Euzebiusz Smolarek to complete rare family double

WARSAW, May 23: Euzebiusz Smolarek heads for the World Cup finals seeking to emerge from the shadow of his father Wlodzimierz, a hero of the Polish side which took third place in Spain in 1982.

Euzebiusz, 24, grew up in the Netherlands and still struggles in Polish, but is now seen as a key attacking weapon for the Poles after netting regularly for Borussia Dortmund and the national team this season.

''Ebi'' is chasing his father's record of 13 goals in 60 games between 1980 and 1992, including strikes in both the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals. By the end of April he had the first three in the bag.

''Once you've played twice in the finals, we can start talking,'' the older Smolarek told his son during a recent interview with national daily Gazeta Wyborcza.

Ebi began his football education under his father, but as players the pair are chalk and cheese, a fact underlined by a run of injury problems which kept him out of the last World Cup in 2002.

''The father was tough as nails -- physically and psychologically,'' says Wyborcza football columnist Dariusz Wolowski. ''The son is more delicate, but better-schooled technically. He has been shaped as a footballer in Holland.'' Nerveless finishing, quick feet and a good turn of pace have made the whip-thin Smolarek one of the sharpest finishers in the Bundesliga since he moved from Feyenoord to Borussia Dortmund last year.

For Poland he is likely to start on the right of a four-man midfield, looking to beat opponents and form a dangerous strike partnership with Celtic's Maciej Zurawski.

REUTERS