Called up by Poland, Pietuszewski says FC Porto was ‘best choice’ | OneFootball

Recently called up to Poland’s senior national team, Oskar Pietuszewski sees that selection as the fulfillment of a “childhood dream”. Born in 2008, the player admits that a few years ago he could hardly have imagined his debut for the national team would be so close, but now that it is “becoming reality” he hopes it happens soon, he said in an interview with the Foot Truck program.

At just 17 years old, his first major memory of the Polish national team goes back to Euro 2016, a tournament he remembers “with greater awareness and emotion”. In that team, besides the “obvious choice” of Robert Lewandowski, Pietuszewski says he also admired Michal Pazdan, describing him as “a big figure in the team at the time, an incredible personality”.

The move to FC Porto was, he explains, a carefully thought-out decision and not an impulsive one. The player says the choice did not come immediately, but was the result of a process of elimination among several options presented by his agent. “We had a list of options […] and we went through a process of elimination to see where we wanted to focus. It had to be the best decision for my development and a place where I felt safe. FC Porto met those requirements,” he said, pleased that it was not a “hasty decision”.

Always tied to attacking play, with the ability to play centrally, out wide or as a striker, the Pole highlights bravery in dribbling as one of his main weapons, something he attributes to the coaches who have worked with him. “I’ve always been someone who wasn’t afraid to dribble, and it was crucial that the coaches didn’t block that in me. They didn’t kill my creativity and imagination in the game,” he explained, adding that although dribbling is not always the solution, he was never discouraged from taking risks.

Asked about how he deals with stress in big matches, such as his debut for Jagiellonia against Ajax or the clash with Benfica at the Estádio da Luz, the forward admits he felt nervous at first. He says that in the match against Ajax, the kit manager, Victor, told him he looked “pale”. “I was in shock, it felt like a fairy tale to be out there running alongside Jordan Henderson,” he confessed. Even so, he assures that after the opening whistle he is able to focus completely on the game.

The feint that left Otamendi on the floor

About the goal he scored against Benfica, after leaving Otamendi behind, Pietuszewski keeps his feet firmly on the ground. “It’s something special to score in a stadium like that against such a strong opponent. But at the same time, I try to stay grounded. It’s one more goal, a really cool moment, but […] I just want to keep working to put up better numbers and keep improving.”

Finally, the player had high praise for his coach, Francesco Farioli, who had already been following him since his days playing in Poland. “Despite being very young for a coach, he has a huge wealth of experience. He is not only an excellent coach, but also an excellent person,” he said, also speaking about fellow countryman Bednarek.

According to the winger, Bednarek settled into the group and the staff very quickly, taking on a positive leadership role from the start. “He’s huge. Jan arrived and integrated very quickly into the group and with the staff. He immediately became a leader, but a positive leader,” he said, adding that the Polish defender “supports everyone when things go wrong and says what needs to be said when it’s time to give someone a telling-off”.

Oskar Pietuszewski also recalled a memorable incident on the pitch, when he took a heavy blow to the ribs against the post, a moment that made people in Poland curious about Bednarek’s words. The defender immediately tried to calm him down. “He was trying to calm me down. I was in shock because the hit was very hard,” he explained. Bednarek’s words were pure encouragement: “He was saying, ‘Calm down, come on, nothing is broken. You’re able to walk, so it’s not broken.’ He gave me that support to pull myself together and get back into the game as quickly as possible.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.