Roger Guerriero can't speak Polish. He was born in Sao Paulo and has only resided in Poland for two and a half years out of the five required for Polish citizenship.

He wears 'Roger' on the back of his shirt because Poles have difficulty pronouncing 'Guerreiro' and his naturalisation was rushed through by the president just weeks before the start of Euro 2008.

It was against this dubious backdrop that Roger made his first competitive appearance for Poland by replacing injured captain Maciej Zurawski in Sunday's Euro 2008 Group B defeat by Germany.

An attacking midfielder who is best seen on his left foot, Roger showed enough to suggest he could feature against Austria tonight and justify coach Leo Beenhakker's apparent U-turn over his selection policy.

Upon his appointment in July 2006, the Dutchman vowed to develop Poland's young players and not turn to legal loopholes and distant ancestry.

His approach reaped dividends as the Poles qualified ahead of leading tournament fancies Portugal, Serbia, Belgium and Finland. But back in December 2005, Roger joined Legia Warsaw on loan from Brazilian side Juventude and as Poland's qualification for Euro 2008 became a reality, moves were put in place for the 26-year-old to secure Polish nationality.

Beenhakker had brought through raw talent, including the likes of holding midfielder Dariusz Dudka. But, by chasing Roger's naturalisation, it appeared an admission that he felt Poland were ill-equipped to perform well at a major tournament.

"It seems strange that he should say all he did and then go chasing for players from anywhere once we have qualified," said ex-Poland goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski.

But despite Roger playing no part in the remarkable run to the finals in Austria and Switzerland, Beenhakker insisted: "No player can be sure to participate in the Euros just because they participated in the qualifiers.

"I do not see any problem with him playing in the Euros. Be realistic - the world has changed. It's a global village. People live and work where they want. Many young Poles are travelling around the world and these changes also refer to football.

"It is normal that the country naturalise the players who play in their league. It was not me who invented this - it is contemporary football."

So how do the other players in the squad feel about Roger's sudden rise?

Centre-back Jacek Bak said: "If he feels Polish, if his heart beats harder when he listens to our national anthem, if he gives his all on the pitch, it could work. If not, there will be a problem."

The man himself doesn't seem to understand what all the fuss is about.

He said prior to Euro 2008: "Maybe I don't speak fluent Polish, but I understand a lot. My mother and my family are all very proud of me. I want to do my best for my new homeland and promise you will never regret it."

It should also be remembered that Poland have history in this area. Nigerian-born striker Emmanuel Olisadebe became a Polish citizen in 2000 having spent three years at Polonia Warsaw.

Should the midfielder score the goals that earn Poland an unlikely route to the latter stages of Euro 2008, it is questionable who will care where Roger came from. But with all the talk of foreign quotas in club football, it is perhaps a worrying trend that there is a hint that national teams containing 'foreigners' are becoming acceptable.

As Polish television commentator Maciej Iwanski said: "Maybe soon we'll need the six-plus-five rule in international football."