Hertha Berlin's Polish forward Krzysztof Piatek controls the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match Hertha Berlin v Schalke 04 in Berlin, on Jan 31, 2020. (ODD ANDERSEN / AFP)

WARSAW - Former AS Roma and Juventus player Zbigniew Boniek believes that AC Milan shouldn't have sold the Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek to Hertha Berlin.

In the previous season, Piatek was third best scorer of Serie A with 22 goals, just behind Fabio Quagliarella and Duvan Zapata. However, after a good start in the AC Milan shirt he struggled to show his best form and the club decided to sell him to Hertha Berlin for 27 million euro. 

'Rossoneri' should have given Piatek more chances and defended him after media criticism. They should have let him revive

Zbigniew Boniek, Chairman, the Polish Football Federation

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Boniek, who is currently the chairman of the Polish Football Federation, claimed that "Rossoneri" had made a mistake.

"I hope he will rebuild his form in the German Bundesliga but the difference between the clubs is crazy. Maybe on the pitch is not so visible as both teams play under the expectations but if we are talking about football brands, Milan is still in the TOP 5 in the world. 'Rossoneri' should have given Piatek more chances and defended him after media criticism. They should have let him revive," said Boniek in the interview for Przeglad Sportowy on Tuesday.

"Piatek has done an incredible thing. In a year and a half he changed from Polish league player to a world-class striker in Italy. He made an incredible leap but when the crisis came he was not allowed to breathe for a moment. The striker also probably forgot that the player has difficult moments and was tired of Milan," added Boniek.

The chairman of PZPN also said few words about the transfer market as a lot of stars of the Polish Ekstaklasa left Poland. Legia Warsaw striker Jaroslaw Niezgoda joined Portland Timbers from the United States, the goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki was sold to AS Monaco, while Jagiellonia Bialystok star Patryk Klimala signed a contract with Celtic Glasgow.

Then AC Milan's Polish forward Krzysztof Piatek (R) celebrates after opening the scoring during the Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) round of 16 football match AC Milan vs SPAL on Jan 15, 2020 at the San Siro stadium in Milan. (MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

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"Many of the best players have left. There were probably no offers for those who stayed. This is a worrying trend, but I understand the players as everyone would like to try to verify their skills in a better league and earn more. Unless Polish teams can afford higher salaries and not to fill the hole in the budget, it will not change," said Boniek.

Head of the Polish Football Association Zbigniew Boniek gives a press conference at the Sputnik sports center in Sochi on June 20, 2018 as part of Russia 2018 World Cup football tournament. (NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)