Grzegorz Lato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grzegorz Lato
Lato in 1979
Member of Senate
In office 20 October 2001 – 18 October 2005
Preceded by	Józef Frączek
Succeeded by	Władysław Ortyl
25th President of the PZPN
In office 30 October 2008 – 26 October 2012
Preceded by	Michal Listkiewicz
Succeeded by	Zbigniew Boniek
Personal details
Born	(1950-04-08) 8 April 1950 (age 75) Malbork, Poland
Political party	Democratic Left Alliance
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Occupation	Footballer (retired) Football manager (retired) Politician Football administrator
Association football career Position(s) Winger Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 1966–1980 Stal Mielec 295 (117) 1980–1982 Lokeren 64 (12) 1982–1984 Atlante 45 (16) Total 404 (145) International career 1971–1984 Poland 100 (45) Managerial career 1988–1990 North York Rockets 1991–1993 Stal Mielec 1993–1995 Olimpia Poznań 1995–1996 Amica Wronki 1996–1997 Stal Mielec 1997 AO Kavala 1999 Widzew Łódź Medal record Men's football Representing  Poland FIFA World Cup Third 1974 West Germany Third 1982 Spain Olympic Games Gold 1972 Munich Team Silver 1976 Montreal Team *Club domestic league appearances and goals

Copy of G. Lato's medal and autograph in the Sports Star Avenue in Dziwnów

Grzegorz Bolesław Lato (born 8 April 1950) is a famous Polish former football player and manager. He played as a winger, which is a player who runs down the sides of the field. Lato was a key part of Poland's "golden generation" of football players in the 1970s and early 1980s.

He played for Poland in five major tournaments. He won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He also helped Poland finish third at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. His best moment was at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where he was the top scorer. He is the only Polish player to have won this award. In 1981, he was named the Polish Footballer of the Year. After his playing career, he also managed several football clubs.

Lato was also a politician. He served as a Polish Senator for the Rzeszów region from 2001 to 2005. Later, he became the president of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) from 2008 to 2012. During his time as president, Poland co-hosted the Euro 2012 football tournament. The stadium in Mielec, Poland, is named after him.

Playing for Clubs

Stal Mielec Success

Grzegorz Lato was born in Malbork, Poland. He joined the club Stal Mielec when he was a teenager in 1966. For the next 14 years, he helped Stal Mielec become one of the best teams in Polish football. He led them from the Second Division to the top league.

During his time there, Stal Mielec won the Ekstraklasa (the Polish First-Division league) twice, in 1973 and 1976. They also played regularly in European competitions. Their biggest success was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1975-76 UEFA Cup. Lato was a great goal scorer for the club, scoring 111 goals in 272 games. He was the top scorer in the Ekstraklasa in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seasons.

Playing Abroad

In 1980, when Lato turned 30, he was allowed to leave Poland to play for clubs in other countries. He received an invitation from the legendary player Pelé to play for the New York Cosmos. However, Lato decided to play for K.S.C. Lokeren in Belgium. He scored 12 goals in two seasons there.

In 1982, Lato moved to Atlante F.C. in Mexico, where he scored 15 goals. He also played one match in Canada in 1984. For the rest of the 1980s, he played amateur football for Polonia Hamilton in Canada. He officially retired from football in 1991.

Playing for Poland

Grzegorz Lato played for the Poland national football team for 13 years, from the 1970s to the 1980s. He played 100 games for his country. He earned his first cap (which means playing his first game for the national team) in 1971. He was known for scoring important goals in big international matches.

World Cup Adventures

1974 World Cup

Lato (left) at the 1974 World Cup during a match against Brazil

The 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany was the highlight of Lato's career. Poland was in a tough group with Argentina, Italy, and Haiti. Lato made an immediate impact. In Poland's first game against Argentina, he scored two goals, helping Poland win 3–2. Poland then beat Haiti 7–0, with Lato scoring two more goals. Finally, Poland defeated Italy 2–1, winning their group without losing a game.

In the second round, Poland faced West Germany, Sweden, and Yugoslavia. Lato continued his excellent form. Poland beat Sweden 1–0 and Yugoslavia 2–1, with Lato scoring the winning goals in both matches. The final game of this round was against West Germany. The winner would go to the final, and the loser would play for third place. Poland played well, but Lato couldn't score, and they lost 1–0. This was their only loss in the tournament.

Poland's last game was the third-place playoff against Brazil. Lato scored the only goal in a close game, leading Poland to a bronze medal finish. He ended the tournament as the top goalscorer with 7 goals.

1978 World Cup

At the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, Lato couldn't quite repeat his amazing performance from 1974. In the first round, Poland drew 0–0 with West Germany and won against Tunisia (1–0) and Mexico (3–1). Lato scored only one goal, but it was the winning goal against Tunisia.

In the second round, Poland was in a very difficult group with Argentina and Brazil, who were both favorites to win the tournament, and Peru. Lato scored only one goal in this round, against Brazil. Poland finished third in their group and were eliminated. Lato played in all 6 of Poland's games but scored only 2 goals in total.

1982 World Cup

By the time of the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Lato was 32 years old. He was not as fast as he used to be, but he was still an important player. He scored one goal in Poland's 5–1 win against Peru in the first round. A new generation of Polish players, like Zbigniew Boniek, had emerged and were scoring many goals.

Even without many goals, Lato still contributed to the team. Poland reached the third-place playoff again, this time against France. They won 3–2, and Lato earned another bronze World Cup medal.

Olympic Games Success

Lato also won two medals at the Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Four years later, he won a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

His last game for Poland was on 17 April 1984, a friendly match against Belgium. He played 100 games for Poland and scored 45 goals. This makes him one of the top goalscorers in Poland's national team history. He was also the first Polish player to reach 100 international games.

Life After Playing Football

Managerial Career

After retiring as a player, Grzegorz Lato became a football coach. He graduated from the Polish Football Association's School of Coaches in 1996. He first coached in Canada for North York Rockets from 1988 to 1990. He then returned to his old club, Stal Mielec, for two different periods (1991–1993 and 1996–1997). He also coached other Polish clubs like Olimpia Poznań and Amica Wronki. He had a short time coaching in Greece for AO Kavala before returning to Poland and retiring from managing with Widzew Łódź in 1999.

Political and Football Leadership Roles

Lato was a member of the Democratic Left Alliance political party. He served as a Polish Senator for the Rzeszów region from 2001 to 2005.

In October 2008, he was elected President of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), which is the main organization for football in Poland. As president, he oversaw the Euro 2012 tournament, which Poland co-hosted. He did not seek re-election and was replaced by Zbigniew Boniek in October 2012.

On 29 November 2023, the Mielec City Council honored Lato by naming the Mielec Municipal Stadium after him. A special plaque was unveiled on 23 July 2024 to celebrate this honor.

How He Played

Grzegorz Lato was a very talented right-winger known for his amazing speed. He always performed well in important international games. He wasn't known for fancy tricks, but he was a very reliable team player. He had great awareness on the field and could play in different positions, often as a forward. These qualities helped him succeed both for his clubs and for the national team.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

International Goals Scored

Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lato goal.

List of international goals scored by Grzegorz Lato

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	19 August 1973	Varna, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2				2–0
3	26 September 1973	Chorzów, Poland	Wales	2–0	3–0	1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	15 May 1974	Warsaw, Poland	Greece	1–0	2–0	Friendly
5	15 June 1974	Stuttgart, West Germany	Argentina	1–0	3–2	1974 FIFA World Cup
6				3–1
7	19 June 1974	Munich, West Germany	Haiti	1–0	7–0	1974 FIFA World Cup
8				7–0
9	26 June 1974	Stuttgart, West Germany	Sweden	1–0	1–0	1974 FIFA World Cup
10	30 June 1974	Frankfurt, West Germany	Yugoslavia	2–1	2–1	1974 FIFA World Cup
11	6 July 1974	Munich, West Germany	Brazil	1–0	1–0	1974 FIFA World Cup
12	1 September 1974	Helsinki, Finland	Finland	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
13	4 September 1974	Warsaw, Poland	East Germany	1–0	1–3	Friendly
14	9 October 1974	Poznań, Poland	Finland	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
15	26 March 1975	Poznań, Poland	United States	1–0	7–0	Friendly
16				5–0
17	28 May 1975	Halle, East Germany	East Germany	1–0	2–1	Friendly
18	24 June 1975	Seattle, United States	United States	2–0	4–0	Friendly
19	6 July 1975	Montreal, Canada	Canada	2–0	8–1	Friendly
20				5–1
21				8–1
22	10 September 1975	Chorzów, Poland	Netherlands	1–0	4–1	UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
23	25 July 1976	Montreal, Canada	North Korea	3–0	5–0	1976 Summer Olympics
24				5–0
25	31 July 1976	Montreal, Canada	East Germany	1–2	1–3	1976 Summer Olympics
26	16 October 1976	Porto, Portugal	Portugal	1–0	2–0	1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
27				2–0
28	15 May 1977	Limassol, Cyprus	Cyprus	1–1	3–1	1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
29	29 May 1977	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	1–0	1–3	Friendly
30	12 June 1977	La Paz, Bolivia	Bolivia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
31	7 September 1977	Volgograd, Soviet Union	Soviet Union	1–2	1–4	Friendly
32	21 September 1977	Chorzów, Poland	Denmark	2–0	4–1	1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
33	5 April 1978	Poznań, Poland	Greece	1–0	5–2	Friendly
34	26 April 1978	Warsaw, Poland	Bulgaria	1–0	1–0	Friendly
35	6 June 1978	Rosario, Argentina	Tunisia	1–0	1–0	1978 FIFA World Cup
36	21 June 1978	Mendoza, Argentina	Brazil	1–1	1–3	1978 FIFA World Cup
37	6 September 1978	Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
38	21 March 1979	Algiers, Algeria	Algeria	1–0	1–0	Friendly
39	4 April 1979	Chorzów, Poland	Hungary	1–0	1–1	Friendly
40	29 August 1979	Warsaw, Poland	Romania	1–0	3–0	Friendly
41	26 March 1980	Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–2	1–2	Friendly
42	4 April 1980	Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	1–2	1–2	Friendly
43	22 June 1980	Warsaw, Poland	Iraq	2–0	3–0	Friendly
44	29 June 1980	São Paulo, Brazil	Brazil	1–0	1–1	Friendly
45	22 June 1982	A Coruña, Spain	Peru	2–0	5–1	1982 FIFA World Cup

Awards and Honors

Lato's star in Władysławowo, pictured in 2006

With Clubs

• Stal Mielec
  • Ekstraklasa (Polish First-Division): 1972–73, 1975–76
  • Polish Cup finalist: 1976
• Lokeren SC
  • Belgian Cup finalist: 1981
• Atlante F.C.
  • CONCACAF Champions Cup: 1983

With Poland National Team

• Olympic gold medal: 1972
• Olympic silver medal: 1976
• FIFA World Cup third place: 1974, 1982

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe (top scorer): 1974
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974
• Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 1977, 1981
• Sport Player of the Year: 1974, 1977
• Ekstraklasa top scorer: 1972–73, 1974–75
• World XI (best players in the world): 1974, 1975
• Sport Ideal European XI: 1974, 1975
• Polish Football Association National Team of the Century: 1919–2019

National Honors

• Gold Cross of Merit: 1972
• Polish Football Association Golden Badge: 1972
• Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta: 1974
• Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta: 1982

See also

In Spanish: Grzegorz Lato para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more international games