When Wojciech Szczęsny retired in the summer of 2024, it became clear that the fight for the number one jersey in the Polish national team would be fierce. This has been a long standing position that we don't have to worry about. Łukasz Skorupski, Marcin Bułka, Kamil Grabara, Bartłomiej Drągowski, Radosław Majecki, but also goalkeepers from the Polish league – such as Bartosz Mrozek. The choice is really large. Ultimately, Szczęsny resumed his career and signed a contract with Barcelona, but he never returned to the national team.
Grabara appreciated again. Does Touchstone see this?
In the fall of this year, we watched Skorupski and Bułka competing between the Polish goal posts. Drągowski and Mrozek were also called up. With the stubbornness of a maniac, Touchstone omitted Kamil Grabara.
– It's not my decision. We are blowing this topic up completely unnecessarily. I haven't been called up to the national team for 10 years. It doesn't change anything in my life. It doesn't make anything worse, it doesn't make anything better – the goalkeeper commented in November. Journalists and fans criticized the lack of call-ups for Grabara.
Will the coach change his mind in the new year and finally look towards the goalkeeper? Wolfsburg? It seems that Grabara's form cannot be ignored indefinitely. This is his first season in the Bundesliga. Over the first 14 rounds, he recorded three clean sheets and conceded 25 goals, but his position in the team is absolutely unquestionable. What's more! He wore the captain's armband in one game and his ratings are commendable.
On Friday match against Freiburg, Grabara had to face as many as nine shots on target by his opponents. He made fantastic interventions several times and, despite a 2-3 defeat, was selected for the “Kicker” magazine's team. This is the second such award this season – previously he was recognized for the match against Bayern Munich, also lost by Wolfsburg. Of all the goalkeepers in the league, only RB Leipzig's goalkeeper, Peter Gulacsi, was selected more times in the team (4). He also has the most saves of all goalkeepers – he has saved 55 shots this season.
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Kamil Grabara has a chance to run on the pitch again this year. Wolfsburg, which in table is in 10th place, will play against Borussia Dortmund on December 22. Later, the Polish goalkeeper and his colleagues will have a break. They will resume play on January 11 and their first New Year's opponent will be Hoffenheim.
Grabara will be 26 years old by then – he celebrates his birthday on January 8. So far, he has played only one match for the national team. During Czesław Michniewicz's term of office, on June 1, 2022, he played in Wrocław against Wales.