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Major test Olisadebe aiming to justify star statusPosted: Saturday April 27, 2002 11:46 AMWARSAW, Poland (AP) -- In the last five years, Nigerian-born Emmanuel Olisadebe has turned from a shy teen-ager to a star of Poland's soccer team, and one of Europe's best strikers. "There are many players who add glitter to the team," says Poland coach Jerzy Engel. "Olisadebe is one of those who stand out, like Luis Figo in Portugal or Zinedine Zidane in France." That's heady company for Olisadebe, 23, who is seen as one of the keys to Poland advancing from Group D, which also includes the United States, Portugal and co-host South Korea. Poland is returning to the World Cup finals for the first time in 16 years. "Oli," as fans call him, already has had one of the most brilliant careers in Polish history. He scored in his August 2000 debut against Romania and became the first African player on Poland's national team shortly after receiving Polish citizenship. Emsi, as other players call him, has 10 goals in 15 matches for Poland since then, including eight in World Cup qualifiers, helping his new homeland become the first European team to clinch a berth in the World Cup finals. With Portugal the Group D favorite, "the three remaining teams have equal chances," says Engel. But it is often such stars as Olisadebe, goalie Jerzy Dudek or midfielder Piotr Swierczewski who set the tone and decide the outcome. "Americans are strong as a team. They have great discipline, excellent physical shape and modern elements in the game, but they do not have big stars," Engel said. "But in a few years, America will be a soccer superpower." Olisadebe, who started his career with Warsaw's Polonia in 1997, when Engel was coach, quickly earned a place in the lineup and helped Polonia win the league championship in 2000. "The guy came a few years ago from Africa and was completely unknown. Today, he is a fully shaped player, with an indisputable position in Europe," Engel said. He has such natural skills as being able to dribble at full speed and an uncanny ability to perceive where the ball will land. Those are things you can never learn, Engel said. Lightning-fast, with a burst to the goal, Olisadebe is tough in traffic and scored 20 goals in 66 matches for Polonia. Early last year, Oli moved to Athens' Panathinaikos, which advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals this season. A strong performance at the World Cup would help Olisadebe win a permanent spot on Panathinaikos -- or bring a mailbox full of offers from other clubs across Europe eager to employ the striker. "I'm not thinking about the World Cup as a form of promotion for myself," Oli said in a Polish newspaper interview. "For me, what counts most, is a chance to make history for your -- and now also my -- nation. "I want Poles to be able to say in the future that I have left my trace here." Poland's leading soccer magazine, Pilka Nozna, chose Olisadebe as the nation's best player of 2001, ahead of Dudek. Olisadebe's career owes a lot to Engel. Two other first division teams showed interest, but deals never materialized, so Oli was about to return to Nigeria. A tryout at Polonia was his last chance. Engel noticed his skills and potential at the first workout, and after another week he persuaded Polonia managers to spend US$200,000 to sign him. The first few months in Poland, with its harsh winters and difficult language, were not easy for Olisadebe. But by the spring he recovered from an injury and was a valuable addition to Polonia. It took him another year to start scoring goals in nearly every match. When Engel took over as Poland coach, Olisadebe applied for Polish citizenship and President Aleksander Kwasniewski approved it. Olisadebe got a Polish passport in July 2000, and a month later scored his first goal in the 1-1 exhibition against Romania. In his next match, a World Cup road qualifier against favored Ukraine, Oli scored twice, leading Poland to a 3-1 victory, the first major step toward the finals.
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