Kazimierz Deyna (; 23 October 1947 – 1 September 1989)
At the international level, he earned 97 caps and scored 41 goals helping Poland claim 3rd place at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, he won gold with Poland and was the top goalscorer of the tournament. From 1973 to 1978, he served as captain of the national representation. In 1976, he won silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
In 1973 and 1974, he won the Polish Footballer of the Year Award.
Early life
Deyna was born in Starogard to Franciszek (1911–1976), a
dairy worker, and Jadwiga (1917–1981),
a
housewife. He had six sisters and two brothers, Henryk and Franciszek, who also were footballers. Henryk played for Włókniarz Starogard Gdański, while Franciszek was a Starogardzki KS player.
Club career
Legia Warsaw
Deyna began playing youth football in 1958 at his local club Włókniarz Starogard Gdański. In 1966 he made one appearance for ŁKS Łódź (on 8 October in a 0–0 draw against Górnik Zabrze).
But he was quickly snapped up by
Legia Warsaw. In communist Poland each team had its own "sponsor". The Warsaw club was much more powerful as it was the military club. Moreover, it was the favourite club of the authorities. Deyna was called up into the army and in this way he had to play for
Legia Warsaw. He made a name for himself during his first season, becoming one of Legia's most important players.
In 1969 and 1970 his team won the Polish Championship.
After his performances at the 1974 World Cup, European top teams like AS Saint-Étienne, AS Monaco,
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich tried to acquire his services but he was unable to join, since the communist regime in Poland prevented him from moving to Western Europe. Real Madrid was so determined to acquire Deyna that they sent a shirt to Warsaw with his name and number "14".
Manchester City
Soon afterwards Deyna was transferred to English club Manchester City, making his debut in November 1978,
and being one of the first wave of overseas players to play in the English league.
His time in England was marred by a series of injuries, and he left in January 1981, shortly after Manchester City made a managerial change, having made only 43 appearances in all competitions. However, he was regarded as an exceptionally gifted playmaker and became a cult figure with City fans.
Deyna scored thirteen goals in his time with the club. Furthermore, his seven goals in the last eight games of the 1978–79 season were crucial for Manchester City in their relegation battle.
San Diego Sockers
Deyna appeared in the 1981 film
Escape to Victory as Paul Wolcheck.
In the same year, he emigrated to the United States, where he signed with the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League in January 1981. During the next seven years, he played four NASL outdoor seasons, one NASL indoor season and five Major Indoor Soccer League seasons with the Sockers, winning five championships. The Sockers released him in June 1987.
[ Sockers set free Deyna, 4 others The San Diego Union (CA) – Friday, 12 June 1987] He was a 1983 NASL Second Team All Star.
[ NASL All Star Teams ]
International career
On 24 April 1968, Deyna made his debut for the Poland national team in a match against
Turkey in Chorzów. 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.
Deyna played for Poland on 97 (84 after the deduction of Olympic Football Tournament competition games
Death
Deyna died in a car accident in San Diego, California on 1 September 1989, aged 41 (just two days before another fatal car accident claimed the life of another international football star, the
Italy Gaetano Scirea). In 1994, he was chosen by the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and the readers of all Polish sports-related newspapers as the Greatest Polish Football Player of All Time. His number 10 is retired by
Legia Warsaw and the Sockers. In June 2012 Kazimierz Deyna's remains were exhumed and reburied in Warsaw's Powązki Military Cemetery.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |
|
|
| |
| 7 |
| 10 |
| 19 |
| 11 |
| 8 |
| 18 |
| 15 |
| 12 |
| 5 |
| 12 |
| 11 |
| 10 |
| 3 |
|
| 7 |
| 6 |
| 0 |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
International
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year |
|
| Poland | 0 |
| 7 |
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 9 |
| 1 |
| 4 |
| 6 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
|
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Deyna goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Kazimierz Deyna |
|
| 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5–0 |
| 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Friendly |
| 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5–1 |
| 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Friendly |
| Friendly |
| Friendly |
| 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 5–0 |
| 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 2–1 |
| Friendly |
| 2–0 |
| Friendly |
| Friendly |
| 1974 FIFA World Cup |
| 1974 FIFA World Cup |
| 1974 FIFA World Cup |
| Friendly |
| 6–0 |
| 7–0 |
| Friendly |
| 6–1 |
| Friendly |
| 1976 Summer Olympics |
| 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3–0 |
| Friendly |
| 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Friendly |
| Friendly |
| 4–0 |
| Friendly |
| 1978 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
Legia Warsaw
Poland
-
Olympic Games gold medal: 1972
-
Olympic silver medal: 1976
-
FIFA World Cup bronze medal: 1974
Individual
-
Olympic Games top scorer: 1972
-
FUWO European Team of the Season: 1972
-
Sport Ideal European XI: 1972,
-
Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 1973, 1974
-
ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1973, 1974
-
Ballon d'Or third place: 1974;
-
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974
-
World XI: 1974
-
Polish Football Association National Team of the Century: 1919–2019
National
-
Gold Cross of Merit: 1972
-
Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta: 1974
-
Polish Olympic Committee Gold Medal: 2012 (posthumously)
Notes
External links
