Andrzej Szarmach (Polish pronunciation: [ˈandʐɛj ˈʂarmax]; born 3 October 1950) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Prior to the 1974 FIFA World Cup, he was virtually unknown. He played in the Poland national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s. With Grzegorz Lato at his right, Robert Gadocha at his left, and Kazimierz Deyna in support, Szarmach profited from the absence of Włodzimierz Lubański to lead the Polish attack, the best at 1974 World Cup, with sixteen goals. While Lato finished first in the Cup in goals with seven, Szarmach, with five goals, also marked the competition with his imprint. He confirmed his status two years later at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, winning the silver medal and the title of best player of the tournament, with nine goals.
Jowled and moustached, the Polish attacker had a Gallic quality and thus easily fit in at AJ Auxerre. He won the favour of Guy Roux and of the Burgundian public, by scoring 94 goals between 1980 and 1985. After a brief period at Guingamp and a total of 32 goals in 61 games with the Poland national team, Szarmach began his career as a manager, in particular managing Clermont-Ferrand, then Châteauroux in the second division.
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Szarmach goal.
Honours
Poland
- Olympic silver medal: 1976
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1974, 1982
Individual
- Olympic top scorer: 1976
- French Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year: 1981, 1982
References
- Barreaud, Marc (1998). Dictionnaire des footballeurs étrangers du championnat professionnel français (1932-1997). L'Harmattan, Paris. ISBN 2-7384-6608-7.
External links
- Andrzej Szarmach at WorldFootball.net
