A spy, without whom Polish footballers cannot imagine their staff. “Wonderful child”

– Everyone wants to work with Hubert, because he is a smart guy, a professional and a professional that is not enough – footballers, coaches and all associates talk about Hubert Małowiejski in practically the same way. No wonder that the 44-year-old inhabitant of Płock has just celebrated its twelve years of work in the representation. He was with her during 142 matches, which is more than the one who started his adventure with the squad just before him. – Hubert is my invention, he is a wonderful child. The skills he has cannot be learned. You have to be born with them – says Franciszek Smuda, who was the first to give Małowiejski a chance to work on big football.

Polyglot with a coach’s license. But he chose to disassemble the game into prime factors

At the time when he was a student of the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, specializing in “Game Analysis”, Małowiejski was observing Smuda’s work as part of his internship. Then – the coach of the great Widzew, who had just been promoted to the Champions League. He watched the work of “Franz”, but since he never wanted to be a coach himself, he eagerly looked the other way – he analyzed the game of Widzew’s opponents. He did it meticulously and systematically, learning the methods that later came in handy for him in creating a representative information bank used by coaches and footballers.

He remembered Smud of the ambitious student, and a few years later he offered Małowiejski a job in Cyprus. – He was a young, intelligent boy who got along with everyone. Today it is clear that no one deserves to work in the national team as he does – remembers Smuda.

In Omonia Nicosia, Małowiejski was not only an analyst, but also one of Smuda’s assistants – he led warm-ups during training sessions and after a few months he did it even in Greek. Anyway, languages ​​have never been a problem for him, Małowiejski is a polyglot. He knows English, Russian, Italian, German and Spanish – the latter was helped by his wife, who is a translator. Apart from communicating in Greek, Małowiejski can also communicate in French. For a football spy tasked with finding secret information – this is a condition for a good job.

Of course, not only languages ​​are Małowiejski’s advantage. The basis is the vast knowledge of football, as evidenced by the UEFA coaching license A. Małowiejski, however, never wanted to be a coach. He believed that he did not necessarily have character or leadership skills for this. He preferred to analyze, observe, disassemble into prime factors and pass on his knowledge to others. Therefore, he did not follow in his father’s footsteps.

“The players trust him”

Małowiejski comes from a sports family and has been visiting stadiums since he was a child. His dad, Włodzimierz, at the turn of the century, was a coach of Wisła Płock, Hutnik, and then Polonia Warszawa and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała. In Warsaw with “Black Shirts” he won the vice-championship of Poland in 1998. He was also an assistant in several other clubs.

– I associated Mr. Włodzimierz from Płock, because he often came to matches, but I met Hubert only in the squad – recalls former coach Jerzy Brzczek. – Our first conversation was over the phone, but it didn’t take long to appreciate Hubert and see that we want him in the staff. He has an amazing knowledge of players, experience gained at several great events and a sense of what is happening during the match – praises Brzęczek, who – of course – included Małowiejski to his staff. Similarly .

In Małowiejski’s squad, he has already worked with so many players that it is difficult to count them. He is well remembered by everyone, including coaches – incl. Tomasz Frankowski, who was Smuda’s assistant. – Hubert has extensive knowledge. He is interested in tactics, he is intelligent. In our team, his task was to convey key messages about the rival in a concise and easy way. Smuda gave him five minutes to do so. I think it was then that he learned to speak fast – Frankowski laughs. – He always made these analyzes interesting, the players were certainly not bored with them – admits Smuda.

– He may seem a bit withdrawn or closed man, but he can really tell a colorful story. And he has a lot of stories, I remember that during several training camps we laughed a bit about different stories – recalls Brzęczek. And he emphasizes the importance of the information bank created by Małowiejski’s staff. – Each player was given an analysis of the player with whom he fought on the disc. He knew his characteristic behavior, he had such a compendium of knowledge supported by video materials. Polish footballers who know him well have full confidence in Hubert. Before the game, there is always a group that uses his knowledge and asks something specific. And he provides all the information.

– Hubert has great contact with the players and is very loyal. He never said a bad word to anyone, never took information outside, and he saw a lot. Competitors are associated with it and value it. Both as a human being and as a specialist – adds Smuda.

Like James Bond

Knowledge about rivals is obtained in various ways. Statistics, player profiles and their characteristics – this is often provided by complex analytical programs. However, there is also quite important information that cannot be found on the web. What position the opponent will play, what his match plan will be, how he will behave with set pieces of the game – you can guess it, but you can also deduce it precisely. To do this, you need a lot of knowledge. And Małowiejski gets it.

So sometimes he changes a spy or an intelligence agent and becomes like James Bond – in dark glasses he goes where no one invites you. It has its own methods of masking, it has its sources. Only Małowiejski knows the details, but he doesn’t want to reveal them. Some of them would probably surprise some of our opponents.

The network of contacts that Małowiejski cares for is also important. During his work and trips, he also had the opportunity to meet some great coaches. The figure he has always valued the most was Arrigo Sacchi. In the 1990s, as a teenager, Małowiejski admired Milan, full of stars. The matches of this team were ahead of the time – they were a feast for both fans and analysts. Sacchi set the trends: high pressure, four in line, zone covering – it was a breakthrough back then. After that, Małowiejski had the opportunity to talk to the Italian many times, because he was in Italy on a foreign internship. And when Sacchi came to Poland a decade ago, Małowiejski was his translator.

“The Heard a Much Spy Is Not a Good Spy”

Why is Małowiejski – a man so important to footballers and coaches – so rarely in the candlestick? – Hubert always adhered to the principle “The quieter you drive, the further you will go” – says Frankowski. “He’s an important man, but he’s always been somewhere in the shadows.

– A spy you hear a lot about is not a good spy – Małowiejski smiles when asked by us. When asked about various details of his work, let’s add. There is no need to share them, it just says that it is best to let others talk about it.

– I do not strive for splendor. It suits me that I’m in the shadows. After all, I am for coaches, players and the union. If they are satisfied with my work and show me a thumbs up, this is the most important thing for me – says Małowiejski shortly. Flight tickets to several countries and a few pairs of tinted glasses are already on his desk. The directions and goals of the upcoming journeys are of course related to the March match with Russia, the first play-off for the World Cup in Qatar. But there is no point in asking Małowiejski for details. Do you know the saying about the good and the bad spy?