"Be the same Bartosz as before"

Lech played three sparring games in the United Arab Emirates – against local Ajman Club (1:1) and twice against Eintracht Frankfurt (0:1 and 2:2). In the first match, coach van den Brom divided the squad into two different line-ups and each player got to compete against Ajman. Meanwhile, in the clash against the Germans, most players stayed on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes, among them Bartosz Salamon.

“I feel great,” emphasised the Polish defender who made his first appearance on the pitch following the injury back in November, when he joined Lech’s reserves team for 45 minutes, in a friendly against Warta (1:1). “Then I worked hard alongside the first team, ahead of the trip to Dubai. Now I have completed the recovery process with the two training games. Considering how long I’ve been out, I feel amazing. In total, I played just three sparring games so far, but to me, it means a lot,” added Salamon.

The Pole got injured back in March 2022, in Poland’s national team clash with Scotland (1:1). The injury forced Salamon to stay on the sidelines for 7 long months. But now that the defender has been ruled fit to play, he has been making very fast progress and is on his way to getting back in top shape.

“I am happy with how fast I have adapted. Of course, I still need to get back into the [official] match rhythm because I haven’t had the chance to do that yet. However, I stay positive and trust that the league will verify everything. What’s important is that I don’t need to go through the adaptation process. I feel ready to play since the start of the spring round and I at the coach’s disposal since the first game,” highlighted the defender who played alongside Filip Dagerstal in the first sparring, and then next to Antonio Milic in the second game.

What’s most important is that Salamon is no longer struggling with the injury. If I am struggling with anything, it’s just the normal, training camp stuff, but it’s totally normal,” laughed Salamon. “I have a lot of energy, and when it comes to my mentality, I am very positive. I am motivated to bounce back and be the same Bartosz as before [the injury], or even better. It excites me and pushes me to give it all. Even if I struggle with something minor, I don’t pity myself too much,” added Bartosz.

The motivational boost did not only come from the sparring games, but also from the symbolic appearance on the pitch against Villarreal CF (3:0) in the last round of the Europa Conference League group stage. Salamon came in for the last few minutes and received a standing ovation from the supporters gathered at Bułgarska Street. “When you spend long months watching everything from the sidelines, seeing your teammates run on the pitch and experience great moments, and you’re not there to celebrate with them when you return you know exactly how much you missed and how much it means to you. I appreciate it all. Therefore, whatever it is that we do during training sessions, I am enthusiastic. It’s a beautiful feeling to be able to play football again,” explained Bartosz who is focused on helping the team achieve their objectives for the spring round. He emphasizes that the fight for the Polish Championship title isn’t over yet.

“Of course, we ought to focus on ourselves and not analyze how many points Raków has. In February and in March we want to win as many points as possible, and then, when we face Raków in April, and if the gap in the league table won’t be overwhelming, everything is going to be possible. We have faith,” summarized the defender.