In the first of a series of articles Andy Edgeworth looks at a handful of cult Eastern European players who captured the imagination of a generation.
I’ve always loved Eastern European footballers and sometimes for no reason whatsoever. There is something mystically mesmerising about a player with a semi-unpronounceable name and they seem to bring a levels of grit and grace to the game that quite simply cannot be matched by their Western counterparts.
From the Poles of the 70s to the Croats of the 90s, Eastern European footballers have always been a source of immeasurable please to me. As a City fan, Kinkladze, Corluka, Kolorov & Dzeko will always be high in my affections and often for no other reason than where they hail from.
Midfield maestro – Zbigniew Boniek
The World Cups of years gone by were always a chance for young impressionable football fans to catch tantalising glimpses of footballing stars that were kept hidden from them in those glorious days before the global mass coverage of world football on the TV & internet.
In 1978 a tall, slender, young man with wild orange hair and moustache donning the stunning white Adidas jersey of Poland caught everybody’s eye.
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek was only 22 years of age when he took to the field in Argentina, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Mexico as Poland topped their group ahead of reigning champions West Germany.
An extremely versatile player he could play anywhere across the midfield and even up front but would become known for pioneering what we now call the free role, operating between midfield and defence much the same way David Silva does today.
Boniek made his name in his native Poland with Widzew Łódź where he scored 50 goals and won two league titles. A move to Juventus in 1982 put him at football’s top table and the swashbuckling Pole swiftly became a fan favourite.
Playing alongside Michel Platini in the heart of the Bianconeri midfield in a team including Dino Zoff, Claudio Gentile, Marco Tardelli and Paolo Rossi, Juventus were the most feared team in Europe.
After a poor first season Juventus went on to win the Scudetto in 1984 along with the Cup Winners Cup. Ever the man for the big occasion, Boniek scored twice in the 2-1 win over Porto – his legacy secured as a great.
The following season Boniek was looking forward to the greatest night of his career as Juventus met Livepool in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. As has been well documented, 39 Juventus fans died after crowd trouble involving Liverpool fans. Incredibly, the match went ahead.
Late in the first half, Boniek won the penalty which Platini converted to give Juventus their first ever European Cup. It was a bitter-sweet moment for the Pole.
As it transpired, it would be his last game for Juventus as he moved to Roma that summer. A Coppa Italia final win over Sampdoria gave the Pole his final career medal in 1986 before the summer played host to a disappointing Poland exit at the World Cup in Mexico, departing during the round of 16 after a 4-0 thrashing by Brazil. Boniek retired from football just two years later.
Although his goal scoring record was modest he will always be remembered for his swashbuckling style and scoring big goals in big games for both club and country.
Boniek will always be known as great who paved the way for other Eastern European players to prosper.
