World Cup, ten were scored by Grzegorz Lato. He is the only Pole to become a top scorer at the World Cup finals - in 1974, he scored seven goals. He scored two more goals in 1978 and one in 1982.

Andrzej Szarmach is second on the list of most successful Poles in World Cup finals, with seven goals scored.

He is also the last one on the list of Polish scorers who managed to beat

in 2006). One goal each was scored

by Fryderyk Scherfke (1938), Jerzy Gorgoń (1974), Andrzej Buncol (1982), Włodzimierz Ciołek (1982), Janusz Kupcewicz (1982), Stefan Majewski (1982), Emmanuel Olisadebe (2002), Paweł Kryszałowicz (2002), Marcin Żewłakow (2002), Grzegorz Krychowiak (2018) and Jan Bednarek (2018).

The most goals in a single match were scored by Wilimowski – four.

The most fruitful in terms of the White-and-Reds’ goals was the 1974 World Cup. The Polish team scored 16 goals in it. Our worst performance in this respect was in 1986, when

their rivals’ goalkeepers in three World Cups. Szarmach scored five goals in 1974, one in 1978 and one in 1982. Six goals in World Cup finals were scored

by Zbigniew Boniek (two in 1978, four in 1982), four each by Kazimierz Deyna (three in 1974, one in 1978) and Ernest Wilimowski (all in the match against Brazil in 1938), and two each by Włodzimierz Smolarek (one in 1982, one in 1986) and Bartosz Bosacki (both in the match against Costa Rica

we (or, more precisely, Włodzimierz Smolarek) only managed to beat the rivals’ goalkeeper once. Moreover, in 1986 (and in 2002), Poland lost seven goals in the World Cup finals, its worst result. The fewest goals, namely four, were lost in 2006. However, this was not enough to advance from the group stage.

In eight World Cup finals, the Polish national team faced 24 opponents.

We most often played against Bra-

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zil, i.e. four times (one win, three losses). We played three matches each against West Germany/Germany and Italy. Of our group rivals in Qatar, we have already faced Argentina (a victory in 1974 and a defeat in 1978) and Mexico (a victory in 1978). Saudi Arabia will therefore be Poland’s 25th World Cup opponent. In terms of the location of the rivals on the world map, nine rivals were from Europe, five from South America, four each from Africa as well as Central and North America, and two from Asia.

In eight World Cup finals, Poland was led by seven coaches. Only Antoni Piechniczek got to do it twice (in 1982 and 1986). The other head coaches who had the privilege to do that were: Józef Kałuża (1938), Kazimierz Górski (1974), Jacek Gmoch (1978), Jerzy Engel (2002), Paweł Janas (2006) and Adam Nawałka (2018).

The White-and-Reds achieved their highest victory in a World Cup final in 1974, when they beat Haiti 7-0. The highest defeat for the White-and-Reds was 0-4 – in 1986 against Brazil and in 2002 against Portugal. The Polish team lost five goals in the match against Brazil in 1938 but they only lost by one goal.

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Twice in the World Cup finals, Poland faced the defending champion and did not lose either of these matches – in 1974 it won against Brazil 1-0 and in 1978 it drew 0-0 with West Germany. The White-and-Reds played four times against the host country and each time they came off the pitch defeated: in 1974 against West Germany (0-1), in 1978 against Argentina (0-2), in 2002 against South Korea (0-2) and in 2006 against Germany (0-1). They also competed four times against the team that became the world champion at the same event.

Here, the matches against West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978 must be recalled once again. Then, there were two matches against Italy in 1982 (0-0 and 0-2).

So far, the world champion title has been won by the national teams of eight countries. Two of them have never played against Poland in the World Cup finals – these are Spain and Uruguay. The other six are Italy, Brazil, England, Germany,Argentina and France.

The first time red cards were available to referees at a World Cup was in 1970 in Mexico. Only one Polish player has ever been dismissed at the World Cup – it was Radosław Sobolewski, who got sent off the pitch in the match against Germany in 2006. „I was captain of the Polish national team in a World Cup finals match” there are eight players who can say that about themselves. These are: Władysław Szczepaniak (1938), Kazimierz Deyna (1974, 1978), Władysław Żmuda (1982), Zbigniew Boniek (1986), Tomasz Wałdoch (two games in 2002), Jacek Zieliński (one game in 2002), Jacek Bąk (2006) and Robert Lewandowski (2018).

Szymon Tomasik

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ROSTER OF HEAD COACHES – THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

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The World Cup in Qatar will be the ninth World Cup in which the Polish national team will take part. Promotion would not have been possible, however, if there had not been outstanding coaches at the helm of the national team. Some have achieved great success with the national team, others much less so. Czesław Michniewicz will be the eighth head coach to lead the White-and-Reds at the World Cup. There is still time to assess the performance of the Poles. For now, it is worth remembering the magnificent seven, thanks to whom we could experience the matches of the White-and-Reds at the most important football event.

1938 – it all started with Kałuża

Entrusting Józef Kałuża with the role of association captain (the term used years ago to describe a head coach) in 1932 turned out to be a hit. The fresh-faced coach, who had just ended his football career, led the national team to its first successes: 4th place at the Berlin Olympics (1936) and, 2 years later, promotion to the World Cup in France. Premiership participation was due to Kałuża’s excellent selections. In the qualifiers, his team dealt with favoured Yugoslavia (4:0 and 0:1). Poland only played one match in the final tournament, but what a match it was!

The White-and-Reds put up a tremendous fight against star-studded Brazil, to whom they lost 5:6 only after extra time. Kałuża led the national team until August 1939, the last time four days before the outbreak of World War II. At that time, the White-and-Reds defeated the runners-up, Hungary 4:2. Józef Kałuża died on 11 October 1944.

1974 – the Era of the „Coach of the Millennium”.

The 1970s were a golden period for the national team, but these successes would not have been possible without Kazimierz Górski. The Lviv-born coach took over the national team in December 1970 and, as if by magic, restored its glory. The result was two Olympic medals – gold in Munich (1972) and silver in Montreal (1976). In between these tournaments, the World Championships were held in FRG. Poland returned to the World Cup after 36 years. And it was a dream return. „Górski’s Eagles” ad-

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vanced to the German tournament after, among other things, memorable battles with England – 2:0 at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów and the victorious 1:1 draw at Wembley. And through the German World Cup, the White-and-Reds went like a storm. They were only halted by the hosts. In the „match on the water” in Frankfurt, they lost (0:1) to the later world champions. Górski and his team then won against Brazil (1:0). The Poles became the third team in the world, and the excellent coach fully deserved the title of the „Coach of the Millennium”.

Mr Kazimierz died on 23 May 2006.

1978 – the time of Jacek Gmoch

Jacek Gmoch became the next World Cup head coach.

When he took over the helm of the national team after Górski in August 1976, he was considered the saviour of Polish football. The atmosphere around the national team was terrible. The silver medal at the Montreal Olympics was considered a failure, which today seems like a misunderstanding. Gmoch returned to Poland after a two-year stay in the USA, where he left after the 1974 World Cup (he worked alongside Górski as head of the information bank). „Szczęka” had little time to prepare the team for the World Cup qualifiers. However, he showed that he was not afraid to take risks. He implemented many of his original ideas, starting with the preparation for the matches, the composition of the squad and the vision of the game. The White-and-Reds finished the successful

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qualifiers with five wins and a draw. They went to the World Cup in Argentina in good spirits, but did not impress there. They managed to win three matches and draw one, but suffered defeats that put them out of the championships – against Argentina (0:2) and Brazil (1:3). After the World Cup, Gmoch led the national team in two more matches, but in September 1978 he ended his work with the national team.

sought their luck in the famous brown coat worn by the head coach for subsequent matches.

But the tournament in Asia went completely wrong for Engel and his picks. Defeat in the first two group matches, against South Korea (0:2) and Portugal (0:4), led to their loss at the World Cup. The match of honour against the United States (3:1) was Engel’s last game as the head coach.

1982, 1986 – Antoni Piechniczek’s double

2006 – „Janosik”

Further successes are linked to Antoni Piechniczek.

He is the only head coach to have led the Poles in two World Cups. The best performance was at the first one.

On the way to the Spanish tournament, Piechniczek’s team won twice, including against a strong GDR team (1:0, 3:2). At the World Cup, the Poles reached the semi-finals, where the Italians were better (0:2). Piechniczek mobilised the team for the match against France. With the win (3:2), Poland once again became the third team of the world.

Four years later, a much-rejuvenated national team went to the World Cup in Mexico. Piechniczek, however, failed to repeat the previous success. The White-and -Reds did make it out of the group, but in the round of 16 they lost to Brazil (0:4) and crashed out of the tournament. „As I pass the baton to his successor, I wish him to lead the national team to the finals twice, with a better style and a better performance,” – said the head coach, who resigned after the World Cup. Piechniczek’s „curse” lasted as long as 16 years.

2002 – the Man in the Coat

The journey of the next head coach who brought the White-and-Reds to the world stage began on 1 January 2000. On that day, the most important coaching job in Polish football was entrusted to Jerzy Engel. It was not an obvious choice. The media favourites were Franciszek Smuda and Henryk Kasperczak, but it was the Polonia Warszawa sports director who picked up the appointment.

The beginnings were not easy. In friendlies, the national team did not win even once. But the best thing happened in the World Cup qualifiers. The Poles surprised already at the start, when they beat Ukraine (3:1) in Kyiv.

The clashes against Norway in Oslo (3:2), Wales in Cardiff (2:1) or Norway in Chorzów (3:0), after which Poland secured their long-awaited promotion, were also memorable for fans. Many people, including the coach,

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Paweł Janas was selected as the head coach on 20 December 2002. „Janosik” failed to qualify for Euro 2004 (he saved the qualifiers after a false start), but that was not his main goal. In the qualifiers for the German World Cup, the Poles won seven matches and suffered two defeats against England. We were going to the final tournament with high hopes, but coach Janas messed up even before the championship. He kept the list of players secret until the very end, and when the moment came to announce the team, he completely surprised the public and the players themselves. He did not take to Germany several players who had contributed to the promotion – Tomasz Frankowski, Jerzy Dudek, Tomasz Kłos or Tomasz Rząsa. The „Janosik” idea turned out to be misguided. The shattered team lost to Ecuador and Germany, won only the match of honour (against Costa Rica) and ended the World Cup after the group stage.

After the World Cup, Janas was dismissed.

2018 – Nawałka at the finish

The last head coach to lead the Poles at the World Cup was Adam Nawałka. The World Cup proved to be both the finish of his work with the national team, having taken over as helmsman in October 2013. After finishing in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, an equally successful start to the World Cup was hoped for. Nawałka’s team suffered only one defeat in the qualifiers and qualified for the tournament from 1st place. Unfortunately, the Russian World Cup proved unsuccessful. Instead of spectacular and quick actions, we watched a slow and static game. Defeats against Senegal (1:2) and Colombia (0:3), as well as a miserable win against Japan (1:0), were Nawałka’s farewell matches as the head coach.

And whose footsteps will Czesław Michniewicz follow at the Qatar World Cup? Górski and Piechniczek, or rather Engel, Janas and Nawałka? We will know the answer to these questions soon!

Adrian Woźniak

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FROM STRASBOURG TO VOLGOGRAD. LET’S EXPERIENCE IT ONE MORE TIME! #

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In total, there were thirty-four matches against twenty-four opponents.

Some brought us great glory and medals, like the victory against Brazil (1-0) in 1974 or against the French (3-2) eight years later, while others gave us cause for embarrassment, e.g. the defeat against Portugal (0-4) in 2002.

Poland’s matches at the World Cup. So let’s get into a time machine and recall the ones that are the most memorable for Polish fans.

1938

Poland vs. Brazil 5:6 after extra time For years, grandparents have told their grandchildren about this match, and the grandchildren have passed it on to their grandchildren, although few have seen it with their own eyes.

This is because the White-and-Reds’ debut at the World Cup took place in the pre-television era and the film camera recorded barely a few minutes of the match. It’s a shame because it was a first-class show. Józef Kałuża’s team, which was foredoomed to failure, put up a fight and got awfully close to eliminating the formidable South American team (they were competing in a single-elimination system at the time). The match ended in a 4:4 draw in regular time. The „Canarinhos” needed an extra 30 minutes to beat us. „If anyone tells me the Poles can’t play football, I’ll spit in their face”, Brazilian midfielder Martim Silveira said afterwards. A remarkable feat was achieved

by Ernest Wilimowski, who became the first player to score four goals in a single match at a World Cup.

1974

West Germany – Poland 1:0 The White-and-Reds waited as long as 36 years for another World Cup appearance, but it was worth it as they returned from the tournament with their first ever medal. They won it after winning the third-place match, getting their revenge on the Brazilians for the defeat in Strasbourg. We have many fond memories of

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that championship as Kazimierz Górski’s team beat Argentina (3-2), Italy (2-1), Sweden (1-0) and Yugoslavia (2-1) in magnificent style, although – paradoxically – the match that brought us the only defeat of the tournament is still the one that is talked about most. Played in Frankfurt am Main, the famous „Water Battle of Frankfurt” turned out to be a parody of football. Every now and then, the ball would fall into a puddle, the players would get stuck in the mud or slip on the grass – and a place in the finals was at stake! In these conditions, the Poles, whose main asset was fast counter-attacks, had no chance. The final blow was struck by Gerd Müller.

Played in Frankfurt am Main, the famous “Water Battle of Frankfurt” turned out to be a parody of football.

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1978

Argentina – Poland 2:0 Four years later, the White-and-Reds flew to the World Cup as one of the main favourites to win the title but they returned defeated. The head coach at the time was Jacek Gmoch – a great analyst but an engineer by profession, and engineers, as we all know, like to tinker. Our team started each group stage match in a different line-up, players changed positions (midfielder Henryk Kasperczak, for example, found out that he would now play in the centre of defence), no one could be sure what would happen and when. This chaos infected the team in the opening match of the second phase of the tournament against the World Cup host. We could have won but the trembling Kazimierz Deyna missed a penalty kick (the referee awarded it to us when Argentine striker Mario Kempes pushed the ball out of an empty goal with his hand) and then Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach wasted great goal-scoring opportunities. Tough luck!

1982

Poland – Peru 5:1 „Eeny, meeny, miny, moe; which way will Piechniczek go? That’s what we don’t know”, sang Bohdan Łazuka. The thing is that after two and a half matches of the group stage at the Spanish World Cup, our head coach had no idea what to do next either. We were held to a goalless draw by Italy, then the same happened in the match against Cameroon – and the country was already bracing itself for the national team’s premature return from the championship. After the first half of the match against Peru, the White-and-Reds were still under the zero-zero curse. And suddenly a miracle happened. In merely 22 minutes, our team scored five goals in a row! Włodzimierz Smolarek started the series, his namesake Ciołek finished, and in between, Lato, Andrzej Buncol and Zbigniew Boniek also sent the ball into the back of the net. The latter, after scoring a goal, began shaking his fist at one of the journalists who had criticised him heavily earlier.

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1986

Poland – Brazil 0:4 You may say: Poland played so many beautiful matches at the World Cup and you are talking about defeat again. Yes, but the championship in Mexico was peculiar in that the White-and-Reds won only once there (against Portugal) and scored only one goal. Paradoxically, they received most praise not after that match but after the one against the „Canarinhos’ in the round of 16, which ended their participation in the tournament. It was one of those matches where the result was worse than the game. We were truly unlucky. When the players in red jerseys shot, the ball hit the crossbar or the post and did not want to fall into the back of the net, even after Boniek’s impressive overhead kick. Meanwhile, our opponents were awarded two penalty kicks by the referee – both in rather controversial circumstances. Coach Piechniczek resigned, wishing his successor to at least repeat his success: winning a medal and advancing to the World Cup finals twice. We waited as long as 16 years for another appearance in the tournament.

It was one of those matches where the result was worse than the game.

We were truly unlucky.

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2002

South Korea – Poland 2:0 Jerzy Engel’s national team began their appearance at the first ever World Cup played in Asia with this match. Our rival was the co-hosts of the tournament, so many people in Poland feared that not only the stands would be against us but also the referees. In the end, we managed to harm ourselves, even before the first whistle. The idea to entrust the a cappella performance of the national anthem to Edyta Górniak proved disastrous. „Dabrowski’s Mazurka” was meant to sound original. Instead, it was performed so bizarrely that it completely discouraged the players rather than warming them up. The fast and agile Koreans scored two goals and we were unable to recover from it. And then there was the do-or-die match against Portugal (0-4) and the match for honour against the Americans (3-1). Thus was born our new secular football tradition.

2006

Germany – Poland 1:0 That’s right. Do-or-die match. We played such a match again four years later and we had a particularly difficult rival – our western neighbours, playing at home, whom we had never managed to beat before. We started the tournament with a defeat against Ecuador (0-2), so another loss meant the dream of advancing from the group stage was over. Nobody believed that Paweł Janas’ team stood any chance, and yet... More minutes passed and the favoured hosts were unable to score, which was mostly due to Artur Boruc’s phenomenal saves. The drama began a quarter of an hour before the end of the match when Radosław Sobolewski saw his second yellow and, consequently, red card. The Germans pressed even harder and finally, in extra time, they did it – Oliver Neuville sent the ball into the back of the net. All was lost. In the match for honour, we defeated Costa Rica (2-1).

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2018

Poland – Japan 1:0 And again a pause, which this time lasted twelve years. Neither Leo Beenhakker nor Waldemar Fornalik managed to get the White-and-Reds to major football events. This feat was only achieved by Adam Nawałka, who rode the wave of success at Euro 2016, where his team reached the quarter-finals.

Things did not go as well at the World Cup in Russia. It started with a disaster against Senegal (1-2), followed by a defeat against the Colombians (0-3), and it was basically time to pack up. If it wasn’t for the fact that there was still a match left against Japan. We would probably like to forget how it went down but it is impossible. The sight of two teams kicking the ball across the pitch or backwards at the end of the match, playing to keep the score (a 0-1 defeat allowed our rivals to advance from the group stage), was extremely upsetting. We won, but it left an unpleasant taste in our mouths. Let’s hope our Eagles’ performance in Qatar erases this unpleasant memory.

Krzysztof Jaśniok

Things did not go as well at the World Cup in Russia. It started with a disaster against Senegal (1-2), followed by a defeat against the Colombians (0-3), and it was basically time to pack up.

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„KAKA” AND OTHERS, OR THE WHITE AND RED DREAM TEAM

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There have been exactly 117. That is the number of players who have participated in the eight appearances of the white and reds in the World Cup. And potentially each and every one of them had a marshal’s baton in their backpack, though not all were able to pull it out. But we still selected a World Cup top eleven of all time from this elite group. Be warned that our selection is subjective.

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ut then, how can it not be? In putting together our dream team, we were guided more by maths than by heart. For us, the „ticket of admission” into this dream team was the most important thing in sport – results. No wonder then that the virtual nominations were awarded to those who came back from the World Cup with medals. But enough explanations.

Let this dream team finally play a match!

Jan Tomaszewski

(11 matches at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, 990 minutes, 8 conceded goals) „Tomek” or „Młynarz”? The choice of goalkeeper was limited to those two names. Tomaszewski and Młynarczyk both played in two World Cups, and both brought back a medal from one. Whom, then, should we pick? We decided to go with the „man who stopped England”, though perhaps both should play 45 minutes each? There was one not insignificant argument for „Tomek” – two penalty kicks defended at the 1974 World Cup. Tomaszewski put up an „invisible wall of our desires” (to quote a famous commentator) so effectively that the Swede Tapper and German Hoeness became completely dumbfounded. And thus the Pole became the first goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup to defend two penalty kicks. This feat was only repeated 28 years later by Brad Friedel from the United States.

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Antoni Szymanowski

(13 matches at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, 1170 minutes, 1 assist) Right-back was the domain of the greatest music lover among Górski’s „Eagles”. He passionately collected records, as he loved good music, and the fans loved him.

This was especially true of fans of Wisła Kraków, where today he has the status of a club legend. But Szymanowski was first and foremost a fast, dynamic and offensive defender. His raids on the right side of the pitch (even when he could successfully play on the left side of the defence) wreaked havoc among his opponents. He was equally successful in defending the access to his own goal. He played at two World Cups (1974, 1978), and brought back a medal from the first. It is unfortunate that Antoni Piechniczek „shot off” Szymanowski at the last stage of preparations to Espana’82. This meant that the chance for another trophy escaped irretrievably.

Jerzy Gorgoń

(12 matches at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, 1080 minutes, 1 goal) He could have been the face of any self-respecting insurance company. This is because Gorgoń meant confidence and trust at the centre-back position. Impressive physical build supported by shots as if from a cannon. This can’t be gained through practice; one has to be born like that. Those who have not seen the goals he scored against Haiti (1974 World Cup) or East Germany (1972 Olympics) have seen nothing.

And they should catch up as soon as they can. After all, the Online Polish Football Library of the Polish Football Association is „open” 24 hours a day.

Władysław Żmuda

(21 matches at the 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, 1806 minutes) If there is anyone, apart from Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, who could be described as possessing a „quiet

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strength”, it would certainly be Żmuda. His composure and cold-bloodedness were invaluable assets for a centre-back. Phlegmatic to a fault, he was able to „outwait” any striker in the world. Bypassing Żmuda or engaging in a shoulder-to-shoulder duel with him was a challenge for any hardened footballer. Still, few „skirmishers” were able to match Mr Władek. No wonder then that Żmuda was a sure pick for one head coach after another. That is why he holds the record in terms of number of matches played at the World Cup among Polish players.

Bypassing Żmuda or engaging in a shoulder-to-shoulder duel with him was a challenge for any hardened footballer.

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Stefan Majewski

(11 matches at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, 990 minutes, 1 goal) Whom to pick as a left-back? The sadly late Adam Musiał still has loyal fans. But we decided to go with the equally brave and not less strong-willed Stefan Majewski. His nomination is supported by the goal he scored against France at the 1982 World Cup. And that was during a 3rd place match. Such a goal makes a permanent entry in the player’s CV and continues to impress. Majewski also impressed with his physical form, toughness and tenacity. Such players are loved; such players are cherished.

Waldemar Matysik

(10 matches at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, 720 minutes) This Walduś was not „Shoddy” at all [Translator’s note: this is a reference to a Polish sitcom, where one of the characters is called „Waldemar Kiepski”; „Walduś” is a diminutive of „Waldemar”, while „Kiepski” literally means „Shoddy”]. Quite the opposite. He impressed with incredible diligence, persistence and modesty, qualities for which people from Silesia are known.

He was simply a model defensive midfielder. In the world of cinematography he would be called an outstanding supporting actor. But a supporting actor can also win an Oscar. Matysik’s Oscar was the medal won at the 1982 World Cup. It is unfortunate that this incredible effort he put into running under the Spanish sun had an adverse effect on his health. His victory against a serious illness was the most important victory of all.

recognition as one of the best players of the tournament. The three goals he scored against Belgium during the match at Camp Nou in Barcelona remain the greatest achievement of the Polish player at World Cup venues.

Kazimierz Deyna

(13 matches at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, 1161 minutes, 4 goals) And thus we reached the king. The king of midfield. He was one of those players who were more appreciated abroad than in Poland. Foreigners marvelled at his technique, his overview of the field, his amazing shots. Our fans often complained that „Kaka” deliberately slowed down the play by towing the ball. But Deyna knew what he was doing. He had amazing sense for events on the pitch, which mere mortals often missed. After the 1974 World Cup, he was chosen as one of the top eleven players of the tournament, and then placed third in the prestigious „France Football” popularity contest. Four years later, his tango in Argentina did not go as smoothly. He failed to take advantage of a penalty kick during a match against the hosts, and ended his career in the national team after a loss against Brazil. But the memory of the great player remains. Because legends never die.

After the 1974 World Cup, he was chosen as one of the top eleven players of the tournament, and then placed third in the prestigious „France Football” popularity contest.

Zbigniew Boniek

(16 matches at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups,1281 minutes,6 goals,3 assists) At school, he was loved by some teachers, and absolutely hated by others. He had to contend with such „mixed opinions” with respect to himself until the end of his football career, although he was not bothered by it at all. On the contrary, he knew what he wanted out of life and consistently pursued it. These character traits led to his appearance at three World Cups. From the one in Spain he came back with a medal and

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Grzegorz Lato

(20 matches at the 1974, 1978 and 1982 World Cups, 1800 minutes, 10 goals, 7 assists) Now is the time for the other king. Not only the top scorer of the 1974 World Cup, but the king of Polish World Cup appearances in general. His performances in the championship tournaments are incredible. He leads the „most goals scored” and „most assists performed” rankings with a huge margin. From the fastas-the-wind, competitive and dynamic striker that the world got to know in West Germany (1974) he gradually transformed into the cautious and experienced player at the tournament in Spain. Only one thing remained unchanged: he constantly worked his fingers to the bone across the entire pitch. And this hard work was rewarded with two 3rd place medals. Hats off!

Andrzej Szarmach

(13 matches at the 1974, 1978 and 1982 World Cups, 1006 minutes, 7 goals, 2 assists) Rumour has it that he was supposed to become a dancer, but preferred to „dance” with his opponents on the pitch. He especially enjoyed pushing past defenders, and in head-to-head duels at that. The Italians can say something about that, as the goal he scored against Dino Zoff at the 1974 World Cup remains a classic of the genre. He became famous for celebrating in a quite atypical fashion after one goal... and not celebrating at all after another. Both of these goals he score at the World Cup. This first of these he scored against Peru (1978), and Szarmach’s atypical „celebration” made history. The second he scored against France during a 3rd place match (1982). This goal he accepted calmly, knowing that it and the match as a whole were his farewell to the national team and the World Cup.

Włodzimierz Smolarek

(10 matches at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, 857 minutes, 2 goals) „No one was able to dance with the Soviets like him,” the fans continue to sigh to this day.

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Indeed, Smolarek’s „dance” during the match against the USSR at the World Cup in Spain is another „must-see” for any fan. The goalless draw awarded the Poles with advancement to the semi-finals; Smolarek „stole” precious seconds by keeping the ball in the corner of the pitch, while the time, as it tends to, moved forward. But Widzew’s striker is, above all, a model of tenacity, aggressiveness and bravery. And a master of important goals, including those scored at the World Cup against Peru (1982) and Portugal (1986). It is unfortunate that Mr Włodek is no longer with us. But he deserves a worthy place in our top eleven of all time.

And with this team we can go and conquer the world. Shame that only on paper. And now, to conclude, some statistics. The gentlemen from our top eleven played a total of 150 World Cup matches, scoring 31 goals (out of a total of 46 goals scored by Poland at the World Cup). Of 148 members of the Polish national team selected to appear at the World Cup, 31 did not play for even a single second. And here’s a riddle for the long winter evenings: only one of those players went to two World Cups. Who was it? The answer: goalkeeper Jacek Kazimierski, who was the stand-in for Młynarczyk in 1982 and 1986.

Rafał Byrski

His performances in the championship tournaments are incredible. He leads the „most goals scored” and „most assists performed” rankings with a huge margin.

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REPEAT STUTTGART!

It will be an exceptionally exciting afternoon. We can already say with a high degree of probability that on Tuesday 22 November 2022, many millions of Poles will receive permission from their employers to finish work a little earlier than usual.

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ho knows, perhaps the most impatient ones will decide to take „time off on demand” and will already be glancing nervously at their watches from the morning onwards, looking ahead to 5pm. That is when Poland’s national football team will take to the pitch in faraway Qatar to begin their ninth appearance at the World Cup. And although it is difficult

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to identify a favourite in the clash with Mexico, it is certain that no one in Poland will lose faith in the final success for 90 minutes. History, however, does not speak in our favour.

In eight previous World Cup opening matches, the White-and-Reds have only won... once.

At the memorable 1974 FIFA World Cup held in West Germany, Kazimierz Górski’s Eagles, after a fierce battle, overcame Argentina 3:2 in Stuttgart, starting their journey towards a place on the podium. Before and after, however, things were no longer so rosy.

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Opening match in Strasbourg In the World Cup opening match for the Polish national team at the tournament in France, the opening match was both a match for everything and a match for honour. Of course we have to take this story with a pinch of salt. This is because the competition formula at the time only provided for a knock-out stage. The 16 participants were divided into pairs, and in the 1/8 finals, fate paired the White-and-Reds with Brazil. In Strasbourg, the team led by head coach Józef Kałuża per-

severed for 90 minutes of basic time and half an hour of extra time to chase the „fleeing’ Canarinhos, who were already leading 1:0, 3:1, 4:3 and 6:4 before ultimately winning 6:5. The White-and-Reds bade farewell to the tournament but earned the respect of their rivals and the appreciation of their fans. „If anyone tells me the Poles can’t play football, I’ll spit in their face,” Brazilian midfielder Martim Silveira said afterwards. The national hero of Poland was Ernest Wilimowski, who sent the ball into the rivals’ net four times. No Polish player has repeated such a feat at a World Cup to date. It was in France that the South American team, after beating Sweden 4:2 in the 3rd place match, won a World Championship medal for the first time in history. The Polish national team, on the other hand, had to wait a long 36 years for another appearance at the World Cup! This one time However, when Poland finally made it, it caused a real sensation at the final tournament.

Already in the battle for tickets to West Germany, the team led by Kazimierz Górski caused a sensation by eliminating the 1966 champions, England. In the group stage, fate paired our players with the runners-up Italy, the Argentinians and the Haitians, who were predicted to be eliminated in the group stage. First up were the „Albicelestes’, against whom the Poles fought a battle full of emotions and twists. In Stuttgart, in front of more than 31,000 spectators, we won 3:2 after two goals by the later tournament top scorer Grzegorz Lato and a goal by Andrzej Szarmach. This success has clearly fuelled our team, which has embarked on an incredible winning streak. The Poles later left in the dust not only the outsiders from the Caribbean, but also the great „Azzurri’, to subsequently also deal with Sweden and Yugoslavia. Only the hosts found a way to beat the White-and-Reds in the famous „match on the water’. Our players did not play in the final, but eventually returned to the country with medals, after winning 1:0 in the 3rd place match against the defending champions, the Brazilians.

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„If anyone tells me the Poles can’t play football, I’ll spit in their face,” Brazilian midfielder Martim Silveira said afterwards.

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A goalless series After the success in West Germany, the Polish national team has grown into one of the favourites for the next World Cup - in Argentina. And although the White-and -Reds ultimately failed to repeat their previous medal achievement across the Atlantic Ocean (they were ranked 5th-8th), they started the South American tournament with a real highlight. For the only time in history, the White-and-Reds took part in the opening match of the entire World Cup, where they faced the defending champions.

Despite the huge expectations of fans all over the world, the meeting with West Germany in Buenos Aires turned out to be qu-

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ite a disappointment, which was best evidenced by the goalless draw. Moreover, for our team, this was just the start of a certain series. This is because our inaugural matches at successive World Cups ended with 0:0 results. This was the case at the 1982 tournament in Spain (which ultimately finished on the bottom step of the podium), when Antoni Piechniczek’s team shared the points with Italy, and four years later in Monterrey, Mexico, where, unsurprisingly, our players fell short against Morocco. At that time, certainly no one imagined that the Poles would have to wait a long 16 years for another attempt to score in the opening match.

For the only time in history, the White-and-Reds took part in the opening match of the entire World Cup, where they faced the defending champions.

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In sporting terms, we experienced a repeat performance four years later in Germany, where Paweł Janas’ team succumbed to Ecuador, also 0:2.

An unlucky 21st century If anyone complained about our team’s three opening games without goals, the series of defeats in the new millennium must have been received with all the more bitterness. Not only did we have to wait until 2002 for another Polish promotion to the final tournament, but in faraway Asia, against all expectations, the hosts (who won 2:0) poured a bucket of cold water on the fired-up Polish heads in South Korea’s Busan. The original performance of the Mazurek Dąbrowskiego by Edyta Górniak was more memorable for the fans at the time than the play of Jerzy Engel’s team, which ended its participation in the tournament at the group stage. In

sporting terms, we experienced a repeat performance four years later in Germany, where Paweł Janas’ team succumbed to Ecuador, also 0:2. After missing out on the World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, Adam Nawałka’s team was humbled by the Senegalese in Moscow four years ago.

The 1:2 defeat, however, was the result of more catastrophic defensive errors than a decisive advantage on the part of the rivals. Ahead of the upcoming match against Mexico, one has to believe that every series must have an end at some point and perhaps it is at Stadium 974 in Doha that the White-and-Reds will begin the victorious one. We would not mind at all!

Piotr Kuczkowski

RECORD OF THE POLISH TEAM IN THE 8 INAUGURAL MATCHES AT THE WORLD CUP: 1 victory – 3 draws – 4 defeats, goals: 9-14

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WORLD CUP BALANCE POINTS IN FAVOUR OF POLAND The Polish national team will play against Argentina for the third time at the World Cup, and against Mexico for the second time. The White-and-Reds have wonderful memories of the 1974 World Cup, but it was worse four years later. They will play against Saudi Arabia for points for the first time.

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he World Cup in FRG was very successful for the Polish national team. Two years earlier, at the Munich Olympics, the Poles led by Kazimierz Górski had won the gold medal, but at the World Cup they were no longer the favourites. Meanwhile, they surprised everyone and

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managed third place. To achieve this, they had to deal with Argentina, among others. And it was with this team that they played their first World Cup match after the war.

They started strongly, as they led 2:0 after eight minutes thanks to goals by Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach. Then the rivals scored a goal, but Lato replied in a flash. „We

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In 2011, they beat Argentina 2:1 after goals by Adrian Mierzejewski and Paweł Brożek.

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were not the favourites at all. Before the match against Argentina we were condemned to defeat. And this was a key match. In the sparring matches before the World Cup we looked very weak. There were many voices asking why we were even going there.

We will get hammered by Argentina, hammered by Italy. Maybe we can handle Ha-

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iti”, recalls Zdzisław Kapka, a World Cup participant in Germany. „The match against Argentina gave us a boost. We scored two goals very quickly after really big mistakes by the rivals’ goalkeeper and midfielders. Although they then scored the catch-up goal, we controlled the match. Especially as we responded to them quickly when the Argentine goalkeeper threw the ball under Grzesiek Lato’s legs”, he recalls.

Four years later, Poland went to the World Cup in Argentina as one of the favourites.

And in the first group stage, it confirmed these aspirations - it drew with eternal rival and then world champions Germany, beat Tunisia and finally faced Mexico. The draw gave the team promotion, but the White-and-Reds confirmed that they were the best in the group. Jacek Gmoch included Zbigniew Boniek in the first line-up for the first time at this World Cup and he was not disappointed. After two goals by the Widzew player and one by Kazimierz Deyna, the Poles won 3:1. „I would not like to distinguish any player. The most important thing is that we won and entered the second round. Now I would prefer to face Italy, and Argentina only in the final”, said Jacek Gmoch after the match. „For each match our team prepares differently, taking into account the strengths and capabilities of the players. The line-up is dictated by tactics. With Mexico we needed a player who could shoot from further away, so Boniek was picked. In this match, we executed the tactical plan 100 per cent. The team played economically and effectively”, he emphasised.

Coach Gmoch’s wishes were not fulfilled and in the second group stage the Poles faced, among others, Argentina. In the match, Kazimierz Deyna missed a penalty shot and the hosts won 2:0 after goals by Mario Kempes.

The Argentinians ended the World Cup with gold medals. The Poles beat Peru, but lost to Brazil and took places 5-8. „When the referee placed the ball at the eleven-metre mark in front of Deyna’s penalty shot, I closed my eyes. I was afraid we wouldn’t take that chance. It’s hard to imagine the enormous tension

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of a game taking place in the constant screaming of the audience of 40,000. I think Deyna couldn’t hold his nerve, but we fought to the end”, Adam Nawałka said after the match. „Previously, when we won, we were criticised for the style. Now, after the defeat, we collect congratulations for playing well. We failed to take a great chance”, added Antoni Szymanowski.

The balance of matches is in favour of Argentina. Of their 11 matches, the Poles won three, drew two but lost six (with goals of 12-18). A valuable victory was in 1981, when Antoni Piechniczek’s national team, preparing for the World Cup in Spain, won against the then world champions in Buenos Aires 2:1 (goals by Andrzej Buncol and Zbigniew Boniek). Also the last friendly between these teams was won by the Poles. In 2011, they beat Argentina 2:1 after goals by Adrian Mierzejewski and Paweł Brożek.

The balance of matches against the Mexican national team is even, with three games won, three lost and two drawn (with goals of 9-13). The aforementioned victory at the World Cup in Argentina 44 years ago was, however, their last. They had previously beaten their rivals in 1973 during the North American tour. In Los Angeles, they won 1:0 after a goal by Jerzy Gorgoń. In the rematch played three days later in Monterrey, they beat the Mexicans 2:1 (goals by Gorgon and Robert Gadocha).

Poland faced Mexico three times in the 21st century. Brożek should have the best memories of it - in his debut for the national team he scored a goal against this very team. In 2005 in Chicago, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The same result was achieved six years later and again it was Brożek who scored.

The last match against Mexico, in 2017 at the stadium in Gdansk, ended in a 0-1 defeat for the Poles.

Of our three group rivals in Qatar, the Polish national team has never faced Saudi Arabia in the World Cup. The White-and-Reds have only played against this rival three times in a friendly. In fact, each time they played with

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the same line-up, a so-called national line-up, meaning that mainly players from the Polish league played. They won all their matches by one goal. In April 1994 in Cannes, they won 1-0 after Tomasz Wieszczycki’s goal. Eight months later in Riyadh, they beat the hosts 2-1 (goals

by Henryk Bałuszynski and Tomasz Rząsa).

In 2006, coach Paweł Janas’ team faced Arabia three months before the World Cup. They

The last match against Mexico, in 2017 at the stadium in Gdansk, ended in a 0-1 defeat for the Poles.

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won 2-1 after goals scored by debutant Łukasz Sosin. The media suggested that these goals could cause the head coach to take to the Cyprus Apollon Limassol player. However, it turned out that it was two other debutants who then began beautiful and long careers on the national team. It was the first time that Łukasz Fabiański and Jakub Błaszczykowski played for the Polish national team. The

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goalkeeper was even included in the squad for the aforementioned World Cup. Fabiański went to five tournaments (European Championships and World Cup) and played 57 matches for the national team. Błaszczykowski played 108 matches and was captain of the national team - he played in the World Cup and twice at the European Championships.

Andrzej Klemba

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HIRVING LOZANO THE MEXICAN MESSI

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e was supposed to be called Irving, but a clerical error made him Hirving. At the age of eleven, he left the family home to train at a leading football academy in Mexico. Marcel Brands, who worked with Lozano at PSV Eindhoven, noted common traits with Leo Messi in the player’s style of play. Piotr Zielinski’s club colleague embodies the qualities of many Mexicans – agility, speed, great technique and dynamism.

Thanks to these qualities, some people saw many similarities in him with the star player of the Argentine national team. – When you look at his style of play, like it or not, you see Messi in front of you. His centre of gravity is low to the ground, he has extraordinary ball control, on top of that he has outstanding agility, almost explosive”, explained Brand, a former director of football at PSV. The club from the Netherlands was the first stop for the later Mexican representative in Europe. He moved there from Pachuca, in which he debuted in the senior team at the age of 18. He was ready for it because, in order to pursue his passion for football, he decided to move, having only just reached the age of a teenager. He left his birthplace and travelled 90 km north. He therefore underwent an accelerated course of adulthood, as playing in the CF Pachuca youth teams involved living in a dormitory. So, as he climbed the ranks in the juniors, he was aware that sooner or later, if this development went well, he would live to compete in the seniors.

Creative initiative In his three years of appearances as a senior for the club that nurtured and shaped him, he became known as a spectacular player who was difficult to guard. On the pitch, he confirmed that he found himself in football not

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by accident. Individual successes only seemed to confirm this. On the pitch, he confirmed that he found himself in football not by accident. Individual successes only seemed to confirm this. In the 2016/17 season, he was crowned the top scorer in the CONCACAF Champions League. Two seasons ago, he was the most successful player at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He confirmed his talent in the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Admittedly, he only scored one goal in them, but that was enough to get Lozano into the best „eleven”. The young Mexican was later named MVP of the tournament. Furthermore, in his first game in the Pachuca senior team, he scored a match-winning goal just minutes after entering the pitch. „Lozano, who plays most of the time on the left wing in a 1-4-2-3-1 set-up, is right-footed and possesses all the attributes of an „inverted” winger. He has a strong right foot and is very dangerous when shooting after running with the ball from the left. He is equally adept at creating opportunities and scoring goals with his left foot. He has the capacity to make a great cross-field pass from a standing position, although he prefers to run to the middle. He also shows unusually, for a 20-year-old, developed creative initiative on the pitch”, writes Thomas Harrison about him.

TOP 100 In Europe, the player, who in Mexico is said to be the „pearl” of local football, shone from the start. He scored 17 goals and recorded 11 assists in his first season in PSV at the league level. He repeated this achievement the following season. His impressive numbers in Eindhoven have put him on the radar of Europe’s biggest clubs. Barcelona was interested in Lozano. – There was a lot more pressure on him in his first year as these were his beginnings in Europe. Now I can see how relaxed he is, he knows he is capable of scoring 20 goals every season”, said Brands, who brought Lozano to Europe.

Lozano did not end up in the Catalan capital, instead he took a course to the south of Italy – to SSC Napoli. In Napoli, he may not boast such impressive numbers, although he is capable of easily achieving a dozen points in the Canadian standings. He has already played at the World Cup and other major tournaments. „The Guardian included the Mexican in its list of the world’s 100 best footballers. After all, not everyone scores the goal that gives their national team a win in the group stage of the World Cup against Germany, something that happened at previous World Cup. Piotr Wiśniewski

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GERARDO MARTINO FUN THROUGH FOOTBALL

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nlike many high-profile figures in the coaching world, Gerardo Martino can boast a better-than-decent track record from when he played football professionally.

He was once the star of CA’s Newell’s Old Boys, a club with which he won the Argentine championship. In the prime of his career, he made only one appearance in his national team. Later, he himself led the Albiceleste team. He has been Mexico’s head coach for the past three years, where his approach to football is proving excellent.

Martino defines football as fun. He is a proponent of „tiki taka”. – My suggestion is to be in possession of the ball, to attack. Sending multiple players into the opponent’s half, taking risks so that defenders look back and there are 40 metres between them and the goalkeeper.

To make sure they do not reject the game, and in situations where they need to go deeper, that they do so.

So that the ball does not move senselessly”, he said in an interview. In another interview, he explained that a football player comes first. „Coaches have the opportunity to be better or worse depending on the players they have to manage. A coach can never be above the one he directs. Coaches have been given too much importance recently”, he pointed out. Not surprisingly, with this approach to the game, he quickly gained a following at home. The teams he leads play a very spectacular style of football.

Theory backed up by tactics Because of his approach to the ball, his offensive mindset, he was given a chance at FC Barcelo-

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na almost ten years ago. He later told in interviews that it did not turn out well for him. With the „Pride of Catalonia”, he only managed to win the Spanish Super Cup. He said afterwards that the word that best describes his time on the Barcelona bench is „failure”. – Not only did we not win anything, we did not even present our style. A win in the Primera Division would change nothing. I did not enjoy coaching and there was no point in prolonging the situation”, he said.

After Barcelona, he led the Argentina national team, with whom he lost twice in the Copa America final, Atlanta United and Mexico. Before Barcelona, he coached several clubs in Paraguay, then the country’s national team and his beloved Newell’s Old Boys. His success in the Paraguayan league opened the door for him to the „Guarani” national team, with whom he reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup and the final of the 2011 Copa America. In 2007, he was named South American coach of the year.

Faithful to Bielsa Working in Paraguay was a stepping stone for the experienced coach to gain popularity. The whole football world has heard of Martino’s name, hence the interest from FC Barcelona, among others. After all, he adheres to principles close to the Catalan football. He likes total football, which means that the whole team both attacks and defends. In this philosophy, the best defence is the attack. He often says that he comprehends football the way Marcelo Bielsa does. They had the opportunity to work together when Bielsa was a coach and Martino was a player at CA Newell’s. It was already then that the future head coach of Paraguay, Argentina or Mexico began to understand that football is all about show. That a beautiful game is the best way to win the hearts of Argentines. – A mutual agreement is necessary for success. „El Loco” spoke and we embraced and accepted everything. Thanks to him we became better football players”, Martino wrote in his „El Tata” biography.

Family remains Martino’s greatest value. It is his oasis of peace. The Argentine head coach’s strength is his ability to balance out the proportions that have enabled him to be successful in both club and national team football.

Piotr Wiśniewski

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SALEM AL-DAWSARI THE COMFORT ZONE OF „OWN BACKYARD”

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ew Saudi football players are fortunate enough not only to go to Europe but to perform in one of the world’s strongest leagues. Salem Al-Dawsari has admittedly only played in one Villarreal CF game, against Real Madrid.

He is regarded as a star in his own country and has a considerable collection of successes. With Al-Hilal SFC, he has won everything there is to win in Saudi Arabia, but his successes extend much further afield – across the continent.

In addition to triumphing five times in the Saudi league, winning the national cup three times, one National Super Cup and winning the Crown Prince Cup twice, Al-Dawsari celebrated success in the Asian Champions League twice. The latter triumphs took place in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons. The 31-year -old is among a handful of players to have played in four AFC Champions League finals.

In 2021, he was voted MVP of the competitions. „I am thrilled about this award but I am always looking forward to the next one. A lot of people said I deserved to be named Asia’s best football player but that is not the case at all. This is an important award, but it is not the end of my road. This is not my ultimate goal. It motivates me to win even more trophies and individual awards”, he said.

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A challenge has been issued The compilation of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, which included Al-Dawsari in the „line-up” of the best team of the decade (2011-20), says a lot about his role in Asian football. He means a lot in club football in Asia. He has also had a lot to say in the national team.

He started with a goal in his debut against Australia. He scored a goal, for example, in a friendly against Greece, while in a match against Italy, he scored an assist. His goal sealed Saudi Arabia’s victory in the second round of the group stage at the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers against Australia. In the national team, he is one of the key players as well as a top dribbler. He stands out for his dynamism on the pitch. „Salem has plenty of experience playing at the highest level in Asia. Both he and our captain Salman Al-Faraj are two of the team’s best players. I challenge them to show their form from the club in the national team.

Such players will have to help the national team perform at its best”, said Saudi Arabia’s head coach Herve Renard.

Anywhere as long as it is in the front These words send a clear message to AlDawsari – Saudi Arabia is counting on him at the World Cup. The country had also counted on him before the previous World Cup. He was then sent by the Saudi federation to Spain to learn how European football works. He returned not only with useful insights but also with a unique memory.

On 19 May 2018, while a Villarreal CF player, he entered the pitch in the 57th minute of a LaLiga match against Real Madrid.

His team at the time tied with „The Whites”. „For us Middle Easterners, being in Spain is a dream. And now I can make those dreams come true. It’s a great league, I feel proud to be here. I am most comfortable playing on the wings but I also like playing in the middle. I try to create a threat in the offence from every position”, said Al-Dawsari.

Piotr Wiśniewski

On 19 May 2018, while a Villarreal CF player, he entered the pitch in the 57th minute of a LaLiga match against Real Madrid.

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ge, the Saudis were ahead of Japan by a point and as many as eight points ahead of Australia.

They are a team that plays very offensive football. And the fact that this is characteristic of Renard’s team was confirmed during the last World Cup. Although they only won one point, Morocco left a very good impression, especially after the 2-2 draw with Spain. They even got close to eliminating the Spaniards from the World Cup. „It has not crossed my mind even for a second that one day I would be working in Africa. Fate led me there. Thanks to Claude Le Roy, I started my career as an assistant in Ghana. The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations was my first, later I participated in six more. That’s quite a record. I consider winning these competitions twice a success. You have to experience something like this to believe it’s not a dream. The Zambians and Ivorians helped me experience the kind of emotions I will never forget”, said Renard, whose coaching career does not just revolve around the national team.

Africa has given him a lot In the first group stage of the qualifiers for the Asian Zone World Cup, Saudi Arabia won 20 points in eight matches. In the second group sta-

Swiss passion He coached FC Sochaux in 2013-14, then LOSC Lille, and before that USM Algiers, SC Draguingan, the club where he ended his football career, Shanghai COSCO Sanlin, Cambridge United, and AS Cherbourg. He did not have such a colourful career as a player.

He played for three teams – AS Cannes, Stade de Vallauris, SC Draguignan. So it was only being a coach that opened up the world to him. It provided him multiple opportunities. As he himself admits, when he played football professionally, the kind of emotions he experiences as a coach were somewhere in the realm of dreams. And today he is a respected coach on two continents – Africa and Asia. And a person whose family history is intertwined with Poland. After all, the grandparents on his mother’s side are from Poland. Mr and Mrs Cybulski lived in Poznań. That is why he is looking forward to the match against the White-and-Reds with such excitement. „I dedicate this draw to my mother. I think she is very happy”, confessed the coach, a watch enthusiast.

He even has a contract with Hublot, a manufacturer of exclusive watches from Switzerland.

Piotr Wiśniewski

HERVE RENARD CITIZEN OF THE WORLD is coaching career path includes work in Europe, Africa and Asia. He coached Ligue 1 clubs but he also gained work experience in China.

He was born in France, he leads the Saudi Arabian national team and has a lot in common with Poland. Herve Renard has come to know many cultures, customs, but above all he is highly respected in the „Black Continent”, where he has had his greatest successes.

It is through his work with Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire that he has earned widespread respect in Africa. In 2012, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations with him on the bench; three years later, he repeated the success with Côte d’Ivoire. However, the list of African countries he has had the opportunity to coach does not end there. It also includes Angola and Morocco. He lead Zambia twice. In 2018, he led Morocco into the World Cup. He is writing the next World Cup chapter with the Saudis, whose performance he is responsible for from 2019. He has already made Saudi Arabia’s football history as he is the country’s longest-serving national team head coach since the 1980s. No wonder he has been holding such a prestigious post for so long.

After all, since he has been working with the national team there, he has averaged close to two points per match.

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I consider winning these competitions twice a success. You have to experience something like this to believe it’s not a dream. The Zambians and Ivorians helped me experience the kind of emotions I will never forget

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LIONEL SCALONI SCALONI MEANS SUCCESS?

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e was supposed to be only a temporary coach. For a moment. This moment has already lasted four years and will last even longer, because Lionel Scaloni has just renewed his contract with the Argentine Football Federation until 2026. From a coach without much experience before, he became one of the most respected people in the country. He restored Argentina to its rightful place in South American football. The failure in the 2019 Copa America semifinal became fertiliser for the success in 2021 when the Albiceleste, for the first time in over three decades (!), proved to be the best team on the continent.

Scaloni did something that his much more experienced predecessors failed to do – he achieved success with Argentina. He has built a team that will be one of the favourites for the final triumph at the championship. He accomplished this despite little experience on the bench. And against common logic because, after all, he was not part of the long-term plan of the federation. Or at least this plan did not include Scaloni as the head coach of the main national team. Indeed, before he took over the senior team, he was responsible for the performance of the national under-20 team. Previously, he was an assistant to the main national team and at Se-

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villa FC. But this, plus experience gained on the pitch, was enough for him to make Argentina’s national team play to its potential.

More than peace The Argentines’ performance is impressive.

In the World Cup Qualifiers, they have not lost a single game. The last time they acknowledged the superiority of their rival was in the 2019 Copa America final. This match and its result became a turning point in Scaloni’s history as head coach. Since then the Albiceleste went like a bomb. They have already scored nearly 100 goals and won the most important trophy in South America. In June, they proved their strength to Italians, defeating them 3–0.

Scaloni himself is a peaceful warrior and this allows him to build strong relationships within the team. It is not surprising that the players of the Argentina national team were enthusiastic about the recent extension of the contract with Scaloni. „Leo is a coach who constantly demands from himself and from us, so that we get better and better”, said midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. „The head coach has never had so much peace. I hope this is best for everyone”, added defender Nicolas Otamendi.

The coach of the Argentina national team seems to confirm that he is the right man in the right place. „I am convinced that people identify with the team and know that this is a team that will give its all until the last minute, that knows that in football there are ups and downs and that anything can happen, but this team will give its all until the last second. I am very excited to lead players who showed me that they really know how to represent our country, I am very proud of them. They made a tremendous effort, some of them became fathers during the training camp, some of them do not see their children, their grandparents. For us, it is a success that we came here and that these players showed that they want to win something”, said the coach before the Copa America final a year ago.

Piotr Wiśniewski

From a coach without much experience before, he became one of the most respected people in the country.

He restored Argentina to its rightful place in South American football.

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LEO MESSI THE BRILLIANT „FLEA”

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here’s a reason why he is regarded as one of the best players in the history of football. For a generation born in the late 1980s and early 1990s like him, he is a symbol of the age-old rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo for supremacy in world football. Because you can live in the era before Leo Messi or in the Messi era. You either associate him with FC Barcelona or wait for his spectacular success with the Argentina national team which he will lead to victory.

That’s how it is with Leo Messi – on the one hand, a sated footballer when it comes to club football, on the other hand – hungry for success in the context of national football. It is the lack of this most important scalp with the national team, the so-called „Golden Grail” (world championship), that looms large over the 35-year-old from Rosario.

The golden child of Argentina. The symbol of modern Barcelona. One of the two greatest players of our time. There is not one who can list in one breath the successes of the Argentinian in the Catalan capital. There would probably also be some who would find it difficult to enumerate all of his triumphs in the Golden Ball Awards. Suffice it to say that we are talking about a record holder in terms of goals scored in a calendar year and in a single season. Finally, he is the scorer of the most goals for one club in the history of football.

Grandma’s touch It’s just that all the successes mentioned, not counting the many triumphs in the Champions League, La Liga and all possible European cups and competitions in Spain, were achieved with FC Barcelona. The club that gave Messi the most.

The club to which Leo himself gave the most. Only the behind-the-scenes of the Argentinian footballer’s parting with

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Barcelona one year ago, when he decided to continue his career at PSG, leave a sour taste in your mouth.

The brilliant Argentinian’s adventure with „the Pride of Catalonia” began in 2000 and has lasted more than two decades „It was a difficult decision to make, but at the same time I did it quickly. I didn’t even hesitate or think about the consequences. I didn’t really understand what it meant to leave Argentina, my people, my friends and start a new life elsewhere. At first it was very difficult for me since I couldn’t play because of paperwork issues and then I also suffered an injury... I stayed off the pitch for almost a year. Then my luck turned around because from then on everything went very quickly”, he recounted in an interview with Ole. And to think that it all started with Leo’s grandma who one day convinced a coach friend to let her grandson play. The 1986 team was short of one boy for the game, so she felt it was the right time to give Leo a chance. „Look how small he is, that’s insane, they’ll hurt him”, she heard in response.

However, she continued to stand her ground. The coach, seeing that there was no way out, that Leo’s grandma would not give it up, yielded. At the end of the training, he said: „Buy him football boots, I’ll take him to the next training session”.

The problems shaped him The machine was set in motion. Messi began writing his own history and that of the entire Argentinian football in golden letters. However, a recurring theme throughout his career was health. Several years ago, Brasilian newspaper Diario do Centro do Mundo revealed that Messi had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome – a milder form of autism. „People affected by autism always try to follow a certain pattern and reproduce it accurately. Messi always makes the same moves, falls to the right, his dribbling is always the same and he scores almost identical goals”, says Nilton Vitulli, father of a child with Asperger syndrome and an active member of the non-governmental „Autism and Reality” organisation. „Messi serves as an example of how to combat the disease”, admits Giselle Zambiazzi, the President of the association that brings together people who tackle autism and their families. Messi managed to overcome one problem on his own.

Another problem – low height (he suffered from growth hormone deficiency) required help from other people. „Growth hormone? I used to inject it in my leg. I was 11 or 12 then. My parents had helped me inject it until I learned how to do it myself”, recalls Messi in the „La Cornisa” news show. Apparently, these defects have not prevented him from becoming one of the greatest players in the history of football.

Piotr Wiśniewski

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ARGENTINA FROM A TO Z After a terrible performance at the World Cup finals in Russia, Argentina’s national team bid farewell to Jorge Sampaoli. The federation had trouble finding his successor, also due to organisational and financial problems, and, as if in the abscence of a better option, the role went to Lionel Scaloni. Diego Maradona criticised this choice, but time has shown that he was wrong – very wrong. The current head coach quickly found common understanding with his namesake, Messi, and changed the face of the team with which he won third place at the 2019 Copa America and first place at the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 Finalissima. Now the Albiceleste are aiming for gold in Qatar.

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Assistants No other head coach at the World Cup has assistants as internationally experienced as Scaloni. Pablo Aimar, Messi’s idol, played 53 matches for the Argentina national team (6 at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups), Roberto Ayala – 116 (10 in the 1998 and 2006 World Cup finals, also participated in the 2002 tournament), and Walter Samuel – 56 (5 in the 2002 and 2010 World Cup finals). All three have a great rapport with Leo Messi, each played with him in the national team.

Batistuta Gabriel In Qatar, Leo Messi who scored six shots (2006 – 1, 2014 – 4, 2018 – 1) will try to beat Argentina’s top scorer at the World Cup finals (10 goals).

“Batigol” was long the best sniper in the history of the Albicelestes with 56 goals, but he was left far behind

by Messi who defeated goalkeepers 90 times.

bodyguard Rodrigo De Paul made his debut for the national team in October 2018 in a friendly against Iraq. Scaloni greatly values his prowess, strength, character, as well as his football skills (especially the long, precise passes).

The homegrown player of Racing Buenos Aires made 6 appearances in the 2019 Copa America (out of 6 possible), in the 2019 Copa America – 6 (7), and in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers – 16 (18). When the midfielder, who moved from Udinese to Atletico Madrid in July 2021 (for EUR 35 million), is healthy and not on pause for cards, he has a secure place in Scaloni’s starting eleven. He is said to be

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Leo Messi’s bodyguard because he covers Argentina’s leader in defence, and when someone treats him too roughly De Paul is the fastest to intervene.

Europe Opponents from this continent were problematic for Argentina at the previous World Cup. It tied with Iceland 1–1, lost to Croatia by as much as 0–3 and to France 3–4. During the tenure of Scaloni, who was formerly an assistant to Jorge Sampaoli, there weren’t many opportunities to compete with European teams. Only three such games have taken place. In a friendly, Argentina tied with Germany 2–2 and won against Estonia 5–0 (5 goals

by Messi), and in the Finalissima (clash of the Copa America and Euro champions), beat the Italians 3–0.

Gomez Papu He turned 34 in February and made his debut in the national team in 2014, but he established a decent position during Scaloni’s term. Sevilla’s creative footballer scored two goals at the 2021 Copa America. He works very well with Leo Messi and is one of the moodmakers in the team. He’s a great dancer and an unprecedented jokester.

holiday After the June national team matches, 10 representatives of Argentina and their families went on holiday in Ibiza. The footballers took their physiotherapists with them and rented a centre where they played fo-

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otball together. The holiday was organised by Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi, and Messi joined his friends for three days. All this to create the best possible atmosphere in the team, although it was not bad in the first place.

Inter Mediolan This club has been using Argentina’s representatives for decades. One of the symbols of Scaloni’s tenure as head coach is Lautaro Martinez, who scored 21 goals in 40 games for the national team. Inter paid Racing Buenos Aires as much, or as little, as EUR 23 million for the revelation of the 2017 South American U-20 Championship. Lau-

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taro has a great understanding with Messi in the national team and there was even talk of his move to Barcelona. It died down when Messi changed Catalonia for Paris. “I feel fantastic in Milan,” maintains Lautaro who is fulfilled by playing in the Champions League. And the first goal for Scolari’s Argentina was also scored by a Martinez, but Gonzalo, in a friendly against Guatemala in Los Angeles (3–0). This player left the national team himself, first with a transfer to Atlanta United, and definitely with his move to Saudi Arabia, where he earns petrodollars at Al Nassr FC. His clubmate is the famous Colombian goalkeeper, 34-year-old David Ospina.

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lob Lobs are the speciality of Angel Di Maria. That’s how he scores a lot of goals, and the most important of his career were the ones scored in the battle for the Copa America gold against the Brazilians. After a wonderful, long pass from Rodrigo De Paula, he outsmarted Ederson, the goalkeeper of Manchester City. After the final whistle, he did not hide his emotion, as he made up for his absence from the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and losing the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals against Chile on penalties. In both clashes with the Chileans, Angel got injured and came off the pitch in the 29th and 57th minute respectively. Di Maria is considered to be the talisman of the national team, but for some time Scaloni kept him on the sidelines. He even called a special press conference and announced that he is prepared to make the maximum sacrifice for the country. Fans of the Albiceleste have known this for years, and Scaloni also warmed up to the footballer, that without Di Maria it is difficult to imagine the current Argentina. For him, the national team was once more important than Real Madrid – according to many Juventus fans, he came to their club only to make it to the World Cup in Qatar.

Maradona Diego The epitome of all that is best about Argentine football. 25th of November will mark two years since the death of the hero of the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico and it is clear how his successors would like to honour it. “Divine Diego” would not mind if his World Cup records were broken by Leo Messi, but the

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most important thing is the return of the Albiceleste to the throne of world football after 36 years of waiting. In the Copa America, Argentina waited for gold 28 years.

Paraguay The only national team not beaten by the Argentinians in the two-legged tie of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

At home, the latter were losing after Cristian Romero’s own goal, and Nicolas Gonzalez evened the score. In Asuncion, there were no goals, and Scaloni’s team failed to impress on the offensive. The clash with Brazil at the Maracana as part of the qualifiers was interrupted by officers of the National Health Surveillance Agency and the police who wanted to arrest 4 players: Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendia, allegedly for violating the covid protocol. FIFA was supposed to punish the Brazilians with

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a walkover but eventually waived it, and the match could not be played at another venue and time. Relations between the two federations have been strained since September 2021.

According to the Argentinians, their biggest rival is avenging its defeat in the final of the last Copa America.

penalty kicks In penalty shootouts, Argentina had an outstanding expert in the person of Sergio Goycochea who saved four shots at the 1990 World Cup. In the 2021 Copa America semifinal against Colombia, Emiliano Martinez showed his mettle by deflecting the ball after strikes from Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona. The clubmate of Matty Cash and Jan Bednarek from Aston Villa has nerves of steel and reassures his colleagues in defence. Argentina can’t complain about Martinez’s substitutes either – Fran-

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ARGENTINA’S ELITE Most appearances in World Cup finals 21 – Diego Maradona (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994) 20 – Javier Mascherano (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) 19 – Leo Messi (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) Most matches as captain in World Cup finals 16 – Diego Maradona 12 – Leo Messi 12 – Daniel Passarella Most goals in World Cup finals 10 – Gabriel Batistuta 8 – Diego Maradona 8 – Guilermo Stabile 6 – Mario Kempes 6 – Leo Messi

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co Armani of River Plate, Geronimo Rulli of Villarreal, Agustin Marchesin of Celta Vigo or Juan Musso of Atalanta are good professionals.

strike Ahead of the start of the Copa America, there was a rumour of a footballers’ strike due to COVID-19. Brazil’s ace, Neymar, tried to persuade Argentina to support the idea of postponing the tournament but the Albiceleste players did not continue the dialogue. “We are playing for our compatriots,” announced Nicolas Otamendi. And they won gold.

Vanczak Vilmos On 17 August 2005 in Budapest, 18-year-old Leo Messi made his debut for the first national team. After coming on in Lisandro Lopez’s place in the 64th minute, he carried out a great raid, was fouled by a Vilmos Vanczak, but received a red card for hitting him with an elbow moments later. Argentina beat the Hungarians led by Lothar Matthäus 2–1. Leo scored his first goal for the national team on 1 March 2006 in a clash with Croatia in Basel, lost 2–3.

Vanczak, who made 79 appearances for the national team, currently works in his home country at Puskas Academy.

Zanetti Javier Nestor Pekerman did not take the legend of Inter Milan to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, for which a wave of criticism fell on him. He preferred Lionel Scaloni who only played the entire 1/8 finals match against Mexico.

Back then in Leipzig, in the 84th minute, young Leo Messi, who replaced Javier Saviola, entered the pitch. After extra time, the Albiceleste won 2–1.

Jaromir Kruk

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THE WORLD CUP, THE MOST IMPORTANT TROPHY IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

Handed over after the decisive match for the World Cup. Created from eighteen-carat gold, measuring just under thirty-seven centimetres and weighing over six kilograms - the FIFA World Cup. Solemnly presented continuously since 1974 and celebrated twelve times to date. The trophy has been most often won by Germany - in 1974, 1990 and 2014 - and will be defended at the World Cup by the French national team. #

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he best team in the world had been awarded the Golden Nike prize by the authorities of the International Football Federation since 1930. After the Brazilian team won its third world championship at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the trophy remained permanently in the hands of the „Canarinhos”, and FIFA decided that a new cup should be created to celebrate the winners of the world’s best team. FIFA received submissions from fifty-seven countries, and the winner was the design by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga. The Italian artist presented his work as follows: „the lines extend from the base in spirals, as if carrying a globe. From the extraordinary dynamic and contained body of the sculpture, the figures of the two athletes rise in a moment of victory”, said the talented sculptor.

The new World Cup trophy was first presented to the winner at the 1974 World Cup in FRG, when the Federal Republic of Germany defeated the Netherlands. The FIFA World Cup was produced by the Italian company Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni. In 1994, a plaque was attached to the cup on which the names of the winning countries are engraved. However, they are not visible when the trophy stands upright. The plate includes the names of all the winners of the World Cup starting from 1974, that is from the date of presentation of the new trophy. After each World Cup competition, the year and the name of the winning country are engraved. For example, „1982 Italy” or „1998 France”.

So far, six countries have reached for the FIFA World Cup trophy in its current form.

The German team lifted the trophy most frequently, namely three times - in 1974, 1990 and 2014. Argentina did it twice; they won in 1978 and 1986. Italy reached for the trophy twice - in 1982 and 2006. Brazil twice - in 1994 and 2002, France in 1998 and 2018 and Spain once in 2010. In contrast to the previous prize, a given country cannot come into ownership of the FIFA World Cup trophy. According to the FIFA regulations, the tournament winner receives a gold-plated replica, and not the real golden trophy.

Jacek Janczewski @Laczy nas pilka

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LEAD POLAND TO VICTORY AT THE WORLD CUP!

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The Polish national team is available in FIFA 23, and thanks to the latest update, which adds special content dedicated to the World Cup, every football fan can lead the White and Reds to victory on the virtual pitches in Qatar.

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he special add-on introduced the „2022 FIFA World Cup” mode to the game, allowing players to experience the World Cup atmosphere even before the real tournament begins, and rewrite history on virtual turf once the World Cup in Qatar ends. Players can play matches against the AI as well as online matches against their friends or opponents from all over the world. You can replay any played match with original squads and change its course, while the pre-match cut-scenes showing fans enjoying the game will let you experience the atmosphere of the World Cup. Most Polish fans will choose to control the Polish national team, captained by Robert Lewandowski, but if your favourite player is Erling Haaland, Zlatan Ibrahimović or Gianluigi Donnarumma, nothing is lost! In the tournament mode, you can change the finalists and introduce Norway, Sweden or Italy into the World Cup. You can find out whether these countries would have been able to hold their own at the World Cup or personally lead them to the top!

Fans of the Ultimate Team mode can also rejoice, as the World Cup will enable them to strengthen their teams with special World Cup finalist cards with increased statistics, as well as special World Cup versions of „FUT Heroes” cards. These include such stars as Rudi Völler, Jean-Pierre Papin, Jay-Jay Okocha or Diego Forlán, and we are most pleased to announce that there is also a special card of Włodzimierz Smolarek!

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successes of the Polish national team and Widzew Łódź would not have been possible. As one of the greatest footballers on FUT Heroes cards, he appeared on a card designed by Marvel artists.

The unique FUT Hero card commemorates the career and talent of Włodzimierz Smolarek, a legend of the Polish national team. Smolarek made football history as a 60-time player for the Polish national team, the third place winner at the 1982 World Cup, participant at the World Cup four years later, a star and symbol of Widzew Łódź (with which he celebrated winning the Polish Cup and two Polish championship titles) and a player for Legia Warszawa, as well as FC Utrecht, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Eintracht Frankfurt (with which he won the German Cup in 1988). He has long been seen as one of the best players in the history of Polish football; on the pitch, he stood out through his speed, dynamic play as well as unyielding and courageous personality. His distinctive dance in the corner of the pitch during the match against the USSR is remembered by fans to this day. Włodzimierz Smolarek was awarded the FUT Hero title in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, and to celebrate the World Cup, he also received a FIFA World Cup version of his card, which is a special card with a higher grade, which will stand out even more this year, because it was designed as part of a collaboration between EA SPORTS and the famous Marvel Entertainment Studios. Under this collaboration, which unites football and comic book fans all over the world, Marvel Studios artists created unique illustrations for the cards which liken the players – football icons to heroes known from films and comic books.

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„MOJE NAJWAŻNIEJSZE 90 MINUT” [„THE MOST IMPORTANT 90 MINUTES OF MY LIFE”] – A PERFECT READ FOR THE WORLD CUP

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he FIFA World Cup always provides an excellent opportunity for reminiscing. The Polish National Team managed to become one of the top three World Cup teams twice, and played many memorable matches. One hundred football players with National Team appearances under their belt have unveiled their behind-the-scenes accounts of the most important matches of their careers.

These stories were collected in a book by Jacek Janczewski and Emil Kopański, titled „Moje najważniejsze 90 minut” [„The most important 90 minutes of my life”].

The book’s several hundred pages include the stories of Zbigniew Boniek, Włodzimierz Lubański, Roman Kosecki, Andrzej Iwan, Wojciech Kowalczyk, Marek Koźmiński, Jerzy Dudek or Sebastian Mila, among others.

Reading their stories, which are full of anecdotes and memories, provides an excellent opportunity to get into #

the national team spirit and feel the World Cup atmosphere even more deeply.

Matches of the Polish national team always arouse great emotions. Some of them have special meaning and are remembered for years. Also by those who played leading roles in them. What did the 1974 World Cup look like from the perspective of Górski’s Eagles? Which match in the national team does Zbigniew Boniek have particularly fond memories of? Why did Wojciech Kowalczyk get a goalkeeper’s jersey before the Olympic Games in Barcelona? What ideas did Jerzy Engel’s players have for celebrating their promotion to the World Cup? The heroes of the greatest shows in the history of Polish football take the fans on a journey through the beautiful, glorious, but sometimes also painful moments. The locker room doors and tunnels leading to the pitch finally open and the country’s most prominent members of the national team say: „Come in”. Can anyone say no to that? Łączy nas piłka

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FROM ALOJZY JARGUZ TO SZYMON MARCINIAK – A HISTORY OF POLISH REFEREES AT THE WORLD CUP

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The World Cup in Qatar will be the eighth World Cup to include Polish referees.

So far, we have had nine representatives who refereed World Cup matches.

We have reasons to be proud, as they have represented us during key games on more than one occasion. We hope that in 2022, Szymon Marciniak’s team will also make history.

Controversies in Argentina Monday, 3 July 1978. The 11th World Cup is ongoing in Argentina. The stadium clock at Mar del Plata is approaching 90 minutes. Brazil is tied 1-1 against Sweden. The „Canarinhos”, however, are not eager to restart the play from a corner kick. This is met with a wave of booing from supporters, of whom there were more than 32 thousand in the stands. After a long celebration, the ball is finally played into the penalty area. Zico leaps into the air and... at that moment, the referee’s whistle is heard, at the same time as the ball enters the goal. The legendary „White Pelé” grabs his head in disbelief, but referee Clive Thomas is unmoved – the match is over, the goal is invalid.

As the football world debated the controversial decision of the Welsh referee, we in Poland were able to rejoice at the debut of our representative as a referee at the most important football event in the world. Before that, our referees were invited at most to the Olympics.

Alojzy Jarguz was a linesman (according to nomenclature used at the time) during that match and, at the age of 44, became the first Pole to appear in this role at the World Cup. Jarguz was one of the eighteen European referees selected by FIFA to oversee the tournament. Before referee specialisation came along, they were all delegated to run both with a whistle and with a flag.

A little over a week after his debut, Jarguz – now as a head referee – oversaw the match between Peru and Iran, which decided advan@Laczy nas pilka

cement to the next stage of the tournament.

During that match, the Pole awarded two penalty kicks, of which the first sparked controversy as to whether the offence occurred in front of or within the penalty area.

As our national team, lead by Jacek Gmoch, continued to play in the tournament, the opportunities for Jarguz to referee more matches were considerably limited. The Pole ended his participation in the World Cup as a linesman during the match between Austria and West Germany.

Jarguz was one of the eighteen European referees selected by FIFA to oversee the tournament.

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A praise from Blatter Having established his position internationally, Jarguz was also among the referees selected for the next World Cup. He began his Spanish adventure in 1982 from a „high C”, as a linesman during the opening match between Argentina and Belgium. 95 thousand supporters were present at the famous Camp Nou in Barcelona, and millions watched the match on their TVs. The match ended with a sensational 0-1 loss by the „Albicelestes”, with Diego Maradona in the squad. Jarguz showed an excellent attitude at the goal, not signalling for an offside during a dynamic situation. „After going down to the locker room, I went to the toilet. At that moment, Sepp Blatter, who at the time was the general secretary of FIFA, entered the locker room, together with his official, and immediately asked about me. Blatter congratulated me and called my decision at the goal a masterpiece. This situation was later presented during training sessions as a model”, recalled Jarguz during an interview for Onet.

This performance caused his ratings to skyrocket, so much so that he was appointed head referee for the match between France and Northern Ireland, which decided advancement to the semi-finals. During that match, he met yet another football legend on the turf – Michel Platini. Before that, however, he appeared on the pitch as a linesman during two more group stage matches: Belgium vs El Salvador and USSR vs Scotland.

sman. Second fixture? Listkiewicz as a linesman. Next fixture, I’m still a linesman. ‘Kind of weak,’ I thought”, recalls „Listek” in his book.

It turned out, however, that FIFA knew exactly what role would Listkiewicz be the most useful in on the pitch. The group stage just paved the way. Ultimately, our referee achieved something unprecedented: he was appointed for

A superlinesman during the final The next World Cup, which took place in 1986 in Mexico, saw the participation of the Polish National Team. There were, however, no Polish representatives among referees. Four years later, the situation was reversed and the only Polish representative in Italy was a referee – Michał Listkiewicz.

Mondiale ‘90 proved to be the tournament of a lifetime for the Polish referee. There was, however, nothing to suggest that it would be so at the beginning. „I went to Italy hoping to oversee two, three matches as a head referee. I never expected anything more. I knew my place in the line. I opened the tournament as a line#

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With 11 World Cup matches under his belt, Michał Listkiewicz is so far the undisputed record-holder among Polish referees in this regard.

a quarter-final match, a semi-final match and the final match! In total, he was on the pitch 8 times during the championship.

Following in the footsteps of Alojzy Jarguz, Listkiewicz also showed great intuition as a linesman, leading to a praise from Sepp Blatter. During the semi-final between Argentina and Italy, he noticed a slight offside, stopping

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the host team’s play which could have lead to a goal. TV cameras proved him right, which may have largely determined his inclusion as a linesman for the final match.

A short American Dream The 1994 World Cup saw the introduction of referee specialisation. Listkiewicz went to the tournament knowing that he would be placed in the role of an assistant referee. This time, however, luck was not on our referee’s side. FIFA not only divided referees by function, but also created permanent teams. Our countryman formed a team with two referees from Brazil and with Kurt Röthlisberger from Switzerland.

During the group stage, they refereed together the match between Mexico and Ireland, and on the very next day (!) – the match between Belgium and the Netherlands. A week later, this time in Chicago, they once more encountered the „Red Devils” during the round of 16. Unfortunately, Röthlisberger’s error, who failed to notice a penalty kick for the Belgians (who ultimately lost 2-3) meant that participation in the tournament was over for the entire referee team.

With 11 World Cup matches under his belt, Michał Listkiewicz is so far the undisputed record-holder among Polish referees in this regard.

A French duet The 1998 World Cup in France was the first World Cup to include two Polish referees. The first nomination to the tournament was awarded to Jacek Pocięgiel, who was included as an assistant referee. He was later joined by Ryszard Wójcik as a head referee. „I got in from the waiting list. I was the first referee nominated to the tournament to not make the participants’ list. However, my friend Anders Frisk from Switzerland had a problem with his shoulder and had to undergo surgery, so I jumped into his place”, explained Wójcik during an interview for „Przegląd Sportowy”.

This time, the Poles played no major part. Together, they refereed only the match between the Netherlands and South Korea; Pocięgiel also acted as an assistant referee during two other group stage matches.

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POLES AT THE WORLD CUP World Cup Argentina, 1978 Spain, 1982 Italy, 1990 USA, 1994 France, 1998 South Korea and Japan, 2002

Russia, 2018

In the round of 16, Wierzbowski assisted the legendary Pierluigi Collina during the emotional match between Japan and Turkey, which ended with a score of 0-1. #

Name of the referee Alojzy Jarguz Michał Listkiewicz

Age during the World Cup

Number of matches Head referee

Assistant referee

VAR

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1

2

X

48

1

3

X

37

8

X

41

3

X

Ryszard Wójcik

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Jacek Pocięgiel

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1 3

X

X

Maciej Wierzbowski

31

4

X

Szymon Marciniak

37

Tomasz Listkiewicz

40

2

Paweł Sokolnicki

38

2

Paweł Gil

42

2

1

16 Collina and a semi-final match At the tournament in South Korea and Japan, Polish referees were represented by Maciej Wierzbowski. He was selected to the elite group of thirty-six assistant referees as the youngest of all European referees! Despite being only 31, he performed admirably on the pitches in Asia.

His excellent attitude during the group stage matches led to him becoming the first Polish referee in the knockout stage in 12 years. In the round of 16, Wierzbowski assisted the legendary Pierluigi Collina during the emotional match between Japan and Turkey, which ended with a score of 0-1. As he admitted during an interview before the tournament, he would have considered a nomination for a round of 16 match a success; however, reality proved even kinder.

This is because he encountered the Turkish team once more, this time during a semi-final against Brazil. In that match, he assisted the experienced Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen. More than 60 thousand supporters at the stadium in Saitama, Japan, watched the „Canarinhos” win thanks to the goal scored

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16 years of referee drought We had to wait until 2018 for more Polish referees to appear at the World Cup. That year, Szymon Marciniak went to Russia, together with his assistants Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz. Our team had the opportunity to referee two group stage matches featuring later champions and runners-up: Argentina vs Iceland and Germany vs Sweden. A situation from the 12th minute of the latter match was widely commented on, when Marcus Berg fell over after an intervention by Jérôme Boateng, but the referee decided not to award a penalty kick to Sweden.

The last World Cup was the first to introduce video assistant referees; Paweł Gil was one of thirteen such experts. The Pole performed his

duties as an AVAR (Assistant Video Assistant Referee) admirably and was entrusted with this role for a record 16 matches!

Szymon Marciniak also sat at the Moscow video review centre, where he acted as a VAR during the match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. He was also appointed three times as an AVAR3, the fourth video assistant referee, so-called „support VAR”. „Kwiatek” makes his debut This year’s World Cup will be the second to include four Polish referees. In addition to our top pitch team with prior experience from Russia, led by Szymon Marciniak, the group of 129 invited referees also includes Tomasz Kwiatkowski as a video assistant referee.

Marcin Polański

We had to wait until 2018 for more Polish referees to appear at the World Cup. That year, Szymon Marciniak went to Russia, together with his assistants Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP In 2003, during the World Cup in the USA, Katarzyna Wierzbowska acted as an assistant referee during three matches, including the final match between Germany and Sweden. #

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DIRECTION: QATAR – SZYMON MARCINIAK READY FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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After an excellent 2021/2022 season and the first half of the current one, Szymon Marciniak is going to the World Cup in Qatar as one of the best referees. He tells us about his preparations for the World Championships.

He reveals how he works every day and what expectations he has of himself and the whole team.

S

zymon Marciniak and his team took part in the FIFA training camp in Madrid in June. It was one of the elements preparing the referees for the World Cup in Qatar, which will take place in November and December. Together with the Polish team, the top refereeing teams from around the world were there. The seven days in June were very intensive and planned in detail for the participants. „In Spain, we had a lot of theoretical training and quite a few clips of familiar topics. At camps organised by FIFA or UEFA, theory is always analysed in five thematic blocks: handball assessment, offside, tactical offences, SPA/DOGSO fouls and incidents in the penalty area”, says Marciniak. The work on the theoretical issues always involves a constructive discussion and exchange of experience among all the referees.

Joint training with... Real’s juniors During the preparation camp, special remarks were made about practical activities. „Pierluigi Collina and Massimo Busacci’s wheelhouse is always workshops with footballers. At the Madrid training camp, we worked together with Real Madrid academy players. The teams were given scenarios of how they should behave on the pitch. For example, a command was given that they were to play variant 1 and an incident occurred on the pitch. Then the referee, together with the team, had to make a pitch decision. We had VAR and AVAR referees availa#

ble. All this was done to replicate match conditions. During this type of activity, each refereeing team had sessions of several minutes on the pitch. After this time, the referees changed and the game continued. The practical workshops lasted several hours each day”, reports the Polish referee.

The conclusion of such activities was clear.

Since VAR is available, the final decision must be correct. „If you can re-watch a situation where there is a potential mistake, then just do it. You can of course stay with your interpretation of the event, but the verdict has to be right. The referees’ judgements become secondary. The match has to be run well and the decision has to be correct”, explains Marciniak.

Important biological regeneration The best of the best in the world have arrived in Madrid. Their task will be to officiate matches at this year’s World Cup. FIFA officials attach great importance to the physiognomy of the referees. In-depth body fat analysis, strength measurements, fitness and agility checks. These elements determine good shape. Elite referees must be in sensational condition. „In this group, everyone is very well prepared for the championships. Due to the fact that the season is in full swing, we were not pushed during the camp. Between on-field activities and training sessions, we often had treatments from physiotherapists. The physical preparation specialists reminded us at every step how important the biological regeneration is”, recalls the referee from Płock. Łączy nas piłka

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Preparations for the World Cup do not only involve training camps organised by FIFA. It is a long-term period interspersed with intensive training, matches and a very important aspect, that is, rest and active biological regeneration.

Tournament for referees The World Cup is being played on a nonstandard date. FIFA referees will fly to Qatar several days before the tournament starts. „We will already fly to Doha on 9 November. There will be a small preparation period before the World Cup itself. The idea is to acclimatise and be fully ready for the first matches. As part of the preparation for the referees, FIFA will organise a special tournament for several teams from Qatar’s premier league. It was similar before the World Cup in Russia. The

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3rd/4th league teams played there. They were able to win a large sum of money.

This was supposed to make them more competitive. Each of us refereed one half of a match at that time. There were a lot of refereeing teams. Now it will be similar”, says Marciniak. Each referee has a delegated instructor from FIFA. They watch the league and international matches of their referees. Elements for improvement are corrected on an ongoing basis.

Know your body’s needs Preparations for the World Cup do not only involve training camps organised

by FIFA. It is a long-term period interspersed with intensive training, matches and a very important aspect, that is, rest and active biological regeneration. „The coaches who have been guiding us throughout the preparation period have changed their tactics. They put a very strong emphasis on proper regeneration. For example, I used to always do a jog after a match. Today, the specialists recommend me to cycle or swim. I am now in my 40s and I realise that my body needs a bit more time to regenerate. In my weekly cycle, high-intensity training and the match itself are the most important. The rest is filled with elements that are supposed to make me comfortable in preparation for the match”, says the referee.

Marciniak’s training plan Szymon Marciniak’s week of activity is planned in detail. Two days out of the weekend are out of training due to league matches. The day after the match, he usually starts by cycling and then - as a hobby - he goes to Muay Thai training.

It’s a break from everyday life and a way to clear his head.

Usually on Tuesdays, Marciniak is assisted by a physiotherapist. Specialised regenerative treatments and massages are frequent practices. At home, he regularly takes cold baths. Wednesday is already high-intensity training: sprints and

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modified running training. After such an intense day, it’s time for gentle strength training. „Sometimes I do a crossfit workout, then a light one in the gym. I work a lot on TRX bands. I’ve moved away from strong weight training. Two days before a match I do RSA, which is classic sprint training. On the eve of the meeting I do just a little stimulating activity. Usually a simple run plus different variations of sprints”, describes Marciniak.

The whole scheme only works repetitively when our referee does not have a match in the week. If an appointment comes up for a Champions League match or other games, the plan has to be modified.

Marciniak is one of the few referees sent to Qatar with experience gained at the World Cup in Russia. #

Three-way deal Two physical preparation coaches are helping Marciniak to stay in shape. The first is well known in the community - Grzegorz

Krzosek. The second is Professor Werner Helsen from Belgium, who is an expert on the physical preparation of UEFA referees. „The gentlemen always give me two plans, which I sometimes use alternately. I am more comfortable with certain elements of training from Grzegorz and others from Werner. I put everything together. They both have access to my readings and sometimes call to add something or let something go. Details play a very big role. Adequate oxygenation of the muscles, „burning out” of the body is extremely important and this has to be kept in mind. Both gentlemen are specialists of the highest order”, says Marciniak.

The referee from Płock also pays attention to diet. He does not limit himself to rigid calorie counting. He eats everything, but in moderation. He does not have any specialised diet, but eats healthy. Łączy nas piłka

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know our value, which we have proven more than once in important matches in Europe.

Our approach to the next World Cup is also completely different from the first time. Now we know what we are up against and what to expect. We absolutely do not stress and we are going to enjoy every match”, he points out.

The referees have their expectations.

They look forward to officiating the important matches of the World Cup. They are also aware that an international tournament has its own rules. A lot depends on which countries the teams from will be playing for the medals.

The power of calm in the team When asked if he and his team - Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz - are preparing specifically for the upcoming championship, Marciniak replied that they are not. „We are such an experienced team that we do not build up false hopes. Before the last championship we went to Arłamów to do our preparation camp. It didn’t bring any stunning results, so this time we are betting on our experience. Firstly, there is not much time for that. Secondly, we know what we are fighting for. We

“

Among the experienced Marciniak is one of the few referees sent to Qatar with experience gained at the World Cup in Russia. Among referees from Europe, only the following can boast similar success: Mateu Lahoz from Spain and Clement Turpin from France. Among the particularly good referees, Marciniak mentions Alirez Faghani from Iran and Bakary Gassam from Gambia.

The non-European referees mentioned have had successful performances at the World Cup in Russia. „Both have held a very high level for many years. They are constantly developing and are officiating important matches in prestigious competitions. On top of that, they are very nice colleagues. They are definitely worth watching”, Marciniak concludes.

Both football fans and referees will be watching with bated breath every match hosted by the team from Poland. The Qatar World Cup, like any great football event, will uncover many football talents. We can be sure that the championship will also reveal great talents among the referees.

Tomasz Szpunar

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SENSATION ON A GLOBAL SCALE! MUST SEE!

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PZPN introduces us to the incredible history of Poland at the World Cup using the latest technologies. It is the most technologically advanced exhibition dealing with football history in the world. You can visit the “Poland the the World Cup” exhibition at the Norblin Factory in Warsaw until the end of the year.

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emories related to Poland’s beloved sport will come to life thanks to incredible visual effects achieved through the use of latest technologies as well as cooperation between Art of Football Sp. z o.o. and the PZPN Library of Polish Football, which provided all materials. The exhibition is organised by the Polish Football Association.

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To play in the World Cup is the dream of any footballer. And to bring a trophy from the tournament is a pass to immortality. The White and Reds made the top three twice: silver medals (then awarded for third place) were won by the „Eagles” led by Kazimierz Górski in 1974 and by the team led by Antoni Piechniczek in 1982. It is not only the players who score spectacular goals, but the entire teams that go down in legend, as only team play makes success possible.

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Thanks to the latest technology, when you visit the „Poland at the World Cup” exhibition, you will have the opportunity to waddle in the rain with Ernest Wilimowski during the legendary match against Brazil, defend penalty kicks together with Jan Tomaszewski and shoot spectacular goals just like Grzegorz Lato at the tournament in West Germany. You will be able to dance the Argentinian tango together with the squad led by Jacek Gmoch or get tired under the Spanish and Mexican heat with the team led by Antoni Piechniczek. But being a fan also means being able to accept defeat, which is a part and parcel of any sport. For this reason, the exhibit also includes a section recalling Poland’s three appearances in the World Cup in the 21st century. The opening match, the all-or-nothing match and the match for honour... We believe that things will be different in Qatar. We will at last break the series of disastrous per-

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THE „POLAND AT THE WORLD CUP” EXHIBITION

Producers: Piotr Sikora, Marcin Śmigielski.

Directed by: Magdalena Mikołajczyk.

Content provision and substantive support: Polish Football Association and the PZPN Library of Polish Football (Paweł Drażba, Rafał Byrski, Dominik Rybarczyk, Krzysztof Jaśniok, Piotr Kuczkowski, Adrian Woźniak).

Produced by: Art Box Experience, Japko, Platige Image.

Exhibition concept: Art of Football.

More information: www.polskanamundialach.pl.

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formances, and the team led by head coach Czesław Michniewicz has shown, for instance during the play-off against Sweden, that these hopes are not baseless. Both the glorious and the less glorious moments of Polish football are the subject of this exhibition.

It is a one-of-a-kind event. „This exhibition is truly unique! Every fan should visit it and go on a sentimental and emotional journey through appearances of the Polish national team in the final tournaments of the World Cup. The Qatar World Cup provides an excellent opportunity to do so. Both for the older and the younger fans. Technology-wise, we are entering the 22nd century. This is the first such project in the world”, stresses Łukasz Wachowski, Secretary General of PZPN. This exhibition would not have been possible without the PZPN Library of Polish Football, which is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. It already contains over 1,500 matches, including the most important games played by the national team. It is the Library of Polish Football which provided all materials on display at the exhibition. The history of Polish football recorded on film tape, in TV broadcasts, in photos, in press articles, on tickets or in match programmes. But also in memoirs of players, coaches, officials, journalists and supporters. The „Poland at the World Cup” exhibition is meant to promote the PZPN Library of Polish Football.

This colourful and emotional exhibition, directed

by Magdalena Mikołajczyk (with Piotr Sikora and Marcin Śmigielski acting as the producers), is an opportunity to once more experience Poland’s eight World Cup appearances, discover their meaning (not only in terms of sport!) and feel proud of the players who wore the eagle on their chests. And to keep the excitement with you for longer, we encourage you to take a selfie with the Polish national football team.

The exhibition is organised by the Polish Football Association, and the main media patrons are the PZPN Library of Polish Football, ŁączyNasPiłka.pl and TVP Sport. Media patronage is also provided by Radio Eska, Onet, „Przegląd Sportowy” and „Super Express”.

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