Juventus legend and former Poland international Zbigniew Boniek is one of the most powerful men in football. But how much do you know about the UEFA vice-president as he turns 66 today?
Born in the northern city of Bydgoszcz, Boniek came through the academy of local club Zawisza Bydgoszcz, before being promoted to the first team squad in 1973. He would make 41 league appearances, scoring 14 goals for his hometown team, with his performances resulting in a move to Widzew Lodz in 1975.
A talented midfielder with an eye for goal, Boniek helped Widzew to their first ever Polish league title in 1981, which the club retained the following season. He made his international debut six years earlier, while his first taste of widespread international recognition came on the back of a brace against Mexico at the 1978 World Cup.
Boniek was a more established figure by the time the next edition rolled around. After Poland shared goalless draws with eventual champions Italy and Cameroon in their opening two group games, the midfielder shone with a goal in a 5-1 victory over Peru to top Group 1, before a Boniek hat-trick against Belgium in the second group stage saw the White and Reds secure their place in the semi-finals.
Italy legend Paolo Rossi hit a brace to send the Azzurri into the final against West Germany, but Boniek’s performances in being named in the World Cup’s team of the tournament caught the attention of Serie A clubs. Juventus made their move for a 26-year-old talent in his prime, bringing him to Turin during the same summer as Michel Platini.
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Boniek starred alongside the French playmaker at the Stadio Comunale for three years, winning the Coppa Italia in 1983. The following year the Bianconeri scooped the Scudetto, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup, before going on to claim the continent’s biggest prize by winning the European Cup for the first time in their history in 1985.
Despite the horrific circumstances of the Heysel Stadium disaster, that final against Liverpool would prove to be the zenith of Boniek’s playing career. He left Juve for Roma that same year, spending three years in the capital before calling it a day in 1988. There was another piece of silverware to celebrate in 1986 though, as Boniek’s first season in Rome ended in Coppa Italia glory.
Although he didn’t feature for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side in either leg of the final, the Pole did play five times in that season’s competition. It meant he won a major piece of silverware in six successive seasons, an impressive haul that saw him come third in the voting for the 1982 Ballon d’Or, which was won by Paolo Rossi.
Boniek was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2019, becoming the ninth foreign player to receive that honour. Given the likes of Marco van Basten, Gabriel Batistuta, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo and Ruud Gullit preceded him, as well as former Old Lady team mate Platini, the Pole keeps incredibly esteemed company on that particular list.
Just like Platini though, there have been controversies off the pitch since Boniek retired from playing. Despite being an admired figure in his home country after being named chairman of the Polish Football Association in 2012, there have been some unsavoury moments along the way.
Although he has gained popularity among Polish ultras for legalising flares in stadiums, his comments in reaction to the sanctions handed out to Lech Poznan in the wake of a racist banner displayed during a match in Sarajevo in 2015 cannot be ignored. Boniek hit out at anti-racism organisations in the aftermath of the incident, referring to them as “snitches” and “spies”, in what represents a significant low point of his professional career.
Despite that, Boniek is still regarded as one of the greatest Eastern Europeans to have ever played the game. Former Juventus president, Gianni Agnelli, nicknamed him ‘Bello di Notte’ – Beauty at Night – thanks to his ability to produce top performances on European nights. A fast and tireless runner who thrived when handed a free role that allowed him to ghost between the lines, he could play in midfield or more advanced positions, either out wide or through the middle.
Boniek was also known for his dribbling ability, technique and creativity, while his clever movement was the perfect accompaniment for his pace and intelligence. Not only was he recognised for his ever-present moustache, but he was even referred to by Maradona as the best counter-attacking player in the world due to his intuitive runs, powerful frame and clinical finishing with both feet and his head.
A move into coaching yielded less impressive results than his playing career. Boniek managed exclusively in Italy in club football, having short stints at Lecce, Bari, Sambenedettese and Avellino. He would take six years out of the limelight before a short spell as the manager of the Poland national team, later deciding that a career in football administration was the path he would follow.
Now part of UEFA’s executive committee as one of seven vice-presidents operating under Aleksander Ceferin, Boniek must show the sort of diplomacy and commitment to equality that was lacking seven years ago.
A man who can certainly be described as forthcoming and outright, Boniek is known for his straight talking. His take on last year’s doomed European Super League conspiracy? ‘It is useless to lock up the best teams in Europe in their own league if some of them can’t even win against little Atalanta.’
Ignoring La Dea’s indigence with that particular comment, if the man in the mirror has managed to successfully develop his character in the years since his ill-judged comments regarding the Lech Poznan affair – and still retains a burning ambition to progress his administrative career in the way he became one of the world’s best players – Zbigniew Boniek is a 66-year-old to keep an eye out for in the years to come at the very top of UEFA.
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