You would be forgiven for not being fully aware of Kacper Kozlowski’s talents before the start of Euro 2020.
Hungary has made a name for itself in the Polish top flight with Pogon Szczecin who has broken into the first team only 15 years old, but with only 20 league games to his name, he is hardly an experienced campaigner.
That being said, with four international caps under his belt, he has already achieved more than many professional footballers do throughout his career, and at just 17 years old, he has proven to have the quality and mentality to cut it to the top level.
No one can deny that Poland’s show at Euro 2020 was anything more than overwhelming, and even the talents of Robert Lewandowski could not save them from finishing bottom of Group E after collecting just one point.
No matter how bad a team’s performance in a tournament is, there are often a couple of positive things to take, and Kozlowski’s rise is undoubtedly something that head coach Paulo Sousa can take away from his miserable campaign.
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• Kacper Kozłowski • Pogoń Szczecin • Polish • 17 years old
The youngest player to travel to the tournament, and if he sees a minute of action, he will be the youngest player to ever participate in the European Championships! ?
Welcome to Our 21, Kacper ??
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) June 9, 2021
The 17-year-old became the youngest player ever at the European Championships when he was picked up as a substitute in the second half of his team’s second group trip to Spain, but you would not have guessed his tender age judging by his performance.
Immediately after Lewandowski equalized, Sousa called for the youngster and his impact on the game was clear.
While the prospect of coming face to face with a Spanish midfielder may seem quite daunting, the truth in truth could not have asked for a much better opponent for his big international tournament debut.
It’s easy to forget that Kozlowski is only 17, far from the finished article physically and so his most important strengths lie at his feet. Poland’s introduction saw his side take better care of the ball and they then got a break from the seemingly relentless waves of Spanish attacks.
Kozlowski gets in touch with Ferran Torres / DAVID RAMOS / Getty Images
Even after his arrival in the game, the Spaniards had the majority of the game, but even with fleeting spells in possession, you could tell that Kozlowski was a talented technician with the ball at his feet, while his work speed and fighting from the ball – something there was a lot of – was just as impressive .
The midfielder was once again on the bench for Poland’s last group game against Sweden because he got a little more than 20 minutes of action during the second half.
This time he enjoyed much more possession and was clearly calm in a number of different roles, including wide and in front of the back four when his team was on the back foot.
Given that his only two appearances at Euro 2020 consisted of a 20-minute cameo and a match against Spain where his team struggled to get the ball, it would be difficult to criticize a 17-year-old given the circumstances, and to be honest, we have absolutely no need to criticize Kozlowski because he was a credit to himself and his country.
Kacper Kozlowski loves her husband / Lars Baron / Getty Images
We do not like to throw stories out there, but when you consider the fact that Kozlowski risked never playing football again after suffering a serious injury in a car crash just 18 months ago, suddenly the size of his performances this summer seems to double in size.
Poland endured a miserable Euro 2020, no one will deny it, but in Kozlowski they have a real gem and someone who in the coming years is likely to carry a nation’s hopes on their shoulders.
