폴란드는 미국전을 통해 첫 2경기만으로 평가절하될 팀이 아니라는 것을 증명했다. 포르투갈에 이겼고 한국과 비겼던 바로 그 팀을 3대1로 누른 것은 정말 기쁜 일이였다. 하지만 한국이 본선에 진출하는 것을 보게 되어 기쁘다.
예전에 말한 대로, 한국인은 정말 멋진(wonderful) 사람들이었다.
한국은 많은 강팀과 경기를 치렀고, 빠르게 축구를 깨쳐가고 있음을 보여줬다. 반면, 폴란드는 상대적으로 약한 팀과 경기를 가졌고, 따라서 배우는 것도 적었다. 아쉽지만 이제 너무 늦었다. 한국과의 첫경기에서 초록색 그라운드 위에 첫발을 딛던 때는 아마도 내게 있어 최고의 순간이었을 것이다. 나는 그날 정말 자랑스럽고 행복했다.
여러분이 이글을 읽고 있을때는 아마 집으로 돌아가 있을 테지만,
언젠가 이곳 한국에 다시 돌아올 수 있기를 진심으로 바란다.
나는 가족들과 함께 한국에서 휴가를 보내는 것을 진지하게 고려하고 있다.
Monday 17th June 2002
Delighted for the wonderful Koreans
It may have been too late to save us, but at least our performance against the United States showed people that we did not deserve to be judged only on our first two games.
We were very determined to end the World Cup on a positive note, and our 3-1 win against the team which had already beaten Portugal and drawn with the Korean Republic was very pleasing. We were also happy to see that the Koreans qualified for the second round because, as I have said before, they are wonderful people.
I had said that our coach, Jerzy Engel, would make changes for yesterday's match. Some were enforced, as we had some players injured and suspended. But he also wanted to give a chance to some other players who hadn't experienced this World Cup, which explains why Radoslaw Majdan of Goztepspor was in goal.
Looking back on the tournament, we still don't feel we did ourselves justice. We had a dream beforehand, and it wasn't to be knocked out in the first round. Even though we were not in an easy group, we thought we were capable of getting through.
Of course, with hindsight it's much easier to try and analyse why we didn't. Our change in form since we qualified for the World Cup was quite dramatic. Maybe if we had played against stronger teams during our preparation we would have benefited.
The Koreans, for example, played against many strong teams and you can see now how much they learned. We played against opponents of lesser quality, and so you can't learn from them. Unfortunately it's too late for us now. We did try to do something special in the World Cup, but we were unable to.
All I can hope is that we have learned from this experience and that we can put it to good use for when the European Championship qualifiers start, and also for the next World Cup.
I have really enjoyed the World Cup, despite having some bad results. It has been a fantastic experience for me, and it is something I want to experience again in my career.
Really, it's something which the Polish team needs to do. There are some countries who qualify all the time for the World Cup, and this sort of experience is invaluable. It's what we must acquire ourselves.
Probably the best moment of the World Cup for me was when I took my first step onto the pitch for our opening game against the Korean Republic. I was so proud and happy that day. It meant so much to me.
I may be on my way home from the Korean Republic, but I sincerely hope I can return here one day. I would seriously consider coming back for a holiday with my family.
Before I flew out I had heard that the Koreans were not ready for the World Cup. Not only did I discover this to be untrue, I also discovered that they have a beautiful country. In a year's time it will be even more beautiful when some more buildings are finished. Maybe it would be good for me to show my family Japan and Korea in the future.
To be honest, I wouldn't say I was feeling especially tired at the moment, but I am looking forward to taking a holiday now.
I don't know yet where that will be. I will obviously be spending some days in Poland when we return from Asia, but maybe I will also go away to Italy or Spain. I just want to put football to the back of my mind and think about other things.