Poland appointed Fernando Santos as their new coach based on his experience managing a national team and his track record of success, Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza said on Tuesday. "From today I am Polish, I am one of you. One more of you, and we will do everything to provide the Polish people with a lot of joy," Santos said.
The new coach of Poland's national soccer team, Fernando Santos, said he would work hard to deliver success for the side as his appointment was officially announced on Tuesday (January 24).
Santos, who led Portugal to success at Euro 2016 and the 2018-19 Nations League with Cristiano Ronaldo as captain, was unofficially announced on Monday (January 23) when Polish Football Association President Cezary Kulesza shared a picture of himself with the 68-year-old on Twitter.
"Success requires work, lots of work. Happiness doesn't fall from the sky. To achieve it, you must work hard. That's why we must work hard, but I have full confidence that we will all achieve this goal. We will achieve a lot for the Polish national team and for the Polish people," Santos said at the announcement at the national stadium in Warsaw.
"I pay great attention to two words - 'us' and 'win'," Santos added. "We will have to get used to winning, because I think this national team has what it takes to be able to compete with any big team."
"From today I am Polish, I am one of you. One more of you, and we will do everything to provide the Polish people with a lot of joy. It's going to take a lot of work, but we'll get to it. I will now live in Poland, it's crucial for me. I want to get to know the country, culture and people of Poland well," the Portuguese coach said.
"I would like to thank the president for trusting me and my colleagues. This is a very important factor and of course is a great honor for us. We are talking about a great country, and Poland is a great country with a rich history and culture. Also, the Polish team has a beautiful history and its own quality," he added.
"We wanted a coach who already had experience in leading a national team, so that he would not have to learn on the job," Kulesza told a news conference.
"But above all, we wanted a successful coach. Such a coach was appointed today."
Santos is only the second Poland coach this century with prior international experience following Leo Beenhakker who managed the team in 2006-2009.
Before becoming Portugal manager in 2014, Santos had a four-year spell in Greece. At club level he has managed Porto, AEK Athens, Panathinaikos, Sporting and Benfica, among others.
The Polish FA decided not to renew the contract of former coach Czesław Michniewicz after he guided the team to their first World Cup knockout stage appearance in 36 years at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
He was criticised by his home nation for a largely defensive lineup in their opening draw against Mexico.
Santos' position with Portugal was terminated in December after the country's World Cup quarter-final exit. His contract with Poland includes two qualification cycles -- for the Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup -- Poland's football association said.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters