Oskar Pietuszewski: Why Porto paid €10m to beat Premier League elite to 17-year-old Polish sensation

Pietuszewski was born in Białystok, Poland in May 2008, and after showing early promise with a ball at his feet, he was drafted into the city's Talent Football Academy at the tender age of six. From the outset, it was obvious to Pietuszewski's first coach, Rafal Muczynski, that he had something special about him.

"I remember when I first saw him on the field. He stood out for his dynamism, speed, and physical strength compared to his team-mates," Muczynski recently told Portal dos Dragoes. "He loved to dribble and face opponents one-on-one. And he loved football, loved playing, you could feel that training was the most important thing in the world for him."

At that stage, Pietuszewski was already testing himself in the year bracket above his own, but it wasn't all plain sailing.

"I remember he had vision problems and played with glasses, these Edgar Davids-style goggles. When we didn't win, they would fog up, but you could see Oskar crying," Muczynski recalled in an interview with Polish outlet Weszlo. "Sometimes after a match, he would throw something in the locker room out of rage. When things didn't go his way, he acted like he wanted to destroy the world."

Still, the good outweighed the bad, and Pietuszeweski soon received an offer to join Jagiellonia's youth system, where Muczynski continued as his trainer over the next seven years with some oversight from club legend Ryszard Karalus. Pietuszewski immediately endeared himself to Karalus, who saw his aggression as a positive.

"He was a brawler, a bit of a bully. He liked to hit back on the pitch," Karalus added to Weszlo. "I think his behaviour was influenced by the fact that his father was absent from his home. He was raised by his mother. He had a need for some male authority and a bit of rebellion, but that also made him fearless and gave him that personality."

By 2022, Pietuszewski was showing signs that he would soon be ready for senior football, finishing as top scorer in Poland's U14 championship of Poland before netting a memorable hat-trick to give Jagiellonia a 3-1 win over Cracovia in the U17 Central Junior League (CLJ). But little did he know, disaster was just around the corner.

In another CLJ match later in the year, this time against Hutnik in Krakow, Pietuszewski suffered a horrifying ACL injury, though he wasn't immediately aware of the damage.

"It sounds strange, but it was a funny situation because I didn't feel it at all during the match. I played the entire match without any pain," he has told Laczy nas Pilka. "After the match, everything was fine. We got ready in the locker room and set off on the long journey back to Białystok. After an hour-and-a-half of driving, during a stopover, I started feeling something strange in my knee. It swelled a bit, it was tight, and pain appeared. Fear soon followed.

"We got back very late, and my knee hurt, but I was hoping it would be over when I woke up. But it wasn't. Shortly after, I was scheduled for an MRI and learned the diagnosis. Less than two weeks later, I was undergoing surgery."

Plenty of promising players have failed to recover from similarly devastating blows, but it only made Pietuszewski's resolve stronger: "I knew I had some important work to do before the surgery. I prepared at the gym to make my return as easy as possible. Recovery from a torn ligament usually takes about a year. I returned to full training after six months, and played my first match after seven."

Pietuszewski gradually regained full fitness from there, and went on to far exceed the level he had been playing at prior to the injury. By the time the start of the 2024-25 season rolled around, he was ready to make his senior bow for Jagiellonia at the tender age of 16, and he duly came on for the final 20 minutes of their Europa League play-off second leg defeat to Ajax. That was the first time he would brush shoulders with former Ajax boss Francesco Farioli, who is now his coach at Porto. 

He also stepped off the bench for his Ekstraklasa debut against Pogon Szczecin four months later, and eventually finished the campaign with 20 first-team appearances to his name, including four in the Conference League and one in Jagiellonia's Polish Super Cup final win over Wisla Krakow.

Pietuszewski opened his scoring account for the club in style in a late-season 1-1 draw with Gornik Zabrze, sidestepping a defender on the far side of the box before ripping an unstoppable right-foot shot into the far corner.

Pietuszewski became a regular starter for Jagiellonia in the first half of the 2025-26 season and broke into Poland's U21 squad, scoring on his first appearance against North Macedonia in European Championship qualifying. He also racked up five goal involvements in 17 Ekstraklasa games, with his standout display coming in a breathless encounter against Pogon Szczecin.

The game was heading for a 1-1 stalemate until Pietuszewski turned home a superb half-volley in the third minute of stoppage time. No one was more delighted for the 17-year-old than Jagiellonia head coach Adrian Siemieniec, who told reporters after the win, "To be honest, I admire this boy because he has the potential to be a truly great footballer and is already asserting himself with league and European competitions."

Heading into the January transfer window, interest from the Premier League's elite clubs was widely reported, along with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, leaving Jagiellonia sporting director Lukasz Maslowski resigned to losing the youngster.

"The clubs that are inquiring about him definitely capture his imagination. Sometimes a player doesn't want to wait," Maslowski said to TVP Sport. "If it's the right direction, the right price, and all parties want to do it in the winter, it could happen in the winter. The best solution would be to arrange a transfer in the winter, and his new club would keep him in Bialystok for another six months."

However, Porto felt Pietuszewski was ready to make an immediate jump to a top European league, which was no doubt a factor in them winning the transfer race. They have been proven right, too, with the youngster recording a combined total of six goals and assists in his first nine Liga Portugal appearances.

He won a penalty on his debut to help Porto beat Vitoria Guimaraes 1-0, and remarkably grabbed his first goal for the club within the first 13 seconds of their 3-1 win against Arouca on February 27. That made Pietuszewski the youngest foreign scorer in Porto's history, and it was the fastest goal ever scored at the Estadio do Dragao. He followed that landmark moment up with an outrageous solo goal in a 2-2 Classico draw against Jose Mourinho's Benfica, running from inside his own half and flooring Nicolas Otamendi with a lovely turn before smashing home.

As if all that wasn't enough, Poland boss Jan Urban handed Pietuszewski his first senior cap in the country's 2-1 World Cup play-off semi-final victory over Albania last week. Introduced as a half-time substitute, the Porto starlet posted the most successful dribbles in the match, won five of his six ground duels and completed four passes in the final third. 

Pietuszewski has shown remarkable courage to hit the ground running at Porto and make an instant mark at international level, earning special praise from a Dragao cult hero in the process.

"I like this kid because he's creative. He's not afraid to take risks," ex-Porto attacker Ricardo Quaresma recently told Record. "That's something that's missing in football these days. Players like him take the ball and go for it once, twice, three times, and if they lose them all, they go for it a fourth time. I wish him all the best in the world."

Indeed, as an explosive left winger with dazzling feet, Pietuszewski is a nightmare for defenders. He's quick, strong and adept at utilising half-spaces, while he can also finish with both feet. Pietuszewski is versatile enough to operate as No.10 or a central striker, though playing out wide seems to suit him best because he also works relentlessly in defence.

Pietuszewski is still a long way from being the finished article, though, which is to be expected for his age. Sometimes, his fearlessness works against him, which Farioli hinted at when trying to temper expectations around the teenager after his scoring turn against Arouca.

"These young players bring energy, even though the decisions are not always correct. It's part of the process," said the Porto manager. Pietuszewski acknowledged his erratic end product when speaking to Laczy nas Pilka last year, saying, "My decision making is still not at the level I'd like it to be. It's a weakness I constantly need to work on. I think it sometimes stems from a lack of concentration in simple situations like these. I have to focus more intensely during them."

Staying composed would be a big help, too, instead of relying purely on instinct. There are times when Pietuszewski would be better off slowing the game down and picking the easier option. He must also learn to mix it up a bit and go down the outside, because his penchant for cutting in on his right foot can make him predictable.

That all being said, these things will come as he matures and gains more experience at the top level. The incredible raw potential is there, and he's already started to unlock it.

Pietuszewski has been compared to Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and modern-day Poland icon Jakub Blaszczykowski, which makes sense to an extent, given his direct style of play, but they are both right wingers. Porto's newest jewel is actually a closer match to Bayern Munich talisman Luis Diaz, who also made his name at the Dragao.

Diaz is almost unstoppable in one-vs-one situations, blending quick footwork with incredible agility, and he's clinical when he gets a sight of goal. Pietuszewski can be just as elusive and boasts the same lightning acceleration and shooting power as the Colombian, if not the accuracy just yet.

They also share a warrior's mentality, not content to just contribute in the final third. Diaz's high pressing and willingness to track back were key to Liverpool's success under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, and he's had a similar effect at Bayern.

Pietuszewski also runs himself into the ground to help his full-back, averaging 7.5 duels per 90 across his first three months at Porto. Diaz was beloved by the Dragons faithful because he was equally as important in defence as in attack, and Pietuszewski has all the attributes to follow in his footsteps.

Premier League clubs will likely target Pietuszewski again if he enjoys a fruitful end to the season at Porto. He has already started to live up to his £52m release clause, and could be worth far more than that in the near future, provided he stays grounded. Lewandowski urged his new international colleague to do exactly that after his hugely encouraging debut for Poland.

"He is undoubtedly spectacular, but let's give the lad some space. Let him develop, let him play. Let's not pressure him with the idea that he's going to score goals and dribble right away," the national team captain told TVP Sport. "Let him do that, of course, but with a cool head. He has his whole career ahead of him. He's a 17-year-old boy. Let him enjoy the game, show his talent, and just think about what he has to do on the field. I also try to protect him, because football is a game of emotions."

Talk about a powerful ally. Pietuszwewski could hardly have a better mentor than Lewandowski, who might also be able to advise him on the next step of his career. If the Porto ace has his way, that will be in Spain rather than England. "I'm a Barcelona fan, that's where I watch most often," he admitted to Laczy nas Pilka.

The prospect of Pietuszweski one day emulating Lewandowski at Barca doesn't feel far-fetched; that's how good he is. For now, though, he would be wise to heed the striker's advice and block out the external noise.

Porto is the ideal place for Pietuszweski's talent to blossom. If he keeps things simple, the door to the elite stage will open soon enough.