From Fielding to a Spectacular Debut: The Story of Patryk Letkiewicz

He joined the Wisła Kraków Academy at the age of 15 and was quickly thrown into the deep end. Initially, he trained with players three years older and gradually worked his way up, first to the Central Junior League teams and then to the reactivated reserve team. After a loan spell at Wieczysta Kraków, he returned to the White Star and, despite a difficult period, stormed into the first team's first division goal. And to think, early in his career, he also tried his hand at other positions. Learn the story of Patryk Letkiewicz, another Wisła Kraków Football Academy graduate who made his debut for the White Star's first team.

"The beginning of this story is a CLJ U-17 match that my humble self watched on YouTube," recalls with a smile Jakub Bubetty, goalkeeping coordinator at the Wisła Kraków Academy, who spotted the then 15-year-old Patryk Letkiewicz at SMS Łódź. Bubetty quickly decided to witness the young goalkeeper's skills firsthand in a match against Widzew Łódź for the U-16 team.

"From the start, Patryk's great freedom of movement and good physical condition caught my attention. Technically, he was quite good, and we noticed significant reserves in tactical aspects. He used both feet, which also had a significant impact on our assessment of Patryk's potential," adds Jakub Bubetty.

The nearly 16-year-old goalkeeper signed a three-year contract with the Wisła Academy in August 2021. He initially trained with the U-19 team, but gained valuable league experience at the Central Junior League level with the U-17 team.

"I came for a week-long trial, and it was a very exciting time. I admit I had a lot of offers from other clubs at the time. However, I decided on Wisła because I liked the work ethic in training. It was a huge leap for me. I trained immediately with guys three years older than me. I also encountered a completely different training approach and approach to goalkeeping training," recalls Patryk Letkiewicz.

Beginning of training and playing in other positions

Letkiewicz took his first steps at Urania Ruda Śląska, from where he later joined the youth teams of Juventus Academy Piekary Śląskie and Ruch Chorzów. His final stop before moving to Kraków was the School of Sports Championship in Łódź. Interestingly, it wasn't immediately clear that he would end up between the posts.

"At the beginning of my football journey, I was trying to find my place. I had moments at the Juventus Academy and Ruch Chorzów when I was playing in other positions. It stemmed partly from youthful madness and the desire to have it all. I not only wanted to play with goalkeeper gloves, but also to score goals. It seems funny in retrospect, but I have to admit that I experienced practically everything on the pitch, and it definitely helped me develop my footwork skills," explains Patryk.

After moving to the Wisła Academy, the young goalkeeper quickly rose through the ranks. He made his first appearances for the senior junior team at the CLJ U-19 level in the 2021/2022 season. He was given a chance to play more extensively in subsequent seasons, quickly demonstrating his potential.

"We had the opportunity to work together for a year. When I joined the U-19 team, he spent almost the entire first round on the bench. But when Arkadiusz Krzyżanowski got injured, he came on in goal and was later voted the best goalkeeper of the spring round in the CLJ," recalls Sergiusz Mihajlov, goalkeeping coach for the White Star's second team and the U-19 team.

"From the start, he showed excellent dynamics. He moved quickly, and it was clear he was strong and physically well-developed. Overall, his goalkeeping technique is very high. When I first saw him, I immediately saw great potential," adds Mihajlov.

Goalkeeping experts at the Wisła Academy immediately point out one major shortcoming the young goalkeeper struggled with. "The beginnings weren't easy, as they are for most guys who join our club. I believe Patryk's biggest deficit was mental, but he began to work on it systematically, and we saw steady and consistent progress," emphasizes Bubetty.

A groundbreaking move and a loan move

One of the key moments in his career was his loan spell at Wieczysta Kraków last season. The 18-year-old made 22 appearances for the club in the third division, keeping 12 clean sheets. Letkiewicz played a significant role in securing promotion to the second division.

"It was a very good decision. I'm glad I took this bold step. I didn't realize at the time how important a moment it was. Looking back, I see how much it gave me. I gained experience both on the pitch and in the locker room, and my time at Wieczysta taught me a lot mentally. Even though it was the third league at the time, Wieczysta is a very ambitious club playing for promotion, and the pressure was on the players. Of course, there's no point comparing it to Wisła; they're two completely different worlds. Nevertheless, I'm glad I was able to gain valuable experience there," emphasizes Letkiewicz.

After a year off, the 19-year-old returned to Reymont. "I admit that I also considered other options, including playing at the central level. Ultimately, after discussions with coach Łukasz Załuska and coach Sergiusz Mihajlow, I decided to stay at the club and fight for a place in the squad. And I don't regret it," adds Letkiewicz.

He broke into the first team by storm.

"I always believed in him. Even after his loan to Wieczysta, I kept saying we had to sign him and that he had to return to Wisła. It's good that we managed to convince Patryk that returning to the club was the right path for him," adds Sergiusz Mihajlov.

And his star is shining brightly this season. Coaches Mariusz Jop and Łukasz Załuska promoted the 19-year-old to the first team at the end of September. Letkiewicz made his first league appearance in a match against Odra Opole at Reymonta Street. Since then, he has made eight appearances, unbeaten in four of them. And the timing of his first-team debut was certainly not easy.

"The beginning of the season was difficult for me because it was hard to find me in goal, but from day one I worked hard for what's happening now and I was ready for it, both athletically and mentally. It was a truly difficult and specific moment, as we had a streak of poor results behind us. However, I was gradually integrated into the team. And the match against Odra Opole allowed me to get used to the atmosphere and the whole environment. Now I can say that I feel very confident in goal and I'm glad that I've been able to take advantage of the opportunities I've been given so far. I'll do everything to make this streak last as long as possible. My defensive teammates also made sure I didn't have too much work initially," explains Patryk Letkiewicz.

And after his strong performances in the First League, the club's decision couldn't have been any different. They exercised a clause allowing them to unilaterally extend the young goalkeeper's contract, which will run until the end of June 2027.