New Celtic signing Maik Nawrocki believes his experience of Polish football can help him to be an instant success at the Scottish Champions.
German-born Poland Under-21 international Nawrocki has joined the Glasgow club, subject to international clearance, after helping Legia Warsaw win the Polish Cup last season by scoring the winning spot-kick in a penalty shootout victory over Rakow Czestochowa.
The 22-year-old was a product of Werder Bremen’s youth system before he headed to Poland with Worta Poznan and Legia Warsaw and he now believes the battling nature of the Ekstraklasa will help him to settle into life in Scotland.
He explained: “The Polish league is also more fighting than playing so I’m kind of used to it! I’m looking forward to getting to know the league because I don’t know it so well.
“In Poland away games are also very loud because of the fans. Even against Legia there are sometimes 20-25,000 people so I’m used to it. When you go on the pitch you don’t see this you just play your game.
“Every second game they have to stop the play for five minutes because of pyrotechnics and things. I’m used to this kind of stuff.”
Nawrocki is looking forward to teaming up with Brendan Rodgers and his teammates as preparations continue to build ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season.
The defender is yet to speak to his new manager in person but has received intel that the former Liverpool and Leicester boss has been an admirer for a while.
Legia famously defeated Rodgers’ Leicester City in the Europa League back in September 2021 and Nawrocki remembers the night fondly.
He continued: “I think for Legia it was one of the biggest games in their history, we won 1-0 at the full stadium. It was the loudest I’ve ever been in. We remember that night very well.
“Brendan Rodgers is well known in Great Britain. I talked with him a lot yesterday and he talked very well with me. Tomorrow we will speak when we see each other.
“Someone told me he remembered the game and me but we didn’t speak about it.”
After sampling the way a Rodgers-led team plays, it was a no-brainer for Nawrocki to hook up with the Northern Irishman at Parkhead.
“I like to have a lot of possession and to have the ball and to create attacks but you have to defend very well too of course,” he said.
“I think the right side is my strongest but the left is not a problem because I played both sides at Legia. Centre-back on both sides in a three or four really.
“Celtic is a well-known club throughout the world and when I got the call Celtic wanted me there was no second option. Honestly.
“I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when the stadium is full. Yesterday when I saw it for the first time and I was shocked at how big the stadium is. But it’s more excitement.
“I watched the Shakhtar game at Legia Stadium but I wasn’t there because we had training. Sometimes I’d watch them in the Champions League.
“We have the best team in the league so we can win every trophy again.”
Nawrocki hopes to follow in the footsteps of Artur Boruc who was a hugely popular figure during his time at Celtic.
The pair played together for a brief period as Boruc concluded his hugely successful career at Legia Warsaw and Nawrocki admits his experience left a lasting impact on him.
On the Polish goalkeeper, he said: “Artur was a legend in Poland and here at Celtic. I could play one year with him.
“He wasn’t only a good footballer but an amazing character. I was very happy and sometimes he’d tell stories about himself.
“It’s nice to go the same way he did. He was a different character. He spoke a lot about Celtic but he was 20 years older than me so we didn’t speak a lot but we always had a good relationship on the pitch.”
Nawrocki also hopes to follow in the footsteps of Boruc by becoming a mainstay for his national side Poland.
He is yet to gain a full cap for his country, but he was named in the provisional squad for Poland for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, before being left out of the final 26-man squad.
On the omission, he explained: “I was first of all happy to be in the squad because I hadn’t been in one before. The World Cup would have been my first nomination. I was more happy than disappointed.
“Celtic is now a bigger club, a stronger league, there’s the Champions League too so I can improve myself then maybe it will be easier to get into the national team.
“When I was 15 I arrived for the first time to the national team. I liked it so much that I never thought about changing anything.”
On his personality and what he can bring to the Celtic camp, Nawrocki added: “I think I was a quiet person off the pitch but on the pitch I wanted to show everything and not speak off it.
“I came to Legia, I was alone so I think I grew as a man too. Legia was the perfect step to prepare me for a club like this.
“It’s a good team with a mix of young players and experienced players. I can grow here. I’m here to make my big step and help the club to achieve their goals.”
