They say first impressions count. And Jakub Kiwior certainly made a good one on Poland team-mate Robert Lewandowski.
“Oh Lord, listen to me: this is a real player!” the Barcelona forward said of his 22-year-old compatriot during June’s UEFA Nations League fixtures; Kiwior catching the eye on debut against the Netherlands.
“I asked: ‘But who is he’? Then I saw him in the game. Extraordinary. Really great potential.”
Performing in the Nations League, and standing out at a World Cup, are two very different challenges of course. But Kiwior, in just his sixth appearance for Poland, showed during Tuesday’s goalless draw with Mexico that he would not be overawed on the biggest of occasions.
With Poland’s attack firing blanks at one end, a disjointed side needed their defence to step up at the other against a Mexico side who created the vast majority of the chances during a tense display.
And Kiwior, alongside a centre-half 12 years his senior in Kamil Glik, stood tall and stood strong. No one managed more than his two successful interceptions against Mexico. Only the veteran Glick, meanwhile, completed more clearances (six, WhoScored).
West Ham United, AC Milan and Napoli like Poland defender Jakub Kiwior
“I am glad that I performed at such an event for the first time,” Kiwior tells TV2, bouncing back impressively from an early mistake in which he coughed up possession just outside his own penalty area.
“We’re dealing with a player who’s making progress all the time. It’s a process,” adds reporter Dominik Guziak, speaking to Sportowe Fakty. “Most of Jakub Kiwior’s performances this season (for Spezia in Serie A) were at least good. If not very good.
“He had a lot of really great performances; cleared a lot of balls, had a lot of interceptions, looked great in duels. He’s had his ups and downs, but overall he’s having a very good season.”
“He is simply a top Polish defender. He looks great and has a very large margin for development.”
‘A top Polish defender’
According to Tuttomercatoweb, West Ham United failed with a £9 million bid for Kiwior late last summer before landing Thilo Kehrer from Paris Saint-Germain instead. The 22-year-old’s ‘thou shall not pass’ performance against a largely superior Mexico outfit offered an indication as to why he is so widely admired, Kiwior belying his youth and relative inexperience in a backs-against-the-wall sort of display which limited the damage caused by Robert Lewandowski’s 57th minute penalty miss.
Reports say that Kiwior is now a target for AC Milan and Napoli. Lewandowski, meanwhile, is encouraging Barcelona to make a move for his fresh-faced compatriot (TuttoSport).
Now, Kiwior’s World Cup debut was far from faultless. He could have been punished for a lapse in concentration early on, while there was the odd nervy moment in the second half too. But a clean sheet and a performance full of character and resilience, will not have gone unnoticed by Kiwior’s growing throng of admirers.
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