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Jakub Kiwior made his debut for FC Porto at the weekend after sealing a deadline-day loan move from Arsenal.
The 25-year-old centre-back has joined the Portuguese giants on a season-long deal that includes an obligation to buy, which could rise to around €27 million ($29m) plus €2m ($2.1m) in performance-related clauses.
Kiwior's departure came just as the international break began, meaning he linked up with Poland before meeting his new Porto teammates earlier this week.
Despite only a handful of training sessions, head coach Francesco Farioli wasted no time in handing him a start in Portos Liga Portugal clash against Nacional.
The defender admitted afterwards that his selection came as a surprise.
"I didn’t expect it [to be in the XI] but I can only thank the coach for giving me such a huge opportunity,” Kiwior said.
"I’m very happy to have played this game. FC Porto is a great club, and it’s an honour for those of us who are here to represent this team.
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"[Jan] Bednarek helped me a lot, but not just him – the whole squad. I’ve only been here a week and everything is new, but they made things easier. It was a tough game, but we won and the atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic."
Farioli praised his new signing after the match, saying:
"He’s an important player and the club made a significant effort to bring him in. We're missing some players and had to speed up processes, but he played 90 minutes and showed good control of the game."
Kiwior's numbers backed up the positive words. He recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.9, the highest in the match, while winning all four of his ground duels, his only aerial battle, and completing 96 per cent of his passes.
Arsenal could potentially recoup close to $31m if all clauses are met.
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