PROFILE | Radoslaw Majecki – a long and arduous path to prominence at Monaco
Yesterday at 07:10 AM
"Even in Poland, it was hard." Indeed, whether it be in his home country or abroad, Monaco's Radoslaw Majecki has been in a perpetual fight for the No.1 jersey.
After making the move from Legia Warsaw, he wouldn't have expected to have gone straight into the starting line-up, but nor would he have expected to have waited so long. After featuring for Monaco on just 11 occasions in his first two seasons at the club, the Polish goalkeeper, who hasn't featured for his national team since 2021, became increasingly eager to showcase his talents.
Having publically emphasised the need for game time in December 2021, Majecki's career was at a crossroads in the summer of 2022. "I know that I will be the No.1 next season. If it is not here, I will have to change club, either on loan or on a permanent transfer," he said during the 2021/22 campaign.
Ultimately, it was in Belgium, at satellite club Cercle Brugge, that he got his career back on track, making 34 appearances over the course of his one-year loan spell. When he returned to the Principality club in the summer, Bayern Munich loanee Nübel was no longer there, but his replacement, Philipp Köhn was handed the No.1 jersey.
"I had one conversation with the coach; I spoke with Adi about this. It was clear that I was the No.2 at the beginning but anything could happen," said Majecki, whose chance to impress was largely out of his hands. A chance would only reveal itself in the event of Köhn failing to convince.
Majecki re-instated following lay-off
Majecki – essentially – took a risk, and it paid off. His first appearance of the season came thanks to squad rotation in the Coupe de France. Given his chance, Majecki wouldn't pass it up. "That match showed that I could be No.1 here," he said.
The Polish shot-stopper is imbued with a sense of self-confidence, however, that counts for little when the goalkeeping hierarchy was so clearly delineated. That changed, however, in February. After a string of unconvincing performances from the No.1, change was afoot at the Principality club. Köhn was out, Majecki was in.
He didn’t pass up the opportunity, finishing the Ligue 1 season with the third-best post-shot-expected goals rating, the second-best save percentage, and the best goals against per 90 rating in France’s top flight. Despite suffering an ankle injury in pre-season, Majecki was brought straight back into the starting XI when he recovered – evidence of trust hard-earned.
