Is M'Baye the final piece of the puzzle for Jastrzębski Węgiel?

Three years ago, Moustapha M'Baye was playing in the second Polish league. Now, he is an important part in Jastrzębski Węgiel’s challenge for their first-ever title in the CEV Champions League | Men, with only one game against domestic rivals separating them from the coveted trophy.

M'Baye ascension this season has been nothing short of spectacular, as the Polish-born middle blocker changed six teams before signing for Jastrzębski Węgiel and only signed for the new Polish champions in early January, as the powerhouse searched for a replacement for the injured Łukasz Wiśniewski.

It was M’Baye’s experience and talent that pushed him here, only three years after he was playing in the Polish second league for Stal Nysa, making an instant impact in Jastrzębski’s squad, despite mid-season transfers not being usual and not yielding the necessary impact for a team to challenge on the biggest of stages.

But M’Baye, who played throughout his whole career in Poland and had a huge challenge on his hands, having never featured at this level before, rolled the dice and pulled the trigger on this move, arguing that such a train comes only once in life, as he also stated publicly.

It was a high-risk, high-reward move for both sides, but it worked out excellently, as not only Jastrzębski made it to the SuperFinals in Turin, they also sealed the title in the Polish PlusLiga against their opponents in the business end of the European premium competition, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle.

It was the first title in his career for M’Baye, who is now eager to double down and secure his first piece of European silverware, as his talents as a middle blocker will be definitely needed against their domestic rivals come the SuperFinals in Turin. The underrated star who flew under the radar for so long, is ready to take the plaudits and help his side take another step into history.

The middle blocker had 34 points over six matches and 19 sets in the CEV Champions League | Men this season, and also added six blocks, roughly 0.32 blocks per set throughout the matches he featured in, helping his team’s cause for their maiden place in the SuperFinals.

Having already won against ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle in the Polish league, where M’Baye had some excellent matches, winning three times in May and dropping only a set in the process, Jastrzębski will come into the SuperFinals poised to secure another trophy, their maiden in the CEV Champions League | Men and the Polish middle blocker might just be the final piece of the puzzle for that to happen.