Emmanuel Olisadebe was a pioneer. After in 2000 he received Polish citizenship – although he did not meet the standard requirements, then President Aleksander Kwasniewski decided that such a talented footballer could help the Polish team – he became the first black player who played for the white and red.
He revealed years later. All of Poland loved him
Olisadebe immediately became a great star. His eight goals in the 2002 World Cup qualifying allowed Poland for the first time in 16 years to advance to the World Cup, which took place in South Korea and Japan. The attacker born in Nigeria was one of the biggest stars of Polish sport.
In later years – after leaving the Polish league – his star slowly went out. He played in Greece, England, China and Cyprus, and ended his career in 2013. Since then, the former representative in Poland has removed himself into the shadows and rarely contributes to the media. However, he made an exception and his story was recalled on the propaylive.com portal.
– It was a very difficult decision for me, but I never regretted it. It was a great feeling to play for Poland at the world championships, it is every player's dream to play in the world arena, so when I had the opportunity, I decided to use it and I never regretted it – he said, quoted by the aforementioned portal.
This will shake the whole world. FIFA wants to change football recipes
Olisadebe revealed that when he was contacted with him about a potential game for Poland, he was surprised. – At first I thought it was a joke, but when I realized that they were serious, I agreed. Then I was asked if I had already played for Nigeria before, and I said that I did not, and after conducting the investigation I got permission and at that moment there was no turning back – he admitted.
The former Polish representative admitted that his parents were not involved in the decision to accept Polish citizenship. Olisadebe also returned to the memorable elimination match to the World Cup against Ukraine.
– Before the match there was a lot of criticism why a black guy should perform in Poland, but after my brilliant performance in the first match the fans thought about the matter and from that moment everything went smoothly – he added.
Emmanuel Olisadebe in 2000-2004 played 25 matches for Poland, scored 11 goals in them. In 2001 he was nominated for a golden ball.