Former Polish international striker Wlodzimierz Smolarek has died at the age of 54, the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) announced on Wednesday.
"We've lost one of the greatest players in the history of Polish football," said PZPN president Grzegorz Lato, who did not reveal details of the death of Smolarek.
Smolarek won 60 caps for Poland between 1980 and 1990, scoring 13 goals, and was a member of the team that finished third at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
He won two Polish league titles with Widzew Lodz, as well as playing for Legia Warsaw, and finished his career with a record of 65 goals in 199 matches in the Polish top flight.
He left Poland to join German side Eintracht Frankfurt in 1986 and went on to play for Dutch clubs Feyenoord and FC Utrecht.
After hanging up his boots, he coached junior teams at Feyenoord and was recently engaged as a youth scout by the Polish federation.
He was the father of the Poland international Euzebiusz 'Ebi' Smolark, who currently plays for ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands.
Source: AFP
