Antoni Gałecki
Antoni Gałecki was a Polish football player and defender who represented ŁKS Łódź. He also played on the Polish National Team during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and Poland's 1938 FIFA World Cup lone match against Brazil.
Born in Łódź, Galecki joined the LKS Łódź team in 1922, becoming its key defender four years later. Gałecki represented this team until 1939, participating in more than 400 games. In many of them, he was the team captain.
He wore the Polish National Team jersey for 22 games. His debut took place on October 27, 1928, in Prague, against Czechoslovakia.
During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Gałecki was a key defender on the Polish team, participating in all games. Poland finished in 4th place.
In 1937-38 Gałecki played in qualifying matches for the 1938 World Cup football match. In Warsaw, Poland beat Yugoslavia 4–0. In the second leg, in Belgrade, the Poles lost 0–1, but Poland qualified due to the goals advantage. Gałecki represented Poland in a legendary World Cup game against Brazil on June 5, 1938, in Strasbourg, France. The Poles lost 5–6, but the match is to this day regarded as one of the best performances of the Polish National Team.
Called to active military duty in August 1939, Gałecki fought in the September 1939 Campaign. He was held prisoner in a POW camp in Eger, Hungary, but managed to escape through Yugoslavia and Greece and reached Palestine, where he became a soldier of the Polish 2nd Corps. Gałecki fought at Tobruk and Monte Cassino. After the war, Gałecki returned to his hometown in 1947.
He died in Łódź.
