Top Goal Scorers For Poland Football Team All-Time: When we talk about the all-time leading goal scorers for the Poland national football team, most people immediately think of Robert Lewandowski. He currently plays for FC Barcelona and is considered one of the greatest Polish football players ever. But he’s not the only one who has made a big impact.
Poland’s national football team has a history of over 100 years, and there have been other players who have left their mark in the record books. It’s important to note that Poland has done well in past World Cups and even won medals at the Olympics.
Top Goal Scorers For Poland Football Team All-Time
In this sense, we bring the list of the 5 Top Goal Scorers For the Poland Football Team All-Time.
1. Robert Lewandowski
- Career Span: 2008–present
- Matches: 144
- Goals: 81
- Average: 0.56
Robert Lewandowski is a fantastic football player. In 2020, he achieved a lot but missed out on the Ballon d’Or due to the pandemic.
He started playing for Poland’s national team in 2008, and in his first game, they won 2-0 against San Marino. Lewandowski scored his first international goal in that match. He’s been the team’s captain since December 2014, taking over from his former teammate Jakub Błaszczykowski.
In 2017, he scored his 50th international goal in a match against Armenia. This made him the all-time leading goal scorer for Poland, surpassing Włodzimierz Lubański’s 37-year-old record.
Lewandowski also played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but despite his efforts, Poland didn’t advance past the group stage. He participated in the 2021 European Championships, where he scored three goals for Poland. However, the team couldn’t progress beyond the group stage.
During the 2022 World Cup, he scored his first World Cup goal against Saudi Arabia and another goal against France in the round of 16. He currently has 81 international goals, making him the highest goal scorer in Poland’s history and the 7th-highest worldwide.
2. Włodzimierz Lubański
- Career Span: 1963–1980
- Matches: 75
- Goals: 48
- Average: 0.64
The second-highest goal scorer for Poland is Włodzimierz Lubański. By 1974, he became Poland’s record national player with 75 games and 48 goals. He was an outstanding goal scorer, leading the Polish league in goals for four consecutive seasons from 1966 to 1969, with impressive goal tallies each year.
In 1972, he captained the Polish team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Munich. With Górnik Zabrze, he won the Polish championship seven times and the national cup six times. In that same year, he was named Footballer of the Year by the newspaper Sport and ranked seventh in the European Footballer of the Year voting.
However, in 1973, Lubański faced a tragic turn in his career when he suffered a severe injury during a World Cup qualifier against England, tearing his cruciate ligament. Despite this setback, Poland managed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in Germany, where they performed remarkably well. They reached the semi-finals but narrowly missed the final. Włodzimierz Lubański is considered one of the best players in Polish football history.
3. Grzegorz Lato
- Career Span: 1971–1984
- Matches: 100
- Goals: 45
- Average: 0.45
Grzegorz Lato is the third-highest goal scorer for Poland and was one of the best strikers in Europe during the 1970s. He had his greatest achievements while playing for the Polish national team, scoring 45 goals for his country. He played his 100th international match for Poland in 1984.
In 1972, he won a gold medal with the Polish national team at the Olympic Games in Munich under the coaching of Kazimierz Górski. This marked a significant success for Polish football and the beginning of a golden era in the 1970s. Lato also played a key role in Poland’s third-place finish at the 1974 World Cup in Germany, scoring the winning goal against Brazil in the third-place match.
Lato participated in the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina and the 1982 World Cup in Spain. In 1982, Poland again secured a third-place finish, this time against France. Lato was known for his speed and agility, despite his small stature, and played as a right winger for the Polish team.
After retiring from playing, Lato became a coach for various Polish clubs, including FKS Stal Mielec, TS Olimpia Poznań, KS Amica Wronki, and KS Widzew Łódź. He also entered politics and served in the Polish Senate for the social democratic party SLD from 2001 to 2005. In 2008, he was elected president of the Polish Football Association PZPN but chose not to seek re-election in 2012 and left office in October 2012.
4. Kazimierz Deyna
- Career Span: 1968–1978
- Matches: 97
- Goals: 41
- Average: 0.42
Kazimierz Deyna is the fourth-highest goal scorer for Poland. He became famous playing for Legia Warsaw and the Polish national team. The national team won Olympic gold in 1972 and came third at the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Many experts consider Deyna one of the best players globally and the finest midfield director in Polish football history.
Although he was a military officer, Deyna wasn’t involved in politics or social organizations. He played for the Polish national team from 1968 to 1978. He made his debut against Turkey in 1968 (Poland won 8-0) and played his last game against Brazil in 1978 (Poland lost 1-3) during the XI. World Cup in Argentina.
After a loss to Argentina, where he missed a crucial penalty, Deyna decided to retire from the Polish national team. Throughout his international career, he played 97 matches and scored 41 goals.
5. Ernest Pol
- Career Span: 1955–1965
- Matches: 46
- Goals: 39
- Average: 0.85
Ernest Pol is the fifth-highest goal scorer for Poland. He played 46 matches for the Polish national team from 1955 to 1965, scoring an impressive 39 goals. One of his notable performances was during the Olympic football tournament in Rome in 1960.
In the first group game against Tunisia, Poland won 6-1, and Pol scored an incredible five goals. However, despite his efforts, Poland lost the following two group matches against Denmark and Argentina, leading to their elimination from the tournament as the third team in the group.
