Polish king of Barcelona and PSG. “I pave his path and Messi follows me”

Kacper Sosnowski: The European Championships have started. You made a great start! Last year was rather unsatisfied.

Kamil Syprzak: There is always a lack of satisfaction. However, I would consider the year 2021 as a process in which the Polish national team was involved and I would not draw any major conclusions from it.

We started the preparations for the championship a long time ago and it was going well. This December tournament in Poland was a certain stage, especially for some debutants. The experience of playing with an eagle on your chest. If I had to look for other positives, I would definitely point to the atmosphere. We were all positive and our game seemed to be better with each match.

After two surely won matches of the European Championship, you can applaud. Did you expect such an opening of the event?

– I admit I’m a bit surprised. Although there was faith in the victories in these matches against Austria and Belarus. Our team is so confident that our self-confidence grows from match to match. We are a team that turns on. This was evident, for example, in the clash with Belarus, when not everything came out in the first half.

And the next game on Tuesday night against the favored Germany. It’s good that you are getting started.

– We are psychologically strong before this meeting. There is, of course, a coronavirus in the head, giving away a bit of cards here. We don’t even know what line-up we will play. We had tests on Monday morning – they were all negative. Only here we are tested every day, sometimes even twice. The match in which we will play against Germany will be one hour before the game.

You are one of the three most experienced players in the squad, who still remembers the semi-final of the Olympic Games in Rio. At the same time a league player who got to know Barcelona and now you feel like a fish in the water in the big PSG.

– Starligue is a physical league. It is fantastic because there are a lot of players of my size. There is nothing to compare it with Spain. When someone once laughed that the Polish league is stronger than the Spanish league, I had a dream to take five teams from both and make a tournament, play everyone with everyone. We’d see who would go. For me, the best league is the German one, but right behind it is the French league. The level is really high here and the competition is even.

You scored goals in every match at this European Championship. Does anything before the matches let you know that you will play brilliantly, that you will hit nine times in the league like you did recently?

– There is something like that in the head, but it’s hard to say. The disposition of the day certainly contributes to this, the way you slept, rested, what you ate on the day of the match and the day before it. How was the pre-match preparation? It is very important to me. It also builds a good last game. If you shoot nine goals out of nine tries, your confidence will increase. Although it can also be fatal. The line between self-confidence and self-triumphalism is thin.

I know you have your pre-game rituals. Will you cheat on them?

– I have a lot of rituals, but I will leave them for myself. If I were to list and describe them all now, a few people would be wondering if I was okay. I try to hold on to them and that’s it.

After playing for Barcelona, ​​did you still have stage fright about PSG in Paris?

– I did not feel this stage fright. Of course, when you play for these big teams, you have to learn to deal with the pressure quickly. In Barcelona, ​​I was thrown into the deep end, the pressure was enormous. But I knew it would be so, so I took a few lessons that prepared me for it.

In Barcelona, ​​you had a training complex next to the footballers’ center. Did it feel that you are right next to the great football Barca?

– Our hall was located in the center where football players trained. We walked in and out of our classes every day through the same entrance as they did. We passed each other. We did not see any major joint events then, but there was an occasion to get an autograph from him.

Did you take

– Yes of course. I know that not many people have the option of getting an autograph from Messi, so when the opportunity arose, I used it. I also have a photo. It’s in my gallery.

Did you also go to the Camp Nou games?

– I was trying to. I was a Barcelona supporter before going to Spain. It was often difficult to reconcile football matches with our games. The players were in Barcelona, ​​we were away. This calendar was made for fans in the city, so that they could watch both handball players and footballers. However, we managed to watch some nice matches. I remember El Clasico the most.

Messi – and you – also exchanged Barcelona for PSG. You are a Polish Messi!

– Or he is the Argentine Syprzak, because I am the one who paves his path, and he follows me (laughs). It was a similar situation with Neymar. The club laughed that I was like a Brazilian. It’s nice that such names appear somewhere near mine. For me, playing in such clubs is an amazing experience.

Seriously speaking, six years ago we had Lewandowski who went to Bayern, Gortat in top form in the Wizards, Radwańska triumphed in the WTA Finals and just Syprzak, who went from Płock to Barcelona.

– I remember that I felt honored during this transfer. It was the culmination of my hard work in Poland. It was connected with many austerities. With my height (207 cm), coordination problems are normal. Therefore, I devoted a lot of work to this element. The effects of this, however, came to pass, which resulted in this large transfer.

Spanish, and then French too, did you learn earlier?

– I started learning Spanish a year before my transfer to Barcelona. I tried to do it conscientiously, although the language barrier was large then. At first, I couldn’t break through. After I landed in Catalonia, learning became easier because I had daily contact with the language. I needed that. When I moved to France, I pressed myself to learn French. I can say that I am proud of myself because I made it.

Maybe you were also motivated by the extension of your contract after two years. You gave your first interview in French with the new contract.

– It was not connected with any provisions in the contract (laughs). Rather, it was a mobilization and a great thing that the club wants to continue working with me. For my part, I wanted to show that I respect this country and the club, so I tried to talk to club TV in French.

What do you like Paris for?

– It is a city where life moves quickly, sometimes it seems chaotic. However, when you look at it better, everything is buttoned up here. I found myself in such a climate, in a constant rush. There is no time for boredom here. Paris is also developed if we look at the cultural and historical offer: monuments, interesting places, museums. You can not only learn a lot of interesting things here, but also be part of these places and their history by living here.

Anything in France that makes you angry?

– The French are a specific nation. At first, I was nervous about communicating with them. They have such a thing that even if they speak English, they don’t want to use it and they try to use their language at every step.

And French food?

– I like everything here. On the other hand, their cuisine is not easy to digest, so I limit myself to it on match days, but during the week I like to taste dishes from the French menu.

You upload a lot of photos from Paris to the internet. Are you willing to visit France too?

– Apart from Paris, we rather visit its Ile-de-France region. Our favorite destinations in the vicinity of Paris are Versailles and, a little further, Las Fontainebleau. It is a beautiful forest with characteristic rocks. We like to escape the hustle and bustle of the city there.

Do you use your wife’s training as a pilates instructor?

“It’s not an advertisement, but these exercises actually help keep me in the shape I am in. I exercise and discover pilates thanks to it. It is so woven into my training that I actually practice it every week. I used it every day during the pandemic and quarantine.

You recently became a laureate of the “Outstanding Pole of the Year 2021 in France” competition and received the award at the Polish Embassy in Paris. Was there pride?

– I was glad that my work and discipline were appreciated. I received the award at one of the most beautiful embassies in Paris, which was also an additional flavor. These things motivate you to keep working hard.

There are some Poles around you? You recently visited a Polish school in Paris.

– I have contact with my compatriots. I did meet some kids recently. I run the Kamil Syprzak for Kids association, which aims to promote handball among young people. In cooperation with the Polish Embassy and our association, we went to the Polish school. Adam Mickiewicz in Paris. The kids knew who I was, there were a lot of questions. I remember that time fondly. We are planning further joint actions. As for Kamil Syprzak for Kids, we organize whole camps for kids. They are held under the name of Sypa Camp and there have been three editions. We do them in Poland, mainly in Mazovia, but we also want to appear in other cities.

Kamil Syprzak during classes in Primary School 16 TOMASZ NIESŁUCHOWSKI

You are following the path of Marcin Gortat.

– Our camps are a bit different. Their leitmotif is to give those who have not yet trained handball a chance to familiarize themselves with handball. We spend our time having fun, we activate it, we give small gadgets, we instill love for handwork. All financing of the project is on our side.

A form of promotion of the discipline are also all large events, such as the Olympics, world championships or even the European championships.

– That is why I believe that each successive victory will build us up.