- Władysław Żmuda
Władysław Antoni Żmuda (born June 6, 1954 in
Lublin ) is a retired Polish football defender, who played for clubs such asŚląsk Wrocław ,Widzew Łódź ,Hellas Verona ,New York Cosmos andUS Cremonese Club
He spent six years patiently learning his trade with his first club
Motor Lublin before finally spreading his wings in 1973 and switching toGwardia Warsaw , the Polish capital's second club. The 19-year-old Zmuda was instrumental in Gwardia'sUEFA Cup campaign of 1973/74 where they narrowly lost out to eventual winnersFeyenoord . Zmuda the pursued his career in Poland withŚląsk Wrocław and laterWidzew Łódź before Italian clubHellas Verona secured permission to sign him from Poland in 1982. After two injury-plagued seasons at Verona, Zmuda spent a brief spell withNew York Cosmos before returning to Italy withUS Cremonese , playing two of his three seasons with the club in Serie B. Zmuda ended his playing career in 1988.1971-1973 Motor Lublin1973-1975 Gwardia Warsaw1975-1979 Śląsk Wrocław1979-1982 Widzew Łódź1982-1984 Hellas Verona1984-1985 New York Cosmos1985-1988 US Cremonese
National team
He played for Polish national team, for which he earned 91 caps and scored 2 goals.
Żmuda was a participant at the
1974 FIFA World Cup , where Poland won the third place and he was named as Best Young Player of the tournament;1978 FIFA World Cup ;1982 FIFA World Cup , where Poland won the third place again and1986 FIFA World Cup .He played a total of 21 matches at the World Cup finals, which (tied with
Uwe Seeler andDiego Maradona ) is the third most appearances ever, behind onlyLothar Matthaus andPaolo Maldini . His four tournaments, in 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986, place him second in the all-time rankings behindAntonio Carbajal and Lothar Matthaus and level with such legendary names asPelé , Diego Maradona andGianni Rivera .He was also a participant at
1976 Summer Olympics , where Poland won the silver medal.
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