Gerard Wodarz

Who was Gerard Wodarz?

Gerard Wodarz was one of the best soccer players of interwar Poland. He was a multiple champion of the country and also played 28 games on the Polish national football team, scoring 9 goals.

He was born in 1913 in Wielkie Hajduki, and died in 1982 in his hometown.

Wodarz was a left-wing forward player. His career started in Ruch Wielkie Hajduki, in which he played in the years 1926-1939 and after the war, in 1946-47. Together with Ernest Wilimowski and Teodor Peterek, was part of one of the best forward formations in the history of Ruch. In 183 games he scored 51 goals, and for five times was the Champion of Poland.

On the national team of Poland he took part in 31 games. His debut occurred on October 2, 1932 in Bucharest, against Romania. Wodarz participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he scored 5 goals. Also, he represented Poland during one of the most famous games in Polish soccer history - against Brazil in Strasbourg, France, during the 1938 Football World Cup.