He played at the World Cup in Qatar, now he has been relegated to the third league. Black Saturday of former Polish representatives
Krystian Bielik and Michał Helik, who played at the back of the Premier League, will have bad memories of the 2023/24 season. Both former national team players have just been relegated.
It has long been known that the Championship is a very demanding competition, one of the toughest on the entire Old Continent. For years, several Polish accents have been found in the immediate hinterland of the English Premier League. After the 2023/24 season, however, their number will be microscopic.
Krystian Bielik and Michał Helik relegated from the Championship
The decisive decisions were made on the May weekend. The Birmingham team could still have hopes, in which Krystian Bielik played the full 90 minutes. The Pole, forming a defensive block with his friends, played zero from the back, beating Norwich 1-0.
The three points, however, meant nothing, because at the same time the direct opponent in the relegation game, Plymouth, also won their match. As in the case of Birmingham, the lower-ranked team won against the potential favorite. Plymouth beat Hull 1-0. It became clear that Bielik and his colleagues would not be able to reach 21st place, the last safe place at the Championship level.
Huddersfield's players had already ruined their chances of relegation. On Saturday, the team in which Michał Helik played the entire match in the center of defense “sealed” its relegation by losing 0-2 away to Ipswich. Interestingly, the win of this match allowed the hosts to advance to the Premier League. Ipswich joined previously victorious and assured promotion Leicester, returning to the domestic elite after 22 years.
At the World Cup with Czesław Michniewicz, now in the third league
Both Bielik and Helik were called up to the Polish national team in the recent past. Helik, who last had the opportunity to be a representative in the fall of 2021, has no chance to play in the red and white colors for a little longer.
The white-tailed eagle brings definitely more fresh memories. The defensive midfielder, who could also play as a defender, was an important player in the team led by Czesław Michniewicz. The ex-manager even took a former player, among others. Arsenal for the World Cup in Qatar. In 2023, Bielik played in a friendly match against Germany (1-0).
After the results of the 46th round of the Championship, it became clear that, at least at the end of May 4, 2024, Bielik and Helik became players from… the English third league.
