Krzysztof Piatek reveals his Champions League dream and getting to know Genoa teammates via video games. “It’s easier to score if you’re at Real Madrid or Juventus.”
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals in as many competitive games for Genoa since his arrival from Cracovia, earning reports of €50m offers from Napoli and Juventus.
Despite the goals drying up since Ivan Juric replaced Davide Ballardini on the bench, the Poland international remains relaxed.
Krzysztof Piatek reveals his Champions League dream and getting to know Genoa teammates via video games. “It’s easier to score if you’re at Real Madrid or Juventus.”
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals in as many competitive games for Genoa since his arrival from Cracovia, earning reports of €50m offers from Napoli and Juventus.
Despite the goals drying up since Ivan Juric replaced Davide Ballardini on the bench, the Poland international remains relaxed.
“It’s just a coincidence,” he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
“There’s no such thing as a player who scores in every single game. Plus Genoa are a big club, but not among the strongest teams in Italy right now. It’s far easier to score goals at Real Madrid or Juventus.
“I never expected to be Capocannoniere of Serie A, but it’s still early days and I can’t rest on my laurels. We need goals, I am hungry for more, and those scored towards the end of the season are often more decisive.”
Piatek isn’t the only one who didn’t see his success coming, as he fully admits it was a learning curve.
“None of my teammates knew who I was and, to be honest, I was hoping for that clean slate. I thought to myself, if they don’t know that I scored 21 goals last season and find the net almost every game, then perhaps the defenders I’ll be facing won’t know it either. So being unknown was an advantage.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about my Genoa teammates either. So after signing for the club, I fired up the PlayStation and searched for them on there.”
He made the ideal debut, scoring all four goals in August’s Coppa Italia triumph against Lecce.
“It was just another day at the office for me. Scoring four goals in 38 minutes felt very simple, natural, all in the norm. I don’t think I’m an ice-cold personality at all, I’m just quite calm. During the week, I like to use my spare time to rest, as I am a professional and rest is part of training the body.
“I do feel a little like Christopher Columbus. He set out on an adventure from Genoa and the dream of any young player coming here is to use it as the starting point for a step up to a big club. If I continue like this, I can reach a top European team.
“I don’t come near him now, but I think one day I can reach the level of Robert Lewandowski. When you play in Serie A, it’s crucial to keep a clear head and use it for more than just scoring goals. It’s so wrong when some players think: ‘I scored five goals, therefore I am a God of Football.’ You’re nobody! It’s a long road ahead.
“My objective is to play in the Champions League. Genoa and President Enrico Preziosi gave me this great chance and the only way to repay them for the faith and investment is with goals. I won’t let anyone down.”