Kamil Grabara, the promising Polish goalkeeper, has been waiting for his chance to shine in the national team for a long time. Despite his impressive performances for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, he hasn’t been called up to the Polish national team since the World Cup in Qatar. The last time he had the opportunity to represent Poland was during the Nations League match against Wales, where he made his debut.
However, Grabara revealed that he could have made his debut earlier, during a friendly match against Scotland in March 2022. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to play due to a surprising reason – the team couldn’t provide him with a jersey with his name on it.
Grabara shared his story on the FootTruck channel, recalling the disappointment he felt when he wasn’t given the opportunity to play. „In 2022, I was supposed to play against Scotland. It would have been my debut for the national team. After training, Czesław Michniewicz told me: 'You’re ready? You’ll be playing tomorrow.’ The next day, the coach wrote to me that there was a change of plans and Łukasz Skorupski would play instead. I was really angry.”
Grabara continued, „Before lunch, by the bus, he told me personally that I would play, but then he informed me that Skorup would play instead. It was weird for me.”
The situation became even more bizarre when Grabara found out that the reason for the change was due to a lack of jerseys with his name on them. „Later, I was sitting in a room with Karol Świderski, Sebastian Szymański, and Konrad Michalak. Adrian Duda (the then-operator of Łączy nas piłka) came to us and said: 'There’s a problem. They don’t have a jersey for you.’ I asked: 'How don’t they have a jersey?!’. I thought that maybe they initially planned for Wojtek Szczęsny to play and took three jerseys, but then they tried to print my name on a jersey in Glasgow quickly, but they had a problem and couldn’t do it.”
Grabara’s teammates started laughing, but he took it very badly, as he was counting on making his debut in that match. This incident not only affected his confidence but also made him question his chances of playing for the national team.
Despite this setback, Grabara is still focused on his game in Wolfsburg. His next match in the Bundesliga is scheduled for January 11 against Hoffenheim. Will he finally get his chance to shine on the international stage? Only time will tell.
Polish National Team’s Goalkeeping Situation
Poland’s national team has been struggling with its goalkeeping situation for a while now. With Łukasz Fabiański’s retirement, the team is in need of a reliable goalkeeper. Grabara, with his impressive performances in Wolfsburg, could be the solution to this problem.
Wolfsburg’s Rise in the Bundesliga
Wolfsburg’s current standing in the Bundesliga is impressive, with the team sitting in 7th place. Grabara’s performances have been crucial to the team’s success, with him keeping 5 clean sheets in the last 10 matches.
Polish Football’s Future
Polish football is on the rise, with the national team making it to the World Cup in Qatar and the U21 team performing well in the European Championships. With talented players like Grabara, Poland’s football future looks bright. However, the team still needs to address its goalkeeping situation to become a contender on the international stage.
Key Statistics:
* Kamil Grabara has played 17 matches for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, keeping 7 clean sheets.
* Poland’s national team has not won a match in the Nations League since 2020.
* The Polish U21 team has won 5 out of its last 7 matches, with 3 clean sheets.
* Wolfsburg is currently 7th in the Bundesliga table, with 27 points from 17 matches.
