A country with a rich history of 20th century immigration either side of the World Wars, akin to the United States, it hasn’t been uncommon to see players born in Brazil represent countries such as Italy and Portugal while those inheriting the God-given talents of their ancestors, such as Thiago Alcântara, the son of USA ’94 winner Mazinho, may have chosen to play for the adopted homeland in which their fathers were plying their trade when they entered this mortal coil.
A final way of running out for a nation other than that spearheaded by the iconic Seleção has been through naturalization, and it was in this manner that Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa turned his back on Brazil after being made a Spanish citizen and approached by the Royal Spanish Football Federation to join Thiago for La Roja.
A perhaps lesser-known case compared to these global stars, though, and a combination of these elements, is that of one Thiago Cionek with his typically Brazilian forename and Polish-sounding surname. In 2011, he became a Polish citizen and participated in Euro 2016, the World Cup qualifiers, and will now make up the numbers for Poland in Russia in Group H.
Born in Curitiba, a southern-city known for its population of German and Polish descendants in addition to its characteristically European character and cold weather, Cionek began his career at Cuiabá in 2005 and sealed his passage to Europe via a move to Grupo Desportivo de Bragança in Portugal two years after before soon returning to Brazilian football once contracted by CRB in the northeast of South America’s largest country.
The old continent came calling again however in 2008, which is when Jagiellonia Biaystok purchased Cionek and made him a Polish Cup champion in 2010 over a four-year spell that concluded in 2012. The year before, in 2011, he completed the paperwork for his Polish passport and came under the observation of the higher-ups of the country’s footballing body, who finally decided he warranted a call-up in 2014 for a tie against Germany in Hamburg.
After impressing coach Adam Nawalka, his crowning achievement until now had been his invitation to the aforementioned Euro 2016, where his side were beaten by eventual winners Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals, and the Russia 2018 qualifiers. On June 4th however, his rise to the top of Poland’s international footballing scene was cemented by his inclusion in the underdog final squad of 23.
“Ten years after my arrival in Poland, today I receive with great joy and honor the announcement that I will represent in the World Cup this country that I have origin and that gave me so much. Thank you God!” Cionek beamed in English on his Instagram page.
If they are to advance, Poland will have to see off the likes of Colombia, Japan and Senegal before perhaps meeting England in the last 16. Then, of course, the fairytale can come full circle and be completed by a possible encounter with Brazil in the quarters that will be emotional for Cionek to say the least.
