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Personal Information
| Full Name | Gerard Cieslik |
| Date of Birth | April 27, 1927 |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Role | Striker |
Gerard Cieslik: A Brief Biography
Back in the days when the European football teams were a dominant force, Poland was always deemed as a sleeping giant. Despite having wealth of talent, it did not realize its full potential until 1960s.
Driving the rise of Polish football were veterans like Gerard Cieslik who is considered as one of the finest Polish strikers ever. He was a legend for the Silesian giants, Ruch Chorzow. where he spent his entire club career.
Background
Cieslik was born on 27 April 1927 in Hajduki, a small settlement near Chorzow, Poland.
Rise to glory
Cieslik had an illustrious career for Poland where he scored at a highly prolific rate. He even captained the national team for a few matches. He played over 40 matches It was a pity that he failed to carry Poland to any major tournament like the World Cup.
His most memorable performance for the Poles came against the mighty USSR in October 1957 at the national stadium where he scored a brace to guide his team to a historic victory.
Club career
Cieslik proved to be a one-club player, faithfully serving Ruch Chorzow in his playing career and even after retirement as a coach. He had a 20 years of allegiance with the club and few more years after that as the coach.
Temporarily putting his football on hold, he was drafted by the Wehrmacht (Nazi alliance) during World War II and transferred to Denmark. After the war ended, he led Ruch to three Polish league titles and a cup triumph.
He is a part of the gilded legacy of the Sicilian clubs at a time when Polish football was dominated by Ruch and Gornik Zabrze. He was the league top scorer twice and boasted an immaculate goal record of 167 goals in 237 matches for Ruch.
