Włodzimierz Wojciech Smolarek (16 July 1957 – 7 March 2012) was a Polish footballer who played as a winger or an attacking midfielder.
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. In 1984 and 1986, he won the Polish Footballer of the Year Award of the Piłka Nożna football weekly.
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. 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.
In October 2009, Smolarek was hired by the Polish Football Association to oversee the national side's youth program.
Career statistics Club +Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsLegia Warsaw1977–78Ekstraklasa3000—301978–79Ekstraklasa15422—176Total18422—206Widzew Łódź1978–79Ekstraklasa40——401979–80Ekstraklasa269202Appearances in UEFA Cup03091980–81Ekstraklasa25620613371981–82Ekstraklasa2810302Appearances in European Cup233121982–83Ekstraklasa2010105126111983–84Ekstraklasa23821302891984–85Ekstraklasa298624139111985–86Ekstraklasa2610212Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup03011Total1816118424522370Eintracht Frankfurt1986–87Bundesliga30431—3351987–88Bundesliga33962—3911Total631393—7216Feyenoord1988–89Eredivisie3110?2—31+121989–90Eredivisie153?01016+3Total4613?21047+15Utrecht1989–90Eredivisie150——1501990–91Eredivisie3211?1—32+121991–92Eredivisie318?14335+121992–93Eredivisie33923—35121993–94Eredivisie30111—3121994–95Eredivisie233?0—23+31995–96Eredivisie20?0—2+0Total16632?643173+41Career total47412332+17298535+148
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsPoland19803119819419828219835119841121985101198681198731198820199210Total6013
Poland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Smolarek goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Włodzimierz Smolarek No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 7 December 1980 Empire Stadium, Gżira, Malta 1–0 2–0 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 10 October 1981 Zentrastadion, Leipzig, East Germany 2–0 3–2 3 3–1 3–2 4 15 November 1981 Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland 2–0 6–0 5 4–0 6–0 6 22 June 1982 Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain 1–0 5–1 1982 FIFA World Cup 7 8 September 1982 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland 1–0 3–2 UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying 8 17 April 1983 10th-Anniversary Stadium, Warsaw, Poland 1–0 1–1 9 17 October 1984 Municipal Stadium, Zabrze, Poland 1–1 3–1 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification 10 31 October 1984 Municipal Stadium, Mielec, Poland 1–0 2–2 11 19 May 1985 Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece 1–0 4–1 12 7 June 1986 Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup 13 17 May 1987 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary 2–1 3–5 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
Personal life Smolarek was married to Zdzisława, 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.
Smolarek died of a heart attack on 7 March 2012 at the age of 54, in his hometown, Aleksandrów Łódzki.
Honours Widzew Łódź Ekstraklasa: 1980–81, 1981–82 Polish Cup: 1984–85
Eintracht Frankfurt DFB-Pokal: 1987–88
Poland FIFA World Cup third place: 1982
Individual Order of Polonia Restituta Knight's Cross Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 1984, 1986
References
External links