Many American soccer fans probably recognize the name Ben Lederman.
In 2013, the New York Times dubbed 13-year-old Lederman the “American boy wonder” while he was in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy. The California native moved to Spain at age 11, becoming the first American-born player to be a part of La Masia.
For a player who was barely a teenager, the hype around Lederman was huge.
Things didn’t go exactly as Lederman may have planned when he was profiled by the Times but 10 years later, he has received his first senior national team call-up — just not with the country he probably imagined back then.
On Friday, Lederman was named to Poland’s squad for its upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Albania — a major milestone for a player who has rebuilt his career with Polish side Raków Częstochowa.
In 2016, FIFA banned Lederman from playing for Barcelona’s youth teams amid a crackdown on under-18 players abroad, which eventually saw him released two years later. Following brief stints in Belgium with Gent and at Israeli side Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan, the midfielder found his way to Raków.
Lederman has become a starter with Raków, where he was part of the team that finished second in the Polish top flight last season. He has also helped the team win back-to-back Polish cups.
Now 22, Lederman has represented Poland at the U-21 level and is now in the squad with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Piotr Zieliński and Wojciech Szczęsny.
Rzadko się zdarza, by piłkarz mógł legitymować się trzema obywatelstwami. Tak jest w przypadku Bena Ledermana – pomocnik Rakowa Częstochowa w szufladzie posiada paszporty Polski, USA oraz Izraela.
A dziś otrzymał pierwsze powołanie do seniorskiej reprezentacji Polski! 🇵🇱⤵️
— Łączy nas piłka (@LaczyNasPilka) March 17, 2023
Lederman is eligible to play for the European nation through his paternal grandmother, who was born in Poland.
Last year, GOAL asked Lederman about potentially representing the U.S. internationally, to which he responded: “Poland wanted me more.
“The USA have never even contacted me in the last few years. Of course it was tough, but I felt more wanted and that in the end made it easy.”
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