Oskar Pietuszeswki, the cheeky kid who resembled Edgar Davids | OneFootball

Oskar Pietuszewski has completed a high-profile move to Porto, close to a record sale for Poland’s top flight, at 17. Coaches say his potential was forged by early setbacks and a childhood with his mother in Bialystok.

Rafal Muczynski, his first coach, recalled a gifted boy who wore Edgar Davids-style goggles. "When we did not win, the lenses steamed up and you could see Oskar crying," he said, speaking to Weszlo.

"From the start he stood out, often above his age. He could dribble past several and win us games, but when it went wrong he looked like he wanted to destroy the world," the coach added.

"When I assess players I note things like speed and one against one, with Oskar I underlined character. I have seen many talents fade without it, and he has it," said Jagiellonia great Ryszard Karalus.

Kamil Stanislawski later coached him. "He took responsibility and rarely lost the ball. I remember him dropping to halfway to receive a throw-in, then dribbling everyone and finishing brilliantly," he said.

An anterior cruciate ligament rupture in autumn 2022 did not blunt his drive. "He was desperate to return, I once saw him glued to the touchline with his eyes fixed on the pitch," Stanislawski recalled. He sees Pietuszewski best with maximum freedom, ideally behind the centre-forward.

Source: O Jogo