Leonard Piatek
Encyclopedia
Leonard Franciszek Piątek (born Leonard Franz Piontek, October 13, 1913 in Królewska Huta
- July 1, 1967) was a Polish
football
player of Upper Silesian origin who played in the interwar period.
A hard-working and ambitious forward, Piontek was the top scorer for Polish first division vice-champions in 1937 and went on to lead the league the following season with 21 goals.
He represented Poland on the country's national side in 16 games from 1937 to 1939, scoring 11 goals. He scored twice in Poland's 4:0 win over Yugoslavia
in a World Cup qualifier and took part in the legendary 1938 FIFA World Cup
match against Brazil
in (Strasbourg
, France
on June 5, 1938 (5:6 Brazil). Piontek also scored a goal in the last international match played in Poland before the outbreak of World War II
, a 4:2 victory over Hungary
on August 27, 1939.
Piontek signed the Volksliste
(German Nationality List) after the Nazi invasion of Poland which allowed him to continue his footballing career. His club AKS Chorzów was now playing as Germania Königshütte and with Piontek as their key player the team dominated the first division Gauliga Schlesien – part of the German football league system – throughout the early '40s far outperforming state-supported rivals 1. FC Katowice
.
After World War II
, Piontek had changed his last name to Piątek (a Polonized version). He played at AKS Chorzów until the end of 1947-season and moved to Pogon Katowice and played there 1947-1950.
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
- July 1, 1967) 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
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player of Upper Silesian origin who played in the interwar period.
A hard-working and ambitious forward, Piontek was the top scorer for Polish first division vice-champions in 1937 and went on to lead the league the following season with 21 goals.
He represented Poland on the country's national side in 16 games from 1937 to 1939, scoring 11 goals. He scored twice in Poland's 4:0 win over Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in a World Cup qualifier and took part in the legendary 1938 FIFA World Cup
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
match against Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in (Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on June 5, 1938 (5:6 Brazil). Piontek also scored a goal in the last international match played in Poland before the outbreak of 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...
, a 4:2 victory over Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
on August 27, 1939.
Piontek signed the Volksliste
Volksliste
The Deutsche Volksliste was a Nazi institution whose purpose was the classification of inhabitants of German occupied territories into categories of desirability according to criteria systematized by Heinrich Himmler. The institution was first established in occupied western Poland...
(German Nationality List) after the Nazi invasion of Poland which allowed him to continue his footballing career. His club AKS Chorzów was now playing as Germania Königshütte and with Piontek as their key player the team dominated the first division Gauliga Schlesien – part of the German football league system – throughout the early '40s far outperforming state-supported rivals 1. FC Katowice
1. FC Katowice
1. FC Kattowitz was an ethnically German association football club playing in what was Kattowitz, Silesia Province in Germany and was active during the inter-war period and World War II when the two countries struggled over control of the region...
.
After 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...
, Piontek had changed his last name to Piątek (a Polonized version). He played at AKS Chorzów until the end of 1947-season and moved to Pogon Katowice and played there 1947-1950.
See also
- Polish Roster in World Cup Soccer France 1938