Zbigniew Boniek

Zbigniew Boniek

Early Life and Family

Zbigniew Boniek was born on March 3, 1956, in Bydgoszcz, Poland. This was a small city in the north of Poland. His father, Józef Boniek, was also a football player and later became a football manager. When Zbigniew was a young boy, he loved to play football in the streets with his friends.

At the age of 10, Zbigniew started playing for his local team, Zawisza Bydgoszcz. He was a very talented boy. He went to High School No. 6 in Bydgoszcz, and later he studied at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw. Even when he was studying, he continued to play football because it was his dream to become a professional player.

In 1976, when Boniek was only 20 years old, he married his wife Wiesława. They were very young, but they were in love. The next year, when they were both 21, their first daughter Karolina was born. Later, they had two more children: another daughter called Kamila, and a son called Tomasz.

Club Career

Poland (1973-1982)

Boniek played for Zawisza Bydgoszcz until 1975. Then he moved to a bigger Polish club called Widzew Łódź. He played there for seven years and scored 50 goals in 172 matches. People started to notice that he was a very special player. He was fast, he was clever, and he could score important goals. With Widzew Łódź, Boniek won the Polish Championship two times.

Italy - Juventus (1982-1985)

In 1982, Boniek's life changed. He moved to Italy to play for one of the biggest football clubs in the world: Juventus. This was a very important moment in his career. Moving to Italy was also a big change for his family. At that time, Poland was still behind the "Iron Curtain" (this means it was difficult to travel between Eastern and Western Europe). Boniek left his family in Poland at first, because his daughter Karolina was still in school.

At Juventus, Boniek played with other famous players like Michel Platini from France and Paolo Rossi from Italy. In his first season, Juventus won the Coppa Italia and reached the European Cup Final.

Boniek was very successful at Juventus. Between 1983 and 1985, he helped the team win many important competitions:
- Serie A (the Italian league) - 1984
- Coppa Italia (the Italian cup) - 1983
- European Cup - 1985
- Cup Winners' Cup - 1984 (Boniek scored the winning goal in the final against Porto)
- European Super Cup - 1984 (Boniek scored two goals against Liverpool)

The president of Juventus, Gianni Agnelli, gave Boniek a special nickname: "Bello di Notte" which means "Beautiful at Night" in Italian. This was because Boniek always played his best football in evening matches. The Italian fans loved him.

Italy - AS Roma (1985-1988)

In 1985, Boniek moved to another big Italian team, AS Roma. He played there for three years and won another Coppa Italia in 1986. He stopped playing professional football in 1988, when he was 32 years old. During his time in Italy, Boniek lived there for almost six years, and he made many Italian friends. He often visited his mother in Poland, and she cooked him traditional Polish food like duck and soup.

International Career

Boniek played 80 matches for the Poland national team and scored 24 goals between 1976 and 1988. He was also the captain of the team for several years. He played in three World Cup tournaments: 1978, 1982, and 1986.

1978 World Cup (Argentina)

At his first World Cup in 1978, Boniek was still quite young. He started the tournament as a substitute (this means he sat on the bench at the beginning). But in Poland's match against Mexico, Boniek came on and scored two goals. Poland won 3-1 and finished first in their group. Unfortunately, Poland was knocked out in the second round.

1982 World Cup (Spain)

His best World Cup was in 1982 in Spain. This was the tournament that made Boniek famous all over the world. Poland finished in third place and won the bronze medal. Boniek was the top scorer for Poland at the tournament with four goals.

In one famous match against Belgium, Boniek scored a hat-trick (three goals) and Poland won 3-0. This is still remembered as one of the best performances in World Cup history. Boniek was so good that he was selected for the Team of the Tournament.

After this World Cup, Boniek finished third in the competition for the best European football player of 1982. This was an incredible achievement for a young man from Poland.

1986 World Cup (Mexico)

Boniek played at his third and final World Cup in 1986 in Mexico. By this time, he was one of the most experienced players in the Polish team.

Playing Style

Boniek was a midfielder, but he could also play as a right winger or as a second striker. This means he was very flexible and could help his team in different positions. He was known for:
- Running very fast
- Great dribbling skills (moving the ball past other players)
- Excellent technique
- Scoring important goals in big matches
- Playing with intelligence and creativity

The famous Brazilian footballer Pelé chose Boniek as one of the 100 best living footballers in 2004. Boniek was sometimes called "The Polish Pelé" because he was so talented.

After Football

After he stopped playing, Boniek had many different jobs:

**Coach and Manager**: In the early 1990s, Boniek became a coach for several Italian football clubs. In July 2002, he became the manager of the Poland national team. However, he resigned (stopped the job) in December 2002 after only five matches.

**Business**: Boniek started several private businesses in Poland.

**Football Administrator**: In 2012, Boniek became the chairman of the Polish Football Association. This means he became the leader of all football in Poland. He was very popular because he wanted to make Polish football better. He worked in this position for several years and also became a vice-president of UEFA (the European football organization).

Awards and Recognition

Boniek received many awards and honors during and after his career:
- In 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers
- In 2009, he received the Golden Foot "Legend" award
- In 2018, he became an honorary citizen of Łódź (a city in Poland)
- In 2019, he was named the most influential person in Polish sport
- In 2019, he was voted into Poland's Team of the Century
- In 2019, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame
- He received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (a Polish honor)
- He received the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (an Italian honor)

One interesting fact: A footballer from Honduras called Óscar Boniek García was given the middle name "Boniek" to honor Zbigniew Boniek. García even put "Boniek" on the back of his shirt when he played for Houston.

In 2020, a biography book about Boniek was published in Poland.

Legacy

Zbigniew Boniek is considered one of the greatest Polish football players of all time. He was the first Polish footballer to win a major European competition. He showed that Polish players could be successful in the best European clubs and could compete with the best players in the world.

Today, many young Polish footballers look at Boniek as their hero. He had a wonderful career as a player, and then he continued to work in football after he stopped playing. Many people remember him as a talented, exciting player who always gave 100% on the football field.

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Glossary

**administrator** - a person who manages and organizes something

**achievement** - something good or difficult that someone has done

**biography** - the story of someone's life

**bronze medal** - the medal for third place

**captain** - the leader of a team

**career** - the time when someone does their job or profession

**chairman** - the leader of an organization

**club** - a sports team and organization

**commentator** - a person who talks about sports on TV or radio

**competition** - a contest where people or teams try to win

**dribbling** - moving the ball forward while running with it

**flexible** - able to change or adapt easily

**hat-trick** - when a player scores three goals in one match

**honor** - a special prize or recognition

**honorary citizen** - a special title given to an important person by a city

**inducted** - officially added to a special group

**Iron Curtain** - the imaginary line that divided Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War (approximately 1947-1991)

**legacy** - what someone is remembered for after their career ends

**manager** - a person who leads a team and makes decisions

**match** - a game between two teams

**midfielder** - a player who plays in the middle of the field

**national team** - a team that represents a country

**nickname** - a special name that people call someone

**notice** - to see something or someone

**performance** - how well someone plays or does something

**professional** - doing something as a job (and getting paid for it)

**resigned** - stopped doing a job

**striker** - a player whose main job is to score goals

**substitute** - a player who waits on the bench and can replace another player

**talented** - having natural ability or skill

**technique** - special skills in doing something

**tournament** - a series of matches or games

**traditional** - from the past; following old customs

**vice-president** - a person who helps the president and is second in command

**winger** - a player who plays on the side of the field

**World Cup** - the biggest international football competition, held every four years

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Comprehension Questions

Part A: True or False

Write T (True) or F (False) for each sentence.

1. Zbigniew Boniek was born in Warsaw. ____
2. Boniek's father was also a football player. ____
3. Boniek married when he was 20 years old. ____
4. Boniek played for Juventus for ten years. ____
5. The nickname "Bello di Notte" means "Beautiful at Night." ____
6. Boniek played in two World Cup tournaments. ____
7. Poland won a bronze medal at the 1982 World Cup. ____
8. Boniek scored four goals against Belgium in 1982. ____
9. Pelé chose Boniek as one of the 100 best living footballers. ____
10. Boniek became chairman of the Polish Football Association in 2012. ____

Part B: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer (a, b, or c).

1. What was the name of Boniek's first football club?
- a) Widzew Łódź
- b) Zawisza Bydgoszcz
- c) Juventus

2. How many goals did Boniek score for the Poland national team?
- a) 80 goals
- b) 50 goals
- c) 24 goals

3. Which competition did Boniek win with Juventus in 1984 by scoring the winning goal?
- a) Serie A
- b) Cup Winners' Cup
- c) European Cup

4. What position did Boniek usually play?
- a) Goalkeeper
- b) Defender
- c) Midfielder

5. How many children does Boniek have?
- a) Two
- b) Three
- c) Four

Part C: Short Answer Questions

Answer these questions in 1-3 sentences.

1. When and where was Zbigniew Boniek born?

2. Why did the president of Juventus give Boniek the nickname "Bello di Notte"?

3. What happened in the match between Poland and Belgium at the 1982 World Cup?

4. Name three things that Boniek was good at as a player.

5. What did Boniek do after he stopped playing football? (Give three examples)

Part D: Matching
Match the year with the event. Write the correct letter (a-f) next to each year.

Years:
1. 1956 ____
2. 1976 ____
3. 1982 ____
4. 1985 ____
5. 2012 ____

Events:
- a) Boniek became chairman of the Polish Football Association
- b) Boniek was born in Bydgoszcz
- c) Poland won bronze medal at the World Cup
- d) Boniek moved to AS Roma
- e) Boniek got married
- f) Boniek joined Juventus

Part E: Discussion Questions
(These questions are for speaking or writing longer answers)

1. Why do you think Boniek is considered one of the greatest Polish footballers?

2. What do you think was the most important moment in Boniek's career? Why?

3. Would you like to play football in another country like Boniek did? Why or why not?