Piotr Zielinski: 5 facts about the Liverpool and Napoli target

#3 Aged 14, he rejected a trial at Liverpool

From the archives: Zielinski (extreme left) appearing for Bayer Leverkusen against Liverpool in a friendly youth tournament.

Participating in a two-week training camp in Trutnov, 14-year-old Zielinski caught the eye of a world renowned Polish scout and current player-agent, Bartosz Oldzki. Impressed with the young kid’s tenacity, Oldzki arranged for Zielinski to appear for Bayer Leverkusen in a friendly youth tournament.

Before the match against Liverpool, British agents were left clueless about this new name on the team sheet, ‘Zielinski’. But just 5 minutes into the game they came to terms in a rather harsh manner – the first action, second shot, flew into the top corner. Bayer won the tournament with ease and the Liverpool club representatives, still reeling, offered Zielinski a commemorative pennant and a trial at the Merseyside club.

Surprisingly, a few months later Zielinski ended up signing a contract at Polish club Zagbie Lubin. Asked to offer an explanation for the baffling decision, Zielinski’s father calmly replied – “England is not for him”.