The Best Soccer Players From Poland
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Vote up the best Polish footballers of all time.
- 1Age: 35Robert Lewandowski (born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club FC Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is considered one of the best strikers of all time, as well as one of the most successful players in Bundesliga history. He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country. A full international for Poland since 2008, Lewandowski has earned over 130 caps and was a member of their team at UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2020. With 76 international goals, Lewandowski is the all-time top scorer for Poland and the third overall men's international goalscorer in Europe, only behind Ferenc Puskás (84) and Cristiano Ronaldo (117).More Robert Lewandowski
- #751 of 1,269 onThe Best Athletes Of All Time
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- 2Age: 68Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈzbiɡɲɛv ˈbɔɲɛk]; born 3 March 1956 in Bydgoszcz) is a Polish former footballer and manager and the current head of the Polish Football Association (PZPN). A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing as a forward or as a sweeper, he is considered one of the greatest Polish players of all time, and was selected by Pelé as one of the 100 best living footballers in 2004.In an 80-cap international career, he scored 24 goals and played at three consecutive World Cups, helping Poland to 3rd place in 1982 and making the Team of the Tournament. His greatest achievements in club football were at Juventus in Italy, winning the 1985 European Cup. In the early 1990s he managed several Italian clubs, and also the Polish national team in 2002.More Zbigniew Boniek
- #1149 of 1,269 onThe Best Athletes Of All Time
- #85 of 283 onThe Best Soccer Players Of All Time
- #844 of 3,182 onThe Most Influential People Of All Time
- 3Age: 51Jerzy Henryk Dudek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjɛʐɨ ˈdudɛk]; born 23 March 1973) is a Polish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After beginning his career in his home country, he went on to have successful spells in the Netherlands and England, winning the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 and appearing in 186 official matches for the club over six seasons. He also spent four years at Real Madrid. Dudek played 60 times for Poland – the second most-capped player in his position for several years – representing the nation at the 2002 World Cup.More Jerzy Dudek
- #573 of 1,269 onThe Best Athletes Of All Time
- #17 of 159 onThe Best Soccer Goalies of All Time
- #1023 of 3,182 onThe Most Influential People Of All Time
- 4Age: 34Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny (born 18 April 1990) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Poland national team.After starting his club career at Legia Warsaw, Szczęsny signed for Arsenal in 2006, where he made his professional debut in 2009. After a spell on loan with Brentford the following season, he later became the capital club's first choice goalkeeper, winning two FA Cups and being the joint recipient of the 2013–14 Premier League Golden Glove with Petr Čech. He subsequently went on two consecutive season-long loans to Italian club Roma in 2015, where his performances earned him a move to reigning league champions Juventus in 2017. At international level, Szczęsny has earned more than 40 caps for Poland since his debut in 2009, and was included in the nation's squad as it co-hosted UEFA Euro 2012, also later taking part at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.More Wojciech Szczęsny
- #33 of 159 onThe Best Soccer Goalies of All Time
- #12 of 99 onThe Best Goalies In The World Right Now
- #96 of 227 onThe Best Champions League Soccer Players Of 2023
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Piotr Zieliński
Age: 29Piotr Sebastian Zieliński (born 20 May 1994) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Napoli and the Poland national team. During his senior career he has also played for Udinese and Empoli. Zieliński was selected to represent Poland at UEFA Euro 2016 in France, as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the pan-European UEFA Euro 2020. He has two brothers who are also professional footballers – Paweł and Tomasz Zieliński. - 6Age: 38Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjakup ˈkuba ˌbwaʂtʂɨˈkɔfskʲi] (listen); born 14 December 1985) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Wisła Kraków and the Poland national team. He started his professional football at Wisła Kraków establishing himself at a young age. In 2007, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where he spent the majority of his career, making over 250 appearances and winning two Bundesliga titles, two DFL-Supercups, and one DFB-Pokal. Błaszczykowski was twice named Polish Footballer of the Year in 2008 and 2010. With 105 appearances, he is the most capped player for Poland, and captained them as they co-hosted UEFA Euro 2012, while also appearing at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- 7Dec. at 41 (1947-1989)Kazimierz Deyna (Polish pronunciation: [kaˈʑimjɛʐ ˈdɛjna] (listen); 23 October 1947 – 1 September 1989) was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation, due to his excellent vision.More Kazimierz Deyna
- #861 of 1,269 onThe Best Athletes Of All Time
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- #54 of 57 onThe Best Manchester City Players of All Time
- 8Dec. at 54 (1957-2012)Włodzimierz Wojciech Smolarek (16 July 1957 – 7 March 2012) was a Polish footballer who played as a striker. He played most of his 20-year professional career with Widzew Łódź and Utrecht, appearing in more than 200 official games for the former. He amassed Eredivisie totals of 212 matches and 45 goals, over the course of eight seasons. Smolarek represented Poland in two World Cups, earning 60 caps.
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Łukasz Piszczek
Age: 38Łukasz Piotr Piszczek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈwukaʂ ˈpʲiʂt͡ʂɛk] (listen); born 3 June 1985) is a Polish professional footballer who plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund primarily as a right back but also as a central defender. He also played for the Poland national team, making his debut in 2007 and going on to receive over 60 caps. He was also selected for four tournaments during his time with the national team, playing in three UEFA European Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He confirmed his retirement from international football in 2018 following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup. - 10Age: 74Grzegorz Bolesław Lato (born 8 April 1950 in Malbork) is a retired Polish footballer and manager who played as a winger. He was a member of Poland's golden generation of football players who rose to fame in the 1970s and early 80s. Over a decade, he represented Poland at 5 major tournaments starting with Gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 and ending with a third-place finish at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. He reached the peak of his career at the 1974 World Cup, where he was the leading scorer and the only Pole to-date to have won the honor. After retiring from his playing career he had a brief stint as manager in several clubs in and out of Poland. Lato, as a member of Democratic Left Alliance, was a Polish Senator for the Rzeszow region, between 2001 and 2005. On 30 October 2008, he was elected president of Polish Football Association (PZPN). As president of the PZPN he oversaw the Euro 2012 tournament, which was co-hosted by Poland. He was finally succeeded by Zbigniew Boniek on 26 October 2012.
- 11Age: 78Robert Gadocha (born 10 January 1946 in Kraków) is a retired Polish soccer player, most notable for playing for Legia Warsaw. Gadocha, who started his career in Garbarnia Krakow. later also played for FC Nantes, and briefly in the United States for Chicago Sting, his last professional team. He was a member of the Polish national team that won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, as well as a member of the team that finished third in the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany. He has a total of 16 goals in 62 games with the Polish national team.In 1978, Gadocha moved to the Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League. He also spent one season, 1980–81, with the Hartford Hellions of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He now resides in Sarasota, FL with his wife, Dina, and son, Robert.
- 12Age: 74Jerzy Paweł Gorgoń (born 18 July 1949 in Zabrze) was a Polish football player who is remembered for his participation in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was a 6'4" tall defender who became well known in 1967 while playing for Górnik Zabrze. He helped Zabrze to five consecutive Polish cups in 1968-72. He received 55 international caps overall, and took on the role of captaincy once. He also played in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal,Gorgoń moved to Argentina in 1978. He had a mostly unsuccessful time there and moved back to Switzerland in 1980 to play for FC Gallen. He later coached the reserve and youth teams of Blau-Weiss St. Gallen as well as at the football academy in Gossau.
- 13Age: 39Łukasz Marek Fabiański (born 18 April 1985) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club West Ham United. He also played for the Poland national team, until his retirement in 2021. Having begun his career at Legia Warsaw, Fabiański joined Arsenal for £2.1 million in 2007, and was mainly used as back-up, but played as the club won the 2014 FA Cup Final. On the expiration of his contract in 2014, he joined Swansea City, and played 150 total matches in four years. He then signed for West Ham for £7 million. A full international for Poland since 2006, Fabiański represented his country on 57 occasions. He was included in the squads for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2020.More Łukasz Fabiański
- #103 of 159 onThe Best Soccer Goalies of All Time
- #42 of 98 onThe Best Goalies In The World Right Now
- #13 of 22 onThe Best Arsenal Keepers Of All Time
- 14Age: 69Władysław Antoni Żmuda (Polish pronunciation: [vwaˈdɨswav ˈʐmuda]; born 6 June 1954 in Lublin) is a former Polish footballer, who played as a defender for Śląsk Wrocław, Widzew Łódź, Hellas Verona, New York Cosmos and US Cremonese. He earned 91 caps for the Poland national team and is a four-time FIFA World Cup participant.
- 15Age: 73Andrzej Szarmach (Polish pronunciation: [ˈandʐɛj ˈʂarmax]; born 3 October 1950) is a former Polish football player. He played in the Polish national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s. With Grzegorz Lato at his right, Robert Gadocha at his left, and Kazimierz Deyna in support, Szarmach profited from the absence of Włodzimierz Lubański to lead the Polish attack, the best at 1974 World Cup, with sixteen goals. While Lato finished first in the Cup in goals with seven, Szarmach, with five goals, also marked the competition with his imprint. He confirmed his status two years later at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, winning the silver medal and the title of best player of the tournament, with nine goals. Jowled and moustached, the Polish attacker had a Gallic quality and thus easily fit in at AJ Auxerre. He won the favor of Guy Roux and of the Burgundian public, by scoring 94 goals between 1980 and 1985. After a brief period at Guingamp and a total of 32 goals in 61 games with the Polish national team, Szarmach began his career as a manager, in particular managing Clermont-Ferrand, then Châteauroux in the second division.
- 16Age: 36Kamil Jacek Glik ([ˈkamil ˈɡlik] (listen); born 3 February 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for AS Monaco and the Poland national team. The previous clubs he played for include Piast Gliwice (2008–2010), Palermo (2010–2011) and Torino F.C. (2011–2016) where he was appointed captain of the team. He participated in UEFA Euro 2016. In addition to being Polish, Glik also holds German citizenship.
- 17Age: 76Jan Tomaszewski (born 9 January 1948) is a former Polish international football goalkeeper of the 1970s. He kept goal for the national teams that came third at the 1974 World Cup, where he was named Best Goalkeeper, that won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and that competed at the 1978 World Cup. He was later a football commentator and politician.More Jan Tomaszewski
- #76 of 159 onThe Best Soccer Goalies of All Time
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- 18Age: 77Włodzimierz 'Włodek' Leonard Lubański (born 28 February 1947 in Gliwice-Sośnica) is a former Polish football striker, the second all-time highest goal scorer for the Polish national team. For his national team, Lubański amassed 75 caps between 1963 and 1980, scoring 48 goals and being the second highest goalscorer in Poland's football history behind Robert Lewandowski. In 1972, he was awarded the title of Merited Master of Sport of the USSR.Lubański currently holds the position of vice-chairman at Polonia Warszawa.
- 19Dec. at 86 (1927-2013)Gerard Cieślik (27 April 1927 – 3 November 2013), also known as Gienek, was a football player of Ruch Chorzów (1949-1955 Unia Chorzów, 1956 Unia-Ruch Chorzów). Playing for the Polish national football team, he is most noted for having scored two goals against the Soviet Union on 20 October 1957 at Stadion Śląski. The rather small striker (163 cm, 59 kg) was capped 45 times and scored 27 goals.Born in Wielkie Hajduki, now a part of Chorzów, he spent his entire career with Ruch, from July 1939 to June 1959, a tenure which included victory in the 1951 Polish Cup, and 3 Poland Master titles (1951, 1952, 1953). In total, he scored 177 goals for Ruch. He became the club's coach and scout in 1959, and having never cut ties with the team, is seen as a great example of loyalty within the Polish game. He was drafted to Wehrmacht 1944/1945 and transferred to Denmark.In 2003, after a particular group of Ruch fans controversially displayed a banner with the German name for Upper Silesia, Cieslik expressed his opposition to the banner and urged the fans to respect the memory of the club's founders who had been patriots and participated in the Silesian Uprisings against German rule of Silesia.In 2006, the documentary film Das Alphabet von Gerard Cieślik was presented by Antena Górnośląska as part of the exhibition Oberschlesier in der deutschen und polnischen Fußballnationalmannschaft - gestern und heute. Sport und Politik in Oberschlesien im 20. Jahrhundert covering Upper Silesians who played for the Polish national football team and/or the German national football team. In 2006, he signed a protest against Roman Giertych.
- 20Age: 77Henryk Wojciech Kasperczak (born 10 July 1946) is a Polish football manager and a former player who most recently managed the Tunisia national football team. As a player, Kasperczak took part in two FIFA World Cups with Poland, achieving third place in 1974, as well as a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As a manager, Kasperczak enjoyed most success in the African Cup of Nations, securing second place with Tunisia in 1996, third with Ivory Coast (1994) and fourth with Mali (2002). In September 2009, Kasperczak was briefly considered by PZPN for the open spot of manager of the Polish national team.
- 21Age: 70Józef Młynarczyk (born 20 September 1953) is a Polish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After representing three clubs in his homeland he played out the remainder of his career in France and Portugal, winning seven major titles with Porto during his one-and-a-half-season spell. Młynarczyk played more 40 times with Poland, appearing in two World Cups with the country.
- 22Dec. at 62 (1932-1995)Ernest Pohl (3 November 1932 – 12 September 1995), a.k.a. Ernst Pol, was a Polish football player. He was born in Ruda (now Ruda Śląska), Poland and died in Hausach, Germany. Pohl scored 39 goals in 46 international matches for Poland national football team and to this day remains the most prolific Polish First Division scorer with 186 goals. He played for Slavia Ruda Śląska, Orzeł Łódź between 1952 and 1953, Legia Warsaw between 1953 and 1955 and Górnik Zabrze between 1956 and 1967. During the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he scored a rare 5 goals in a 6:1 win against Tunisia. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification in 1990, he has been living in Germany, where his wife and daughters had moved earlier. In 2004 Górnik Zabrze's stadium was named after him.
- 23Dec. at 81 (1916-1997)Ernest Willimowski (born Ernest Otto Prandella, nicknamed "Ezi") (23 June 1916 – 30 August 1997) was a German–Polish football player, who played as a forward. He ranks among the best goalscorers in the history of both the Poland national team and Polish club football. After re-taking German citizenship, he also played for the Germany national team. Willimowski was the first player to score four goals in a single FIFA World Cup game. Over the course of his career, he scored a total of 1,175 goals; though this tally is unverified and will include friendly and unofficial matches. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation credits Wilimowski with 554 official goals, making him the 14th-most prolific goalscorer in history.Willimowski also occasionally played ice hockey for the team Pogoń Katowice.
- 24Age: 59Krzysztof "Kristof" Ireneusz Warzycha (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkʂɨʂtɔf vaˈʐɨxa]; Greek: Κριστόφ Βαζέχα; born November 17, 1964) is a former Polish-Greek professional footballer. For the majority of his career he played for Greek club Panathinaikos.
- 25Age: 30Arkadiusz Krystian "Arek" Milik (born 28 February 1994) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Marseille, on loan from Napoli. He also represents the Poland national team. At international level, Milik participated at UEFA Euro 2016 with Poland, where his nation reached the quarter-final stage of the tournament. He also took part at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where his team was eliminated in the group stage.
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Jacek Krzynówek
Age: 47Jacek Krzynówek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjatsɛk kʂɨˈnuvɛk]; born 15 May 1976) is a former Polish footballer. One of the most glorious moments of his career was scoring a rocket shot against Real Madrid in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League. - 27Age: 43Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolarek (Polish pronunciation: [ɛu̯ˈzɛbjuʂ smɔˈlarɛk]; born 9 January 1981) is a former Polish footballer who is currently youth manager at Dutch club Feyenoord. He played primarily as a striker or winger, representing clubs in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, England, Greece, Poland and Qatar. Smolarek played 47 times for the Polish national football team, scoring 19 officials goals, the joint-tenth most in the nation's history. He was part of the Polish squads at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008.
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Kamil Grosicki
Age: 35Kamil Paweł Grosicki (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkamil ɡrɔˈɕit͡skʲi] (listen); born 8 June 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Hull City in the Championship. A full international for Poland with over 55 caps since 2008, he represented the country at UEFA Euro 2012 and Euro 2016. - 29
Kazimierz Górski
Dec. at 85 (1921-2006)Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski (March 2, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was a coach of Poland national football team and honorary president of Polish Football Union (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej, PZPN). He was also a football player, capped once for Poland. - 30Age: 44Artur Boruc (Polish pronunciation: [ˈartur ˈbɔrut͡s]; born 20 February 1980) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth. He began his career in the Polish third division with hometown club Pogoń Siedlce. He joined Ekstraklasa team Legia Warsaw in 1999 and, whilst still a reserve, had a spell on loan at Dolcan Ząbki in 2000. Boruc broke through to the Legia first team in 2002 and by 2003 had become the club's first choice goalkeeper. In the summer of 2005, he joined Scottish Premier League side Celtic. In his five years in Glasgow, Boruc made 221 appearances for the club, winning the league three times, the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup twice. Celtic fans nicknamed Boruc 'The Holy Goalie' for his devout Catholicism. He moved to Italy in 2010 to join Fiorentina, spending two years at the Serie A club before returning to Britain in 2012 to sign for Premier League side Southampton, moving to Bournemouth in 2015 after a season on loan. Boruc made his international debut against the Republic of Ireland in April 2004 and became a regular in the Polish international squad, earning 65 caps. He represented the nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. On November 2017 Boruc retired from international football.
