Edmund Jan Zientara was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 football player and manager. As a player, Zientara played as a midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 at both professional and international levels, and participated at the 1960 Summer Olympics

1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

, before becoming a football manager.

Early life

Zientara was born on 25 January 1929 in Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

. His father was Alexander Zientara, a Polish military hero during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Playing career

Zientara made his professional debut in 1947 for Polonia Warsaw, and he also played for Legia Warsaw, Lublinianka and Gwardia Warszawa

Gwardia Warszawa

Gwardia Warszawa is a Polish football club based in Warsaw, Poland. The club was founded in 1948 and is currently playing in the Polish A klasa . It participated in the Polish 1st League between 1953–1960 , 1962–1966 , 1967–1968, 1969–1975, 1978–1979 and 1981–1983...

, before retiring in 1962.

Between 1950 and 1961, Zientara earned forty caps for the Polish national team

Poland national football team

The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...

, including nineteen as captain. He represented Poland at the 1960 Summer Olympics

1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

, making three appearances in the tournament.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Zientara managed a number of Polish club sides, including Legia Warsaw, Pogoń Szczecin

Pogon Szczecin

MKS Pogoń Szczecin is a Polish professional football club, based in Szczecin, Poland. The club was founded by Poles from Lwów , who had been transferred west after the Soviet annexation of Poland's eastern territories in 1945. The founders of Pogoń Szczecin had previously been supporters of Pogoń...

, Stal Mielec

Stal Mielec

Stal Mielec is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. The construction of the club's current stadium, Stadion Stali Mielec at Solskiego 1, was concluded in 1953. Currently the stadium is undergoing a major renovation...

 and Wisła Kraków.

In 1999 he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He died on 3 August 2010 and was buried at the Bródno Cemetery

Bródno Cemetery

Bródno Cemetery is an old cemetery in the Targówek district, in the eastern part of Warsaw, Poland. Occupying an area of , it is the largest cemetery in Warsaw...

in Warsaw.