Włodzimierz Smolarek
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Włodzimierz Smolarek | ||
Date of birth | 16 July 1957 | ||
Place of birth | Aleksandrów Łódzki, Poland | ||
Date of death | 7 March 2012 54) | (aged||
Place of death | Aleksandrów Łódzki, Poland | ||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
Włókniarz Aleksandrów Łódzki | |||
1973–1976 | Widzew Łódź | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1976–1977 | Widzew Łódź | 0 | (0) |
1978 | Legia Warsaw | 18 | (4) |
1979–1986 | Widzew Łódź | 181 | (61) |
1986–1988 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 63 | (13) |
1988–1990 | Feyenoord | 43 | (12) |
1990–1996 | Utrecht | 150 | (33) |
Total | 455 | (123) | |
National team | |||
1980–1992 | Poland | 60 | (13) |
Teams managed | |||
2000–2009 | Feyenoord (youth) | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Włodzimierz 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 193 matches and 45 goals, over the course of eight seasons.
Smolarek represented Poland in two World Cup, gaining 60 caps.
Club career
Born in Aleksandrów Łódzki, Smolarek played for Widzew Łódź and Legia Warsaw in his country, winning the Ekstraklasa championship with the former in 1981 and 1982, as well as the 1985 Polish Cup. During four years of his spell at Widzew he shared teams with legendary Zbigniew Boniek, scoring one of his team's goals in a 2–3 away loss against Liverpool for the 1982–83 European Cup and helping it reach the semi-finals 4–3 on aggregate.
In 1986, aged 29, Smolarek was allowed to leave the Iron Curtain nation, starting with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga where he won the German Cup in his second season, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 win against VfL Bochum. He retired at 39 after eight years in the Netherlands, with Feyenoord and FC Utrecht, then went on to work with the first as youth coach for nearly one decade.
International career
Smolarek made his debut for the Polish national team on 12 October 1980 in a 1–2 friendly loss in Argentina. Over the next 12 years he appeared in a further 59 internationals, being selected for the squads at two FIFA World Cups: in 1982 he helped the country finish third in Spain, scoring the opener in a 5–1 first group stage routing of Peru. Four years later, celebrating his 50th appearance, he netted the only goal in the group phase contest against Portugal (his 12th and penultimate) in an eventual round-of-16 exit.[1]
In October 2009 Smolarek was hired by the Polish Football Association, to oversee the national side's youth program.[2]
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 7 December 1980 | Empire Stadium, Gżira, Malta | Malta | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1982 World Cup qualification |
2. | 10 October 1981 | Zentrastadion, Leipzig, East Germany | East Germany | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1982 World Cup qualification |
3. | 10 October 1981 | Zentrastadion, Leipzig, East Germany | East Germany | 1–3 | 2–3 | 1982 World Cup qualification |
4. | 15 November 1981 | Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland | Malta | 2–0 | 6–0 | 1982 World Cup qualification |
5. | 15 November 1981 | Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland | Malta | 4–0 | 6–0 | 1982 World Cup qualification |
6. | 22 June 1982 | Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain | Peru | 0–1 | 1–5 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
7. | 8 September 1982 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | Finland | 0–1 | 2–3 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
8. | 17 April 1983 | 10th-Anniversary Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | Finland | 1–0 | 1–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
9. | 17 October 1984 | Górnik Zabrze Stadium, Zabrze, Poland | Greece | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1986 World Cup qualification |
10. | 31 October 1984 | Stadion Stali Mielec, Mielec, Poland | Albania | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1986 World Cup qualification |
11. | 19 May 1985 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece | Greece | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1986 World Cup qualification |
12. | 7 June 1986 | Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico | Portugal | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup |
13. | 17 May 1987 | Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 1–2 | 5–3 | Euro 1988 qualifying |
Personal life
Smolarek's son, Euzebiusz, is also a footballer and a forward. He too represented Feyenoord and Poland, and also had a three-year spell with Borussia Dortmund.[3]
Death
Smolarek died on 7 March 2012 at the age of 54, in his hometown.[4][5]
References
- ↑ Klukowski, Tomasz (19 October 2002). "Wlodzimierz Smolarek – International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ↑ "PZPN chce holenderskiego systemu szkolenia" (in Polish). Sport. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
- ↑ "Eintracht trauert um Smolarek" [Eintracht Frankfurt mourns Smolarek] (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ "Włodzimierz Smolarek nie żyje" (in Polish). 90 Minut. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ "Sad farewell bid to Marquitos and Smolarek". FIFA.com. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
External links
- Włodzimierz Smolarek at 90minut.pl (Polish)
- Bundesliga stats at Fussballdaten (German)
- Włodzimierz Smolarek at National-Football-Teams.com
- Włodzimierz Smolarek – FIFA competition record
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