World Soccer - UK (2020-11)

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his mother called
me. I said: ‘Come
to Varsovia, we will
think it over.’”
During the meeting with
Lewandowski, Krzywicki offered to
call Znicz Pruszkow, a club based
just outside Warsaw. As it happened,
the third division side were interested
in the young striker.
“We knew Lewandowski,” explains
former Znicz chairman Sylwiusz
Mucha-Orlinski. “We had observed
him for over a year. As for his injury?
You can always recover.”
For the first two months,
Lewandowski did not play, taking
his time to reach full fitness. “When
hefinallybecomeastarterinthe
team, he played regularly all the time,”
remembers Mucha-Orlinski. “And
he regularly scored goals.”
In spite of his delayed start,
Lewandowski topped the third division
scoring charts with15 goals, helping the
side win promotion. His second season
was even better, adjusting to the second
tier with ease, and rattling in 21 goals
and winning another golden boot.
“Honestly, I did not think he could be

was not the most important thing. I had

a look at Lech. They were progressing,

and had a few offensive players with

a similar style of playing to Robert. So

I realised this was the best place for

him to make progress.”

Legia, who did not want Lewandowski

two years earlier, came back in for him

as well.

“We could offer him a better contract

than Lech without any problem [around

£9,000-per-month, according to Polish

media speculation],” explains Miroslaw

Trzeciak, responsible for Legia’s transfers

at the time. “The problem was that his

agent demanded a percentage of income

from the next potential transfer too, and

we did not accept such rules.”

So, Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan

in the summer of 2008. In September,

he was called up for international duty

by Poland’s Dutch national coach, Leo

Beenhakker. Team kit man Wieslaw

Ignasiewicz remembers their first

conversation: “Beenhakker told him:

‘You will be a great player. Your time

will come. So, be patient and wait.’

And he answered: ‘Thank you for

the compliment, boss.’”

That month, Lewandowski came

off the substitutes’ bench to score on

his debut against San Marino. It was

a first important step in an incredible

international career, which has seen him

play more games and score more goals

than any other Poland player in history,

while also captaining his country at two

major international tournaments. It is

hard to see his goal record being

toppled any time soon, if ever.

Reflecting on his former team-mate’s

achievements, Zbigniew Kowalski says:

“When I have a look at him now, I realise

that he always had an aim which he

tried to fulfil. If he did it, he immediately

had another one. I think that is one of

the main reasons he became such a

great player.”

It is that attitude which has helped

make Lewandowski one of the world’s

great number nines.

such a great player,” says Zbigniew

Kowalski, one of Lewandowski’s

team-mates at Znicz. “But he was

different for one reason. Other young

players, especially in lower divisions,

think they know better than their

coaches. But he was calm and

modest – he always sat in the corner

of a dressing room, listened carefully

to what that coach told him, and then

did it on the field.”

His goalscoring exploits caught the

attention of football agents, and plenty

came to Pruszkow to have a look at

him. Eventually he signed up with

Cezary Kucharski, who represented

him until 2018.

“The Znicz chairman [Mucha-Orlinski]

was important, because he did not think

only about money,” Kucharski remembers.

“He helped to build careers of young

players.”

As Mucha-Orlinski explains: “Because

Lewandowski came to us for free, we

had a gentleman’s agreement: he could

choose the club which would like to

buy him. He chose Lech Poznan not

because of money, but because they

needed him the most. Other offers

were better for us, like fromJagiellonia

Bialystok or especially Cracovia Krakow,

but we respected Robert’s decision.

Lech paid us just under1.5 million

zloty [around £300,000]. It was

the highest Znicz transfer ever.”

Kucharski agrees.

“We carefully examined all the offers,

their advantages and disadvantages,

because almost every club from the

Polish league wanted him. Money

“I remember him as the smallest, skinniest boy.

His legs looked like two thin sticks. But I let him

show me what he could do with a ball, and I said:

‘Okay, you will join my team’”

Marek Siwecki, Lewandowski’s first coach

Junior...Lewandowski

(bottom right), was

the smallest player

for Varsovia-Polonia,

a joint-team for one

season in1996-97

Polandlegend...

“Bobek” with his

first Champions

League trophy