– The longer term will belong to him, however for now he’s behind – the then coach of the U-15 nationwide crew, Robert Wójcik, advised the boy’s father, Krzysztof. And he added that you simply simply have to attend for such boys.
Happily, each Wójcik and his successor Przemysław Małecki waited, due to which, nearly eight years after the August assembly of that nationwide crew, Zalewski is making ready to participate within the European Championships in Germany as certainly one of Michał Probierz’s greatest gamers.
Nicola Zalewski bought time
Throughout Probierz’s time period, Zalewski performed in six matches, all within the beginning lineup, recorded 4 assists and scored one aim, most just lately in a sparring with Turkey (2:1), his debut within the pink and white colours. He has by no means appeared so good within the nationwide crew earlier than. Workers of the overseas scouting part of the Polish Soccer Affiliation have causes to be proud. They discovered a gem in Rome and nobody ought to have any doubts about it.
Dawid Ambroży – that is the title and surname of a scout who as soon as, throughout one of many evening shifts on the glasses manufacturing facility in Southampton, discovered a well-recognized title on the AS Roma academy – Zalewski. Polish as attainable. Possibly the title – Nicola – is totally Italian, however it was price a strive. He contacted Father Krzysztof and issues began. From then on, the case was supervised by part supervisor Maciej Chorążyk, who, after speaking to the teenager’s father, offered the knowledge to the coaches. There’s such and such a boy in Roma, he desires to play for Poland, he’ll come along with his father to the coaching camp, all that continues to be is to ask him.
Nicola Zalewski in 2018. Match for third place within the Syrenka Cup towards Portugal in Sandomierz (Picture: KAROL SLOMKA / 400mm.pl / NEWSPIX.PL / newspix.pl)
They invited after which invited for a while for encouragement. Mikry Nicola, who years in the past was used as a goalkeeper within the Spes Poli crew for worry of hurt that a lot larger opponents may do to him, bounced off everybody. Even towards weak Moldova, he had bother staying on his ft. However when he had the ball with these legs… Małecki’s coaching employees used to say that he appeared as if he had been floating above the pitch. He performed soccer with such ease, ease and ease. That is why call-ups had been despatched to Italy, regardless of the boy’s normally poor play. Anybody with eyes may see that when he gained centimeters and kilograms, Zalewski would turn out to be extraordinarily tough to cease.
When biology took its course, from the U-17 class he now not bounced off his opponents, and as a substitute handed them like a pole skier throughout an enormous slalom. The coaches spoke amongst themselves with out diplomacy – if Zalewski had been wearing Dutch, Belgian or French costumes, nobody would discover the distinction.
Additionally they observed the event in Roma and moved him to the primary crew. In Could 2021, below Paulo Fonseca’s rule, as a 19-year-old, he made his debut in Serie A with Crotone (5:0) and instantly recorded an help, however it was solely below Jose Mourinho that he turned part of the Giallorossi’s beginning lineup. Earlier than the beginning of the 2021/22 season, the Portuguese invited the Pole for a dialog and introduced that he wouldn’t comply with any mortgage. He did not even wish to hear about it.
– That is precisely what occurred. I heard that he needed me right here and I’d get an opportunity. And I bought it, Zalewski advised me.
Protector and idol
Marcin Kardela – certainly one of Małecki’s assistants within the U-16 and U-17 nationwide groups – remembered Piotr Zieliński from the instances of Zagłębie Lubin and noticed the identical expertise in Zalewski. Zalewski himself admired the chief of Napoli and half-jokingly, half-seriously laughed in the course of the junior nationwide crew coaching camps that he couldn’t say it out loud in Rome, as a result of, clearly, Roma followers wouldn’t forgive him. Lastly, the paths of those two crossed in the course of the World Cup qualifying matches towards San Marino (7:1) and England (1:1), and the older one took care of the youthful one. It was as if future had been fulfilled.
– Everybody was variety, however Piotrek took probably the most care of me – the Roma participant advised me.
– I used to be merely welcomed very properly, that is why I by no means needed to alter the nationwide crew. I really feel one hundred pc Polish and though I had gives to play for the Italian crew, I did not actually take into account them in any respect – he added.
At the moment, these two and the third well-trained midfielder from Serie A – Kacper Urbański from Bologna – are the middle of creativity of the second line of the nationwide crew. Possibly in the course of the match in Germany it will likely be like years in the past – Zalewski will play once more in such a method that when you put a Dutch or French jersey on him, nobody would discover the distinction?
Nicola Zalewski and Jose Mourinho (Picture: ZUMA/Newspix.pl / newspix.pl)
Within the European Championships, the shuttler is not going to solely battle for an excellent consequence for the nationwide crew, but in addition for his membership future. Coach Daniele De Rossi – Mourinho’s successor at Roma – doesn’t see a spot for the Pole within the beginning lineup, and from the very starting he values others extra extremely (Paulo Dybala, Stephan El Shaarawy and Tommaso Baldanzi), which is why there’s increasingly more speak about a switch.
This week in Rome’s “Corriere dello Sport” it was written that representatives of golf equipment from the Premier League and the Bundesliga have already contacted about this matter, however the Giallorossi authorities are relying on a unique situation. Zalewski’s good efficiency in Euro 2024, due to which the curiosity within the midfielder and thus the earnings on sale would turn out to be even better. Nicely, not one of the Polish nationwide crew followers could be offended if Roma’s plan truly got here true, as a result of it will imply an excellent consequence for Probierz’s crew.
