Marcin Kaminski left FC Schalke 04 in the summer. Now he is back playing in his native Poland and things are going brilliantly.

Marcin Kaminski spent four turbulent years at FC Schalke 04. The center back was promoted with the Royal Blues, then relegated, and subsequently experienced two difficult seasons in the 2nd Bundesliga. Last spring, the club’s management informed the veteran defender that his expiring contract would not be renewed. In the summer, Kaminski joined Polish first division newcomers Wisla Plock.

He would have “very much liked to stay at Schalke,” as the 33-year-old now revealed in an interview with WAZ. “Playing in this arena, in front of these fans, was incredibly exciting. This club will always be special to me because I experienced incredible things here. In my four years, I lost my heart to Schalke,” Kaminski emphasized.

However, the center back did not always have it easy. Especially in the past two years, he came under increasing criticism, as his performances were partly to blame for the Gelsenkirchen defense being extremely porous. Kaminski is now proving in Poland that he still has what it takes. The former Polish international is the defensive leader at Wisla Plock. And he is currently causing a stir with the club: the promoted team is surprisingly leading the table after seven match days and only suffered its first defeat last match day. Kaminski has always been in the starting lineup. In the 1-0 win against top team Legia Warsaw in mid-August, the former Schalke player became the match winner. He scored the winning goal. Kaminski had also demonstrated his offensive strength at Schalke, especially from set pieces, contributing nine goals in 102 competitive games (four assists).

I felt a lot of appreciation and was shown how important I can be

Marcin Kaminski on his move to Poland

Kaminski on his move to Wisla Plock: “Everyone was talking about my age. I kept hearing: ‘Kaminski is already 33 and too slow.’ That’s why my situation wasn’t easy in the summer. Even in Poland, clubs weren’t lining up because they preferred younger players. In my talks with Wisla, however, my age wasn’t an issue. I felt a lot of appreciation and was shown how important I can be. Nevertheless, the decision wasn’t an easy one for me.”