Top 5 Greatest Polish Football Players
The 5 Best Polish Football Players in History
Sports writer Chris Magee ranks Poland’s top football stars, including players of the past and active Polish footballers.
Who will make it to that coveted number-one spot?
Poland are FIFA World Cup regulars, playing in nine editions of the tournament.
Despite not experiencing much success, Poland regularly produces quality footballing talent - and football is one of the most popular modern sports in Poland.
The 1970s and early 1980s are considered the golden era of Polish football.
Poland finished third place in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups. The white and reds also won Olympic gold in Munich in 1972.
Let’s take a look at the 5 greatest Polish football players of all time, counting down to number one!
5. Jakub Blaszczykowski
108 caps and 21 goals
Two Bundesliga championships
Poland’s second-most-capped player
Jakub Blaszczykowski is regarded as one of the greatest Polish footballers of all time. Kuba was a winger who made a name for himself early in his career while playing for Wisla Kraków.
He joined Borussia Dortmund in 2007, where he played for most of his career. In addition to two Bundesliga championships, two DFL-Supercups and one DFB-Pokal, he has participated in almost 250 games.
In 2008 and 2010, Blaszczykowski won the title of Polish Footballer of the Year. He is Poland's second-most-capped player, and at UEFA Euro 2012 he served as the national team captain.
Kuba also participated in the 2018 World Cup and the 2016 UEFA European Championships, in which he was the star player.
Poland reached the Quarter Finals, managing to score two goals and convert in the shootout against Switzerland.
4. Kazimierz Deyna
97 caps and 41 goals
Received multiple votes from Polish fans for Football Player of the Year
Captained Poland at the 1978 World Cup
Kazimierz Deyna is one of the most well-known Polish football players in history.
Due to his exceptional vision, he was one of the most skilled players of his generation, playing as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role.
Deyna scored spectacular, unique goals - and once scored directly from a corner. He received multiple votes from Polish fans for Football Player of the Year as a result of his accomplishments and abilities.
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He was also the mastermind behind Kazimierz Górski's incredible team, who put on the greatest Polish display in tournament history.
Deyna, who scored 41 goals while playing 97 games for Poland, was frequently the team's captain.
After the success of The Eagles in the World Cup, Deyna finished third behind Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer in the France Football vote for the best player at the 1974 tournament.
He also captained Poland at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, when the squad advanced to the knockout round.
3. Grzegorz Lato
100 caps and 45 goals
272 league matches
Represented Poland in five major competitions
Grzegorz Lato was a tricky right-winger who spent the majority of his career with Stal Mielec, where he starred in 272 league matches - finding the net 111 times.
Lato was a major factor in the club, winning the Ekstraklasa twice. He was also the league's top scorer both times.
Similar to other players on this list, such as Deyna, Lato also fell victim to the Polish FA's policy of not allowing players to transfer abroad until they reach 30.
This meant Lato (and many others) could not showcase their quality to a wider European audience.
He represented Poland in five major competitions over 10 years. He was also a medallist in two tournaments, making him one of the most successful Polish footballers of all time.
2. Robert Lewandowski
132 caps and 76 goals
63 international goals
Top scorer in the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal
Lewandowski is known for his tendency to be in the right place at the right time, as well as his incredible technique.
He converted any chances that he received as a result of attacking space. He is widely recognised as one of the best players in the world, as well as one of the best strikers in Bundesliga history.
He has almost 500 goals for his clubs and Poland. Lewandowski finished second in the 2021 Ballon d'Or - he was beaten to it by Lionel Messi.
The former Lech Poznan forward won the Bundesliga twice with Borussia Dortmund before moving on to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he has won the title every season since.
Lewandowski was one of the greatest players in Bayern's treble-winning season, which included a UEFA Champions League triumph in 2019-20.
The striker was the top scorer in the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, as well as the UCL, and he is one of only two players to achieve the feat.
Lewandowski is Poland's all-time leading scorer, with 63 international goals.
In 2015, he was named the International Federation of Football History and Statistics Top International Goal Scorer of the Year.
He has also won the Polish Player of the Year award a record eight times.
1. Zbigniew Boniek
90 caps and 24 goals
Played during Poland’s golden era of football
Appeared in three straight World Cups
Zbigniew Boniek is recognised as one of the greatest Polish footballers of all-time. He was a midfielder who could also play on the right flank and as a second striker.
In 2004, Pelé named him in his list of the 100 greatest living football players.
In 80 international appearances, Boniek scored 24 goals and appeared in three straight World Cups, propelling Poland to third place in 1982 and making Team of the Tournament.
During his career, his best achievements in club football came with Juventus in Italy.
Between 1983 and 1985, Boniek won:
Coppa Italia
European Cup
European Cup Winners' Cup
European Super Cup
He was also the first Polish player to be crowned a champion of Europe!
Boniek was fortunate enough to play in Poland’s greatest era of football, but he was a huge driving force in their success. He had excellent teammates around him, such as Deyna and Lato.
However, this doesn’t take away from his individual ability on the field - making him the greatest Polish footballer of all-time.
Have we missed anyone off our list? Tell us your picks in the comments!
