Youth in Belek: Sammy Dudek

The youngster joined Lech’s Academy before the season 2021/2022 from Bałtyk Koszalin. Throughout the past 2,5 years, he won a silver Polish Championship medal with his U-15 teammates and helped the U-19 side win the fourth Championship title in the club's history. In the autumn, Dudek has been making regular appearances in the Central Junior League. The youngster himself emphasized that the past league round has helped him transform into a better player, therefore, during Lech’s winter training camp, he felt more confident.

“I trained with the first squad for the first time in the summer. At the beginning, I was very stressed, but with every day, the nerves subsided. Now it is much easier because I know what everything looks like and I also see the progress I have made in the autumn round, which makes me feel better and more confident than back then. During the pre-season, there were fewer of us, hence the training sessions looked different. Of course, it isn’t easy, but I feel good when the ball is passed at a higher speed and the intensity of the sessions increases,” said Sammy Dudek.

The young star travelled to Turkey to gain invaluable experience and, as he says himself, to make the most out of the training camp. When it comes to the senior midfielders, Sammy has a lot he can learn from each of them–which is one of his objectives. “I think that when it comes to the style of play, I resonate the most with Jesper. However, I don’t want to draw comparisons – I rather want to observe the experienced players and learn from them. I have a lot I can gain from each of them. Kvekveskiri is an intelligent player with good positioning skills. Murawski is an inspiration when it comes to defence, Jesper impresses me with his decision-making and Sousa with his dribbling skills and ball control,” highlighted Dudek who is a regular starter and the captain of the Polish U-16 national team.

Dudek will be celebrating his 16th birthday in April, which makes him the youngest player at the training camp. The midfielder emphasized that despite his age and being surrounded by experienced top-tier players, he feels great. “The fact that I am here is a huge recognition and a reward, and to be the youngest player makes me happy and I feel good about it. I found myself surrounded by people that I can always approach and ask for advice or help,” summarized Dudek.