Włodzimierz Smolarek

Włodzimierz Wojciech Smolarek (16 July 1957 – 7 March 2012) was a Polish footballer who played as a striker.

Włodzimierz Smolarek
Personal information
Full name Włodzimierz Smolarek
Date of birth (1957-07-16)16 July 1957
Place of birth Aleksandrów Łódzki, Poland
Date of death 7 March 2012(2012-03-07) (aged 54)
Place of death Aleksandrów Łódzki, Poland
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) 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 46 (13)
1990–1996 Utrecht 166 (32)
Total 474 (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

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 212 matches and 45 goals, over the course of eight seasons.

Smolarek represented Poland in two World Cups, earning 60 caps.

Club career

Born in Aleksandrów Łódzki, Smolarek played for Widzew Łódź and Legia Warsaw in his country. He won the Ekstraklasa championship with the former side in 1981 and 1982, as well as the 1985 Polish Cup.

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.[1] He retired at 39 after eight years in the Netherlands, with Feyenoord and FC Utrecht, then went on to work with the first club as youth coach for nearly one decade.

International career

Smolarek made his debut for the Poland 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 win against 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.[2]

In October 2009, Smolarek was hired by the Polish Football Association to oversee the national side's youth program.[3]

Smolarek behind the Polish flag

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Legia Warsaw 1977–78[4] Ekstraklasa 3 0 0 0 – 3 0
1978–79[4] Ekstraklasa 15 4 2 2 – 17 6
Total 18 4 2 2 – 20 6
Widzew Łódź 1978–79[5] Ekstraklasa 4 0 – – 4 0
1979–80[6] Ekstraklasa 26 9 2 0 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 30 9
1980–81[7] Ekstraklasa 25 6 2 0 6[lower-alpha 1] 1 33 7
1981–82[8] Ekstraklasa 28 10 3 0 2[lower-alpha 2] 2 33 12
1982–83[9] Ekstraklasa 20 10 1 0 5[lower-alpha 2] 1 26 11
1983–84[10] Ekstraklasa 23 8 2 1 3[lower-alpha 1] 0 28 9
1984–85[11] Ekstraklasa 29 8 6 2 4[lower-alpha 1] 1 39 11
1985–86[12] Ekstraklasa 26 10 2 1 2[lower-alpha 3] 0 30 11
Total 181 61 18 4 24 5 223 70
Eintracht Frankfurt 1986–87[13] Bundesliga 30 4 3 1 – 33 5
1987–88[14] Bundesliga 33 9 6 2 – 39 11
Total 63 13 9 3 – 72 16
Feyenoord 1988–89[15] Eredivisie 31 10 ? 2 – 31+ 12
1989–90[15] Eredivisie 15 3 ? 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 16+ 3
Total 46 13 ? 2 1 0 47+ 15
Utrecht 1989–90[15] Eredivisie 15 0 – – 15 0
1990–91[15] Eredivisie 32 11 ? 1 – 32+ 12
1991–92[15] Eredivisie 31 8 ? 1 4[lower-alpha 1] 3 35+ 12
1992–93[15] Eredivisie 33 9 2 3 – 35 12
1993–94[15] Eredivisie 30 1 1 1 – 31 2
1994–95[15] Eredivisie 23 3 ? 0 – 23+ 3
1995–96[15] Eredivisie 2 0 ? 0 – 2+ 0
Total 166 32 ? 6 4 3 173+ 41
Poland total 199 65 20 6 24 5 243 76
Netherlands total 212 45 ? 8 5 3 220+ 56
Career total 474 123 32+ 17 29 8 535+ 148
  1. Appearances in UEFA Cup
  2. Appearances in European Cup
  3. Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup

International

[2]

Poland
Year Apps Goals
1980 3 1
1981 9 4
1982 8 2
1983 5 1
1984 11 2
1985 10 1
1986 8 1
1987 3 1
1988 2 0
1989 0 0
1990 0 0
1991 0 0
1992 1 0
Total 60 13

International goals
Poland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Smolarek goal.[2]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.7 December 1980Empire Stadium, Gżira, Malta Malta1–02–01982 World Cup qualification
2.10 October 1981Zentrastadion, Leipzig, East Germany East Germany2–03–2
3.3–13–2
4.15 November 1981Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland Malta2–06–0
5.4–06–0
6.22 June 1982Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain Peru1–05–11982 FIFA World Cup
7.8 September 1982Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland Finland1–03–2Euro 1984 qualifying
8.17 April 198310th-Anniversary Stadium, Warsaw, Poland Finland1–01–1
9.17 October 1984Górnik Zabrze Stadium, Zabrze, Poland Greece1–13–11986 World Cup qualification
10.31 October 1984Stadion Stali Mielec, Mielec, Poland Albania1–02–2
11.19 May 1985Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece Greece1–04–1
12.7 June 1986Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico Portugal1–01–01986 FIFA World Cup
13.17 May 1987Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary Hungary2–13–5Euro 1988 qualifying

Personal life

Smolarek was married to Zdzislawa, fathering sons Euzebiusz and Mariusz. The former was also a footballer and a forward, who also represented Feyenoord and Poland and also had a three-year spell with Borussia Dortmund.[16]

Smolarek died on 7 March 2012 at the age of 54, in his hometown.[17][18]

References
  1. "DFB-Pokal, 1987/1988, Finale". dfb.de. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. Klukowski, Tomasz (19 October 2002). "Wlodzimierz Smolarek – International matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
  3. "PZPN chce holenderskiego systemu szkolenia" [PFF want the Dutch training system] (in Polish). Sport. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  4. "Historia Legii Warszawa" [Legia Warsaw history] (in Polish). Legia.net. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  5. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1978/79" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1978/79 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  6. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1979/80" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1979/80 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  7. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1980/81" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1980/81 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1981/82" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1981/82 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  9. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1982/83" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1982/83 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  10. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1983/84" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1983/84 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  11. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1984/85" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1984/85 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  12. "Informacje: Smolarek Włodzimierz | Sezon 1985/86" [Information: Smolarek Włodzimierz | 1985/86 season] (in Polish). WidzewLodz.info. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  13. "Wlodzimierz Smolarek – 1986/1987" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  14. "Wlodzimierz Smolarek – 1987/1988" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  15. "Włodzimierz Smolarek » Club matches". Worldfootball. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  16. "Eintracht trauert um Smolarek" [Eintracht Frankfurt mourns Smolarek]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  17. "Włodzimierz Smolarek nie żyje" [Włodzimierz Smolarek is dead] (in Polish). 90 Minut. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  18. "Sad farewell bid to Marquitos and Smolarek". FIFA. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
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