The strangest thing about Paulo Sousa’s choice to leave the Polish national team in favor of Flamengo, is the timing. In less than three months, Poland will host Russia in the World Cup qualifiers, where the winner will meet Sweden or the Czech Republic in a battle for a place in Qatar. On the face of it, Robert Lewandowski’s ability significantly increases Poland’s chances of securing its place in the World Cup, but Sousa apparently, did not really believe it.
Sousa was supposed to lead Poland to achievements it has not reached since finishing third in the World Cup in 1974 and 1982. The Poles understood what they had in hand with Lewandowski, alongside relatively familiar names like Piotr Zelinski and Arkadyush Milik, and wanted to boost the expectation around them with a famous national coach.
After winning the championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2013/14 Sousa’s career knew ups and downs – he won the Swiss championship with Basel, came with Fiorentina in fifth place in Serie A, the move to Tianjin from the Chinese league did not hurt his popularity and he reached Bordeaux, With whom he finished in 12th place in France.Its episode there ended after a little over a year, and yet, the door of Poland opened to him, also thanks to the memory of him as a Juventus and Borussia Dortmund player, with whom he won the Champions League.
The match between Poland and Souza was far from successful. The team, which opened the Euros with expectations to reach at least the quarter-finals, finished the home stage in last place and without a win, making it the disappointment of the tournament. The Portuguese coach got the job only half a year before the opening of the Euro and Poland chose to continue with him, only surprisingly, mainly of the Poles, he chose to end the contract even before closing a year for his appointment. He even paid the “exit fine” from coverage – 300,000 euros.
In Polish sport they ranged from expressing shock to attacking Sousa, and rage crossed the boundaries of the industry. The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, said: “A friend from Krakow told me a joke, that there is a case in the history of Poland that is very reminiscent of that of Sousa, when King Henry III (living between 1551 and 1589) escaped from Lovell Castle.” What makes a 51-year-old coach, whose career is far from over, give up the possibility of reaching the World Cup, with a superstar like Lewandowski next to him?
Souza expressed concern that despite the favorites, Poland could miss its place in the World Cup. Flamengo may not have Lewandowski, but it also seems that Poles do not have much to offer other than dependence on one of the greatest strikers of all time. No young Polish player is considered a big promise. The last to do so is Krzysztof Piontek, who is having a hard time restoring in Herta Berlin the ability he demonstrated in Genoa and for a short time also in Milan. In fact, the most refreshing Polish innovation of recent times is the citizenship of Matti Cash, the English defender of Aston Villa whose mother is Polish.
Flamengo is the richest club in South America, and the majority of the team’s fans among the 220 million Brazilians, makes it one of the most popular in the world. Sousa signed a two-year contract, with a salary of 3 million euros over the period. The signing grant certainly includes a residence with a breathtaking view of the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, but there were other variables that attracted Sousa: In Brazil point to the sporting vision in his new team.
Last season was tragic for Flamengo, it finished in second place at Brasilia and surrendered in the Libertadores final to the Palmeiras. Souza’s appointment brings anticipation to the restoration of the successes of the former Portuguese coach who worked at Flamengo, Georges Jesus, with whom the team was crowned Brazilian and South American champions. The Flamengo knew full well that Jesus would end his role at Benfica due to friction with the management and especially with the crowd, and there was even talk of a merger, but Sousa was still the one to be chosen. The 67-year-old Jesus may sign for Atletico Mineiro, the new champions who have parted ways with coach Coca, who has chosen to spend more time with his family.
The assumption around the Brazilian league is that this is a place to end a career. After all, if there is a young man good enough in Flamengo, he will not stay in the team, but will try to pave his way to a big club in Europe. In addition, the Brazilians’ wealth has made the league a focal point for teenage players who are at the end of their careers. Diego Costa, Holk, Douglas Costa, Filippa Luis and Rafinha are examples from recent years. Only that unlike the players, the coaches remain on the wheel in European football even if they have migrated to Rio or Sao Paulo.
The Portuguese coaches demonstrate an impressive dominance in South American football. Next to Jesus, there is a Pereira mourning. The 43-year-old coach joined the Palmeiras in November 2020, two months later won with the team at the Libertadores, and has since managed to win the continental championship and the Brazilian Cup again. One can be sure that once Pereira is available for offers, he will arouse interest in Europe, like Jesus who returned to Benfica and reached the Champions League quarter-finals with them this season before being sacked. Flamengo may be Sousa’s bounce back to more glittering leagues when his contract expires.
And what about Poland? Some of the big names in world football will surely miss the World Cup. This could be the European champions Italy, these could be Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, there is a situation where these will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden, and maybe it will be Lewandowski. To enjoy the striker in another big tournament, the Poles will have to recover quickly from the human blow that Susa landed on their ego.
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