Maik Nawrocki opens up on Celtic move: stadium shock, Toni Kroos quote, why he's the quiet man

LENNOXTOWN, SCOTLAND - JULY 26: Celtic unveil the signing of Maik Nawrocki at the Lenoxtown Training Centre, on July 26, 2023, in Lennoxtown, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

By his own admission, Maik Nawrocki doesn’t say much. But the Polish internationalist showed an impressive adroitness for ticking all the right boxes as he was officially presented at Celtic Park on Wednesday following the defender’s switch from Legia Warsaw on a five-year contract.

“We have the best team in the league so we can win every trophy again,” said the German-born 22-year-old. If football is the universal language in a multicultural dressing room, the desire to stay top dog is the kind of talk that will endear Celtic’s latest recruit to fans and team-mates alike.

A shy kid who used football to express himself growing up, Nawrocki met his polar opposite in Artur Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper, whom he shared a dressing room with briefly in Legia. The veteran stopper has lost none of his colour with age.

“He was a different character,” said Nawrocki with a smile. “Artur was a legend in Poland and here at Celtic. I played one year with him. He wasn’t only a good footballer but an amazing character. I was very happy and sometimes he’d tell stories about himself. He spoke a lot about Celtic but he was 20 years older than me so we didn’t speak a lot but we always had a good relationship on the pitch.

“I was a quiet person off the pitch but on the pitch I wanted to show everything and not speak off it. I came to Legia, I was alone so I think I grew as a man too. Legia was the perfect step to prepare me for a club like this. It’s a good team with a mix of young players and experienced players. I can grow here. I’m here to make my big step and help the club to achieve their goals.”

The intensity of Celtic is not likely to phase Nawrocki given what he has left in Poland. Similarly, the physicality of the Scottish league is not something he expects to come as a culture shock. “The Polish league is also more fighting than playing so I’m kind of used to it!” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the league because I don’t know it so well. In Poland, away games are also very loud because of the fans. Even against Legia there are sometimes 20 - 25,000 people so I’m used to it. When you go on the pitch you don’t see this you just play your game. Every second game they have to stop the play for five minutes because of pyrotechnics and things.”

He and Brendan Rodgers share a recent history with Nawrocki scoring the only goal against Leicester in the Europa League group stages when the teams met in Poland. “I think for Legia it was one of the biggest games in their history, we won 1-0 at the full stadium,” he recalled. “It was the loudest I’ve ever been in. We remember that night very well. He [Brendan] is well known in Great Britain. I talked with him a lot yesterday and he talked very well with me.”

For now, though, there is only the optimism of what lies ahead. “When I got the call Celtic wanted me there was no second option. Honestly,” he said. “I was shocked at how big the stadium is. There’s a famous quote from Toni Kroos when he said it was the loudest place he’d ever played. I remember this.”