Adam Pieniądz with a new contract!

Adam Pieniądz has signed a new two-year contract with the Wisła Kraków Football Academy, with the option to extend it for another season. The 18-year-old midfielder missed a significant portion of last season due to a serious injury. He is now back in training and openly expressing his desire to earn a spot in the White Star's first team.

Adam Pieniądz was born on May 24, 2006. He took his first steps in football at UKS UL Kraków, from where he transferred to Reymont in July 2016. Initially, he played for the CLJ U-15 team, then moved to the Academy's senior teams. Since the spring round of the 2021/2022 season, he has represented Wisła's U-19 team, making 28 appearances in the Central Junior League. Last season, he played in five matches, and in early November, in an away match against Odra Opole, he fractured his fibula after a tackle and underwent five surgeries. After a period of rehabilitation, he has resumed training.

"I won't deny that I feel strongly connected to the club. I didn't even consider leaving Wisła. I'm happy to have signed a new contract, especially after such a difficult period. This is definitely the right place to rebuild my life. I'd like to get back to my best and break into the first team. I was close to that a year ago," admits the 18-year-old midfielder.

Painstaking rehabilitation

Pieniądz admits that the last few months have been a huge lesson in humility for him. The injury he suffered (a broken fibula) in a Central Junior League match initially gave no indication that he would face such an ordeal and a arduous recovery process, which involved undergoing as many as five surgeries.

"An opponent tried to take the ball away from me with a sliding tackle and hit me with his outstretched leg. At first glance, the injury didn't seem that serious. However, during the surgery, a staph infection set in. For the first three months after the surgery, I didn't leave the house at all; nothing seemed to want to heal. I underwent a total of five complicated procedures, but the bone finally started to heal. After visiting Dr. Paweł Maleta, I started to recover. I know the surgeries weren't easy. They had to remove part of the bone and clean out the bacteria. Now I don't feel any difference; I managed to rebuild all the muscles, and everything is fine. My leg is strong and healthy. I don't feel any pain," admits Pieniądz.

This is his second professional contract with the Wisła Kraków Football Academy. Pieniadz is also regularly called up to training camps for the Polish youth national teams, having played for the U-16 and U-18 teams. He was among the players who had a realistic chance of qualifying for the U-17 World Championships held in Indonesia late last year.

"The injury wasn't a waste of time for me. I learned a lot, especially how to work on myself. I realized how much daily effort you have to put into developing your career. The whole injury experience taught me work ethic. I probably wouldn't have played at the U-17 World Cup, but I won't deny that at the back of my mind I initially felt a little dissatisfied, knowing I was close to leaving," concluded Adam Pieniądz.

Adam, congratulations and we keep our fingers crossed!