Top 10 best Polish soccer players of all time

The Poland national football team has represented Poland in international men’s football tournaments since its first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body of football in Poland. The country’s best results were the bronze medals Poland won in 1974 and 1982; This era is considered the golden era of Polish international football. This is because they have the best men and are the greatest players of all time. Therefore, in the article there are top 10 best Polish soccer players shared by Premiumsoccertips.net. Please refer to it!

Top 10 best Polish soccer players

1. Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski was born on August 21, 1988. He is a professional Polish footballer, playing as a forward for Barcelona in La Liga and is the captain of the Polish national team. Recognized for his positional sense, technique, and finishing ability, Lewandowski is considered one of the greatest forwards of all time and one of the most successful players in Bundesliga history. He has scored over 600 career goals for club and country.

Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Lewandowski has been playing internationally for Poland since 2008, amassing over 130 appearances for the national team. He participated in UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2016, FIFA World Cup 2018, and Euro 2020. With 76 international goals, Lewandowski is the all-time top scorer for Poland and the third-highest men’s international goal scorer in Europe, behind Ferenc Puskás (84) and Cristiano Ronaldo (117).

2. Zbigniew Boniek

Zbigniew Boniek is recognized as one of Poland’s greatest football players of all time. He was a midfielder who could also play on the right wing and as a second striker. In 2004, Pelé included him in the list of the 100 greatest living footballers. Boniek scored 24 goals in 80 international appearances and played in three consecutive World Cups, helping Poland achieve third place in 1982, the team’s best ever finish. His most successful club spell was with Juventus in Italy.

From 1983 to 1985, he won Serie A, Coppa Italia, the UEFA Champions League, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. Boniek was part of Poland’s golden football era, alongside exceptional teammates like Deyna and Lato. He was a major force behind their success and maintained individual brilliance on the field.

3. Wojciech Szczęsny

Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny was born on April 18, 1990. He is a professional Polish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Polish national team. Starting his club career at Legia Warsaw, Szczęsny signed with Arsenal in January 2006, making his professional debut in 2009.

On the international stage, Szczęsny has amassed more than 60 caps for Poland since making his debut in 2009. He has proudly represented his country at UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2016, the FIFA World Cup 2018, and Euro 2020.

4. Andrzej Szarmach

Andrzej Szarmach rose to prominence in the 1974 World Cup, filling in for the absent Wlodzimierz Lubanski as a striker and forming a great attacking partnership with wingers Grzegorz Lato and Robert Gadocha, supported by Deyna and other players behind them. He finished the tournament with 5 goals, joint second-highest scorer with Johan Neeskens, just behind Lato’s total of 7 goals.

Additionally, Szarmach participated in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. Like many players from Poland’s golden generation, Szarmach faced restrictions imposed by Poland, which prohibited its players from competing abroad until they reached the age of thirty. This policy affected several talented footballers during that era.

For Szarmach, this restriction was lifted in 1980, coinciding with his thirtieth year, the same year as his teammate Grzegorz Lato at Stal Mielec. While Lato moved to Belgium, Szarmach went to France, playing five years for Auxerre, where he scored nearly 100 goals in 150 matches. This move seemed fitting for his iconic mustache resembling Asterix.

5. Grzegorz Lato

Grzegorz Lato was immediately recognizable in the 1970s with his reverse-combed Bobby Charlton-style haircut, which, coupled with his outstanding play on the right wing, made him a formidable opponent for defenders. He was part of Poland’s first golden generation of players, who surprised at the 1974 World Cup. Lato scored the most goals in the tournament with seven remarkable goals as Poland finished third, their best result to date in a major tournament.

Unfortunately, despite being only 24 years old at the 1974 World Cup and in good form, Poland had a policy at that time prohibiting their players from moving abroad until they turned 30, so Lato could only showcase his talent in major international tournaments. He spent his entire career with Stal Mielec, only moving abroad in 1980 to Lokeren in Belgium at the age of 30.

6. Łukasz Fabiański

Born on April 18, 1985, Łukasz Marek Fabiański is a professional Polish footballer renowned for his role as a goalkeeper at West Ham United in the Premier League. Prior to this, he represented Poland at the national level until his retirement in 2021. Beginning his career at Legia Warsaw, Fabiański moved to Arsenal for £2.1 million in 2007. Although primarily a backup, he notably played a key role in the club’s victory in the 2014 FA Cup final.

When his contract expired in 2014, he joined Swansea City and played a total of 150 matches in 4 years. He then signed with West Ham for £7 million. A key international player for Poland since 2006, Fabiański represented his country 57 times. He was part of the squads for the FIFA World Cup 2006, UEFA Euro 2008, Euro 2016, FIFA World Cup 2018, and Euro 2020.

7. Jakub Piotr Kiwior

Jakub Piotr Kiwior was born on February 15, 2000. He is a professional Polish footballer who plays as a defender for Spezia and the Polish national team. Kiwior made his Fortuna Liga debut for Železiarne Podbrezová against Nitra on February 16, 2019. Kiwior played the entire victory 3–1 under Zobor.

In August 2019, Kiwior’s move to MŠK Žilina was announced. He made his debut in yellow on August 10, 2019, in an away match against Ružomberok. Kiwior made his debut as a starter for Poland against the Netherlands in a 2–2 draw in the UEFA Nations League 2022–23 on June 11, 2022.

8. Jakub Błaszczykowski

Jakub Błaszczykowski is considered one of Poland’s greatest football players of all time. Kuba is a winger who quickly made a name for himself at Wisła Kraków. He joined Borussia Dortmund in 2007, where he spent most of his career. Besides two Bundesliga titles, two DFL-Supercups, and one DFB-Pokal, he played in nearly 250 matches.

In 2008 and 2010, Blaszczykowski was named Polish Footballer of the Year. He is the second most-capped player for Poland and was the national team captain at UEFA Euro 2012. Kuba also participated in the 2018 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, where he was a star player. Poland reached the quarterfinals, and he scored two goals and a shootout goal against Switzerland.

9. Kazimierz Deyna

Kazimierz Deyna is one of the most famous Polish football players in history. Thanks to his special vision, he was one of the best players of his generation, playing as an attacking midfielder in a playmaker role. Deyna scored spectacular and unique goals, including direct corner kicks. He received numerous votes from Polish fans as Footballer of the Year for his achievements and abilities.

He was also the mastermind behind Kazimierz Górski’s remarkable football team, which showcased Poland’s greatest performance in tournament history. Deyna, who scored 41 goals in 97 matches for Poland, often captained the team. After the Eagles’ success at the World Cup, Deyna ranked third behind Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer in the 1974 France Football’s Best Player of the Year vote. He also captained Poland at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, where the team reached the direct elimination round.

10. Ernest Pohl

During the 1950s, Poland was still strongly affected by events from World War II, but during that time, the country was still producing top football talents, with Ernest Pohl being one of the standout figures. Pohl’s decision to stay in his homeland yielded impressive results, as he became a “goal-scoring machine” for Górnik Zabrze in the 1950s and 1960s. Between 1957 and 1967, Górnik Zabrze won the Ekstraklasa eight times, with significant contributions from Ernest Pohl.

With relentless effort, Pohl helped Górnik Zabrze become one of the strongest teams in Poland and Europe at the time. Besides his success with Górnik Zabrze, Ernest Pohl achieved impressive milestones in his career. He also played a significant role in winning two other Ekstraklasa titles with Legia Warsaw. Overall, Pohl won 11 championships in 12 seasons from 1955 to 1967, an undeniable achievement in Polish football history.

Conclude

Overall, Poland has produced many great and incredible footballers in the history of the sport. From veteran stars such as Zbigniew Boniek and Kazimierz Deyna, to modern talents such as Robert Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczęsny, each individual has contributed an integral part to the development and reputation of Polish football on the international stage. These best Polish soccer players not only contributed to the outstanding achievements of the national team but were also great symbols of the club’s career, bringing important trophies to the teams they represented. Their careers and success are testament to the strength and prestige of Polish football internationally.

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