Press conference with Jarosław Królewski and Ángel Rodado

This news quickly spread beyond football in Poland. The team's top scorer, Ángel Rodado, remains at the R22. The striker has decided to extend his contract with Wisła Kraków, which runs until June 30, 2027, and includes an extension option.

"As usual, the situation at Wisła Kraków is dynamic until the very last moments, hours, seconds, and so on. We met, as you can see, because of one man - Ángel Rodado. As you know, these last weeks and months haven't always been happy for us in terms of the final result, but they have certainly been happy because we have such great players, and not only that, but also people in the team. And I think Ángel is one of those people who we simply care about very much. And there's no denying that the better players at Wisła Kraków usually attract the interest of bigger clubs, because Wisła Kraków is a place that resonates in the media, resonates in terms of what's happening at Wisła Kraków. It must also be admitted that Ángel Rodado had an excellent last season. I'm not just talking about goals, but he was also the driving force of our team in many matches, even those in which we didn't perform well. There's no denying that we know his contract expires at the end of next year. season - in June 2025. And the situation in which Wisła found itself was interesting or not so interesting for us, because the offers that came in for Ángel Rodado in recent months and weeks were, above all, very interesting both for the club, but also for the player himself. We thought for a long time about what final decision to make on this matter, to balance the club's interests, but also the interests of Ángel himself. And I think it's nice to announce that, in fact, a dozen or so minutes ago, we reached an agreement and Ángel Rodado will stay with us at least until the end of June 2027, with the option of extending it until 2028. This is also the direction of the club in which we want to develop it. Above all, we want to have players here who not only stand out for their footballing quality, but also stand out for their character on the pitch and in the locker room. I think that Ángel is such a person, such a man. He has a very supportive family, a partner, and also, in my opinion, a very good agent who also tried Approach the matter not only by looking at finances, but also at a broader spectrum, which is very important to us. And just like in the case of Ángel Rodado, one truth is confirmed, which is important in every aspect of sports life, business, whatever you call it. This truth is that you have to be very persistent, but also patient with most things you have. Ángel Rodado came to this club because a certain person was once patient, it was Jerzy Brzęczek, who followed him around, trying to bring him here in various ways. He was stubborn, consistent until the last minute, and didn't give in to pressure. And I think that's what Wisła should be like in the future. Unyielding to pressure, with its own plans and desires. Today is the day we managed to realize one of our most important plans for this season, because we truly count on Ángel to support us not only on the pitch but also off it. Because he's already a great ambassador, being one of the best strikers in history. Wisła Kraków. I'll give him the floor now, because it's worth Ángel saying himself why he wanted to stay here, why he chose Wisła Kraków," began President Jarosław Królewski.

"It was a difficult summer. I may not have had the dilemma myself, but lately I've had a lot of people approach me, there have been many offers, and interest from other clubs. However, more important to me is the prospect of wearing the Wisła jersey in the Ekstraklasa. I can't leave this club in the first league. I came here two years ago to fight for promotion. As I said in an interview some time ago, my job here is not finished. I want to stay here, to continue playing for this jersey. I feel the love that people have for me here; I couldn't be more grateful for what has happened to me. The fans make me feel special here. That's the main reason why I decided to stay at Wisła," the footballer noted. "The decision was made after a conversation with my family. They told me it was the first time in my life they'd seen me so happy. Krakow doesn't feel like my second home, but my first. That's the main reason for my decision. I couldn't find a better place for myself right now than Krakow. It's here that I feel the love of the people. I'm very happy that I was able to extend my contract, stay here, and fight for promotion," he added.

Neftçı Baku was the club that pursued the Spaniard. What was the negotiation process like? "To be completely honest, in my opinion, it's not like these things aren't maturing somewhere, because if certain elements of this offer weren't already prepared, I think that today it wouldn't actually be the case that this contract would have been signed. However, you also have to realize that if an offer for a player comes from that part of the world, it's an offer that, like it or not - looking at the horizon of a footballer's professional life - it's not worth it, or even possible... And I would probably do the same... Simply reject it, and I think many clubs were very determined to acquire Ángel. This club, too, whose representatives have been in Krakow for a few days, so it's not always easy, and I think Ángel doesn't only have instrumental internal goals in mind, but also has to think about his family and his future. Therefore, it seems to me that there were details somewhere that we still wanted to agree on. I am personally very pleased with how we managed to reach this conclusion." "We're ready to reach an agreement. I think this contract is simply attractive for Wisła Kraków as well. We can handle it, and it's a contract that, in my opinion, demonstrates Ángel's approach to the club he loves right now, without putting it under significant financial strain," Królewski said. "There are no clauses in the contracts, so they will be considered, of course, like any other, because we have to respect all clubs that submit offers to us, just as we submit offers to other clubs. We would like to receive answers, even those explaining why. However, for now, Ángel has committed his next mission to Wisła Kraków and will try to help us this season, certainly to—generally speaking—achieve our goal. The contract doesn't have an exit clause, so that's also very important to us. I'm a very transparent person, so I think I should tell you. It's a three-year contract; the fourth year is optional, depending on whether Ángel plays 50% of the league matches and whether Wisła is satisfied with that," he noted.

Were Ángel's contract talks among the most exhausting? "Regarding the timing, it's probably because we sat down for the first talks, I think, a good two months ago. However, to be completely honest, I'll answer in a way that's important to me personally as a person. You have contracts that you sign with a pure heart and you're simply calm about them, and you have others that you're not entirely sure about. You have some doubts, you feel uncomfortable, as if there were nothing, despite everything, you're stretching your intellectual or other financial resources. In this case, I was convinced that we would be able to reach an agreement, because I believe that Ángel is, first of all, a great role model and ambassador. And I think that this is, above all, important for us, I would say, a value in itself. I believe that this is something that he proves every day with his work, regardless of how well we're doing. And we simply want to have such archetypes of players at Wisła Kraków. In my opinion, this is why these negotiations were easier for me personally, probably in many aspects. But they also weren't "Easy, because it's difficult to negotiate when you know you have a year left on your contract. And yet, there are many companies and clubs interested in Ángel, due to his very good last season – including his goal in the Polish Cup, which gave us this historic result. Therefore, I can say that these negotiations may not have been the most difficult, as I've had some more difficult ones in my life, but on the other hand, they were, I would say, quantum. On the one hand, we had to work hard, but we knew that this work would be a good insurance policy for Wisła in the future," he said.

"The most beautiful moment at Wisła? I have two. The first was my first goal at home, it was amazing, a goal scored in the second minute of the match. I remember it being incredible. The second moment was, of course, the Cup. When we won the trophy in Warsaw, it was the best moment of my career so far. And as for the second question, I imagine a long career at Wisła. I hope it doesn't end after just three or four years," smiled Rodado.