Kazimierz Deyna


Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation, due to his excellent vision.

Early life

Deyna was born in Starogard Gdański to Franciszek – a dairy worker, and Jadwiga – 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.

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. 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, A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, 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".

International

On 24 April 1968, he made his debut for the national team of Poland 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. Additionally, he was ranked third in the European Footballer of the Year for 1974, behind Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer.
Deyna played for Poland on 97 occasions, scoring 41 goals, and often captained the side. He had the ability to score from unusual positions, for example directly from a corner. Because of his achievements and talents, he was chosen Football Player of the Year several times by Polish fans. In 1978, he captained Poland at the Football World Cup in Argentina, where the team reached the second phase.

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

He 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. He was a 1983 NASL Second Team All Star.
He died in a car accident in San Diego, California, aged 41. In 1994, he was chosen by the Polish Football Association and the readers of all Polish sports-related newspapers as the Polish Football Player of All Time. His number 10 is retired by Legia Warsaw and the Sockers. In June 2012 Kazimierz Deyna was buried in Warsaw's Powązki Military Cemetery.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
120 April 1969Kraków, Poland8–0FIFA World Cup 1970 qualifying
215 June 1969Sofia, Bulgaria1–4FIFA World Cup 1970 qualifying
327 August 1969Łódź, Poland6–1Friendly
412 October 1969Luxembourg, Luxembourg5–1FIFA World Cup 1970 qualifying
512 October 1969Luxembourg, Luxembourg5–1FIFA World Cup 1970 qualifying
69 November 1969Warsaw, Poland3–0FIFA World Cup 1970 qualifying
716 May 1970Kraków, Poland1–1Friendly
82 September 1970Warsaw, Poland5–0Friendly
95 May 1971Lausanne, Switzerland4–2Friendly
1030 August 1972Regensburg, West Germany4–01972 Summer Olympics
113 September 1972Regensburg, West Germany1–11972 Summer Olympics
125 September 1972Augsburg, West Germany2–11972 Summer Olympics
138 September 1972Nürnberg, West Germany5–01972 Summer Olympics
148 September 1972Nürnberg, West Germany5–01972 Summer Olympics
1510 September 1972Munich, West Germany2–11972 Summer Olympics
1610 September 1972Munich, West Germany2–11972 Summer Olympics
1715 October 1972Bydgoszcz, Poland3–0Friendly
1815 October 1972Bydgoszcz, Poland3–0Friendly
1910 October 1973Rotterdam, Netherlands1–1Friendly
2017 April 1974Liège, Belgium1–1Friendly
2119 June 1974Munich, West Germany7–01974 FIFA World Cup
2223 June 1974Stuttgart, West Germany2–11974 FIFA World Cup
2330 June 1974Frankfurt, West Germany2–11974 FIFA World Cup
2426 March 1975Poznań, Poland7–0Friendly
2526 March 1975Poznań, Poland7–0Friendly
2626 March 1975Poznań, Poland7–0Friendly
276 July 1975Montreal, Canada8–1Friendly
286 July 1975Montreal, Canada8–1Friendly
299 July 1975Toronto, Canada4–1Friendly
3022 July 1976Montreal, Canada3–21976 Summer Olympics
3131 October 1976Warsaw, Poland8–0FIFA World Cup 1978 qualifying
3231 October 1976Warsaw, Poland8–0FIFA World Cup 1978 qualifying
3310 July 1977Lima, Peru3–1Friendly
3421 September 1977Chorzów, Poland4–1FIFA World Cup 1978 qualifying
3529 October 1977Chorzów, Poland1–1FIFA World Cup 1978 qualifying
3612 November 1977Wrocław, Poland2–1Friendly
375 April 1978Poznań, Poland5–2Friendly
385 April 1978Poznań, Poland5–2Friendly
3912 April 1978Łódź, Poland3–0Friendly
4010 June 1978Rosario, Argentina3–11978 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Club

Legia Warsaw
Poland