Kazimierz Deyna
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| Kazimierz Deyna | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kazimierz Deyna | |
| Date of birth | October 23, 1947 | |
| Place of birth | Starogard Gdański, Poland | |
| Date of death | September 1, 1989 (aged 41) | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1966 1966-1978 1978-1981 1981-1984 |
ŁKS Łódź Legia Warsaw Manchester City San Diego Sockers |
1 (0) 390 (141) 39 (13) 256 (152) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1968-1978 | Poland | 97 (41) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Kazimierz Deyna (born October 23, 1947 in Starogard Gdański – died September 1, 1989 in San Diego, California) was a Polish football player, one of the best marksmen in the history of world football. He was a playmaker or deep lying forward famed for his finishing and vision.
He began playing youth football in 1958 with the local Włókniarz Starogard Gdański Football Club. He briefly appeared in 1966 for ŁKS Łódź, however his career really got going when he moved to Legia Warszawa.
In 1969 and 1970 his team won the Championship of Poland. On April 24, 1968, he also played for the national team of Poland for the first time (in a match against Turkey in Chorzów. Together with his team he won the gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and the bronze in Football World Cup 1974, after a match against Brazil. In 1972 he was also the Top Goalscorer of the Olympic Games, with a total of nine goals. In 1976 Summer Olympics his team yet again reached the finals and won the silver medal. Apart from these he was third European Footballer of the Year for 1974.
Nicknamed "Kaka", Deyna played for Poland on 97 occasions, scoring 41 goals, and often captained the side. He had the ability to score from unusual positions, e.g. directly from a corner. Thanks to his skills, he was chosen several times the Football Player of the Year by Polish fans. In 1978 he captained Poland at the Football World Cup in Argentina, where the team reached the second phase. Soon afterwards he was transferred to Manchester City.
He appeared in the 1981 film Escape to Victory as Paul Wolcheck. In the same year, he emigrated to the USA, where he played for San Diego Sockers and then the Legends San Diego. He died in a car accident while driving his favourite BMW on September 1, 1989, in San Diego, California.
In 1994 he was chosen by the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and the readers of all Polish sports-related newspapers as the Polish Football Player of All Time.
His number 10 is retired by Legia Warszawa.
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