Zygfryd Szołtysik

Who is Zygfryd Szołtysik?

Zygrfryd Szołtysik was a Polish footballer playing most of his career in Górnik Zabrze. He carried the nickname 'Zyga' or 'Mały'.

Szołtysik emerged as football player in a Polish club Zryw Chorzów notorious, at that time, for an excellent work with young players. He was soon visited by representatives of Górnik Zabrze and contracted to the club, in 1962, he would turned out be a legend in the coming years. Having spent 16 years in Zabrze, the time interrupted merely for a season in Valenciennes FC, he accounted for 395 matches in Polish league, the number that makes him the club leader of that classification. Even more impressive, the total number of games for Górnik's colors exceeds 500 matches. He was indispensable member of team which claimed seven titles in the Polish Ekstraklasa, six victories in the Polish Cup, and above all the only European final ever achieved by a Polish football club. He boasts of 124 goals for Górnik Zabrze including 91 in the league.

He made a debut to the National Team in 1963 in the play against Norway, won 9:0, which had proved to be the highest victory of Poland for almost half century. He belongs to the very narrow group that scored two goals in the first match for Poland. Two years before he had won second place in the European Youth Championships. But the greatest achievements were yet to come. The Polish football team qualified to Olympic Games in 1972. In a day following the tragic events of Munich massacre, Poland played a decisive match against Soviet Union. While the Soviet team was prevailing over Poland, the team coach, Kazimierz Górski decided upon bringing Szołtysik to the game. He quickly turned the tide into the favor of Poland, scoring the decisive goal that gave Poland victory 2:1. After defeating Hungary in the final, Poland secured the gold medal. He ended up international career the same year with the final standings of 46 games and 10 goals.