His country’s Yamal? £10m wonderkid makes world champions look past it | OneFootball

A sprint across half the pitch and suddenly only one defender stands in front of him. And it’s none other than Nicolas Otamendi. At 38 years old, the Benfica star carries a wealth of experience on his shoulders, but even the Argentine World Cup winner can’t stop Porto’s youngster. Instead, the veteran ends up on his backside.

https://twitter.com/FCPorto/status/2030722957266313329

The one responsible for this slip was a whirlwind whose name you should remember: Oskar Pietuszewski. The 17-year-old, who is currently being celebrated by everyone in Porto, stunned Benfica with ice-cold composure. The Portuguese were ready to spend ten million euros on the young speedster this winter, and that courage is already paying off. Not only did he score against Benfica in the last matchday, but also the week before in the 3-1 win over Arouca. For that debut goal, he needed just 13 seconds of playtime.

He also has two assists to his name, one of them coming in his very first match in January against Vitória Guimarães, when he won a penalty that Alan Varela converted for a 1-0 victory. So, he didn’t need a long adjustment period, as he was already in the starting eleven by his fifth game.

A rocket start that would make people in the Bundesliga rub their eyes in disbelief today. Some German clubs must be kicking themselves for not making a move in the winter. Because Porto wasn’t the only club with the Polish gem on their radar. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and 1. FC Köln also seemed interested. At least, according to the Polish portal 'weszlo.com', scouts from these clubs attended the Conference League match of his former club Jagiellonia Białystok against Rayo Vallecano (1:2).

There, and in the Polish U21 national team, the left winger caught attention. Top clubs like Arsenal, Barça, Chelsea, and Manchester City were reportedly also interested, according to Polish media reports.

Instead, Pietuszewski, who is already valued at twelve million euros according to 'transfermarkt.de', consciously chose the path to the south. A calculated move, as his agent Mariusz Piekarski confirmed to 'TVP Sport': "There was talk about Bayern and so on, but I don’t think that’s the best solution for the start of his career."

He signed until January 5, 2029, so his contract ends in the middle of the season. This is because minors are only allowed to sign contracts for up to three years. He’ll come of age in May. His release clause is set at 60 million euros.

At his presentation, it was said that the youngster stands out above all for his speed and dribbling skills. He takes responsibility in tight spaces, actively seeks the ball, and is a creative, technically very refined attacking player.

He has already proven his maturity for his age in the Polish youth national teams. At just 15, he was already called up for the U17s, and last September he played a major role in Poland’s successful qualification phase for the U21 Euros. In the six matches they won, he scored four goals and provided two assists. His teammate Jan Bednarek even believes the youngest Porto player in the squad could make it to the senior national team.

"He’s not afraid. If he brings the same personality to the national team that he shows here at FC Porto, we’ll see the same Oskar," said the international in a joint interview with Pietuszewski, published by the Polish Football Association on YouTube. The 17-year-old himself also knows that his possible call-up is a hot topic in Poland, "and I’m working towards getting the call. But the U-21 national team is important too."

This brings closer a scenario that many fans dream of: Will Robert Lewandowski soon have not only Lamine Yamal at his side at Barça, but also in the Polish national team? Their coach Jan Urban is currently keeping his cards close to his chest. "No matter how often journalists ask me about nominating Oskar Pietuszewski for the World Cup playoffs, it doesn’t change his situation. The decision has not yet been made," said the national coach regarding the semi-final clash with Albania (quote via 'kicker').

So, it’s quite possible that it’ll be the U21s first instead of the playoffs. But no matter who he plays for in March: opposing defenders should be on alert. Because if a 17-year-old has no problem literally putting a seasoned World Cup winner like Otamendi "on his backside," he certainly won’t be afraid of the Albanian defense. Whether in Porto or for Poland, Oskar Pietuszewski is just getting started on his rise.

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

📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors