FlashFocus: Meet Marcin Bulka, the goalkeeper who crashes cars and Neymar's birthday
'He is great!' - is the statement most often made by people who see him live for the first time.
Bulka himself once stated that he inherited his predisposition, height and strong physique (198 cm) from family members: "We laugh that it's a tradition because my grandfather was a goalkeeper, my uncle and now me."
Let's take a step back for a moment, however, to when Marcin was just coming up.
From countryside to metropolis
2,500 - that is the population of Wyszogrod, the place where Marcin Bulka was born. What a coincidence that the town's name derives from Old Polish and refers to its high position, roughly meaning 'high castle'.
It was in the colours of the local side Stegny that Bulka took his first steps in football at the age of eight, although even so, due to his skills and physique, he played in teams intended for players two to three years older.
He then went to Escola Warszawa, a branch of the famous La Masia in Warsaw, and after a few loans, he went on trial to Chelsea and the real Barcelona.
He made a huge impression in Spain but instead of a contract, the authorities offered him further challenges. It was at that point that the player's character revealed itself, and he decided that he would benefit from a firmer offer from the Blues.
In his very first season at Stamford Bridge, he won the U-18 Premier League championship with his team and later repeated that success. He also eventually made his debut in a friendly match for Chelsea's senior team, but despite his fine form, the owners opted to bring in new star Kepa Arrizabalaga for a record 80 million.
The Pole then decided his time in London was over, refused to extend his contract and signed a new one - with Paris Saint-Germain.
Crashing his Lamborghini
In Paris, however, the competition proved even stronger, as seven goalkeepers were contracted in addition to Bulka, including Keyor Navas, Sergio Rico and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Bulka only played in two matches but he quickly rose up the friendship hierarchy thanks to his open and contactable personality.
In 2020, he was invited by Neymar to the Parisian club Yoyo, where he celebrated the Brazilian's 28th birthday along with other stars: Marco Verrati, Mauro Icardi, Edinson Cavani or Memphis Depay.
A few weeks later, Bulka wanted to bring a bit of Parisian luxury to his hometown of Wyszogrod, which almost ended in tragedy. The local Polish roads turned out to be too narrow, as, driving a Lamborghini during an overtaking manoeuvre, he collided head-on with a Hyundai coming from the opposite direction.
Bulka emerged from the accident unscathed, while the other driver suffered several fractures. The rental car, which was worth more than €200,000, was destroyed.
Exile on the Côte d'Azur
On his return to the French capital, Bulka was loaned out to second-tier clubs: first Cartagena in Spain and then Chateauroux in France. Unsurprisingly, he did not play a significant role at either club, to which his ankle injury was a major contributor.
His lack of playing prospects at PSG forced him to look for a club and so he ended up on loan at OGC Nice. However, even there he first lost the competition with Walter Benitez and then with Kasper Schmeichel.
However, Bulka admitted in an interview with the Sports Channel that the fight with the Dane was not entirely fair, but fortunately for him, the latter quickly left the team:
"I had conversations with the coach (Lucien Favre) who told me that if we were at Borussia Dortmund, I would be number one.
"I rather try not to argue in the changing room and with the management. There were a lot of things I could also say, but I don't want to say because I might get in trouble."
After that, however, he got his spot in goal and this time didn't give it up to anyone else. Bulka performed brilliantly, gaining the affection of the fans, notching a streak of 748 minutes without conceding a goal.
His breakthrough match was the clash with AS Monaco last season, when he saved two penalty kicks taken by Folarin Balogun and his team won the Côte d'Azur derby thanks to Jeremie Boga's goal at the death.
This success was congratulated on Instagram by Thibaut Courtois himself, with whom Bulka became friends while still at Chelsea and has kept in touch ever since.
As it turned out, the Belgian is not only giving tips to his younger colleague but is also recommending him to Real Madrid as his successor.
At the moment, however, the Pole is on the radar of a number of other big clubs, including Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, and, due to Nice's ownership, Manchester United as well. His future will certainly be well taken care of by Pini Zahavi, one of the best agents in the world.
Proving himself for Poland
For years, the title of number three goalkeeper in the Polish national team was obediently accepted by Lukasz Skorupski. First Lukasz Fabianski ended his career with the national team, and then Wojciech Szczesny did too.
Just when the Bologna goalkeeper thought his time had come, an audacious competitor appeared. Indeed, Bulka is not going to meekly acknowledge the hierarchy and intends to fight for a place between the posts in the national team for the long term.
In one conversation about his superiority, he said that with him the team is not losing (two wins and a draw before the Portugal match). For the time being, head coach Michal Probierz is rotating the two - Bulka started in Friday's loss - but it is not yet known who will be the goalkeeper for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Bulka is, for now, finding the balance between the life of a star and a normal guy perfectly. He enjoys the luxury but does not let it get him down after the lessons he has learned.
His career is worth keeping an eye on, as he could soon become the world's best goalkeeper. And if you want to ask him something, do it on social media platform X - there's a good chance he'll answer, as he does when getting into discussions with other fans.