21 Facts About Grzegorz Lato

Grzegorz Lato was a member of Poland's golden generation of football players who rose to fame in the 1970s and early 80s.

Grzegorz Lato reached the peak of his career at the 1974 World Cup, where he was the leading scorer and the only Pole to-date to have won the honor.

Grzegorz Lato was finally succeeded by Zbigniew Boniek on 26 October 2012.

Grzegorz Lato arrived at Stal Mielec as a teenager in 1966.

Grzegorz Lato inspired the club's good form with his prolific goal scoring, amassing 111 goals in 272 appearances.

In 1980, having turned 30, Grzegorz Lato was finally free to leave Poland to pursue his career abroad.

Grzegorz Lato ended up receiving a personal invitation from Pele to play for the New York Cosmos.

Grzegorz Lato represented the Poland national team for 13 years during the 1970s and 80s earning a total of 100 caps.

Grzegorz Lato won his first cap under legendary Poland coach Kazimierz Gorski in a qualifying game for the 1972 European Championships against West-Germany.

Grzegorz Lato was able to translate his prolific domestic goal-scoring record onto the international stage, where he became renowned for his striking prowess, especially in big games.

Grzegorz Lato ended the tournament as top goalscorer, having scored 7 goals.

Grzegorz Lato had arguably had been Poland's best player at the 1974 World Cup.

Grzegorz Lato was only able to score one goal, albeit a decisive one against Tunisia.

Grzegorz Lato was 32 by the time Poland qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

Grzegorz Lato's age was getting the better of him and he lacked the electrifying pace that defined his earlier career.

Grzegorz Lato won medals at two Summer Olympics football competitions: a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Grzegorz Lato had an impressive goal scoring record of 0.43 goals per game.

Grzegorz Lato then returned to his old club Stal Mielec before coaching several other Polish clubs: Olimpia Poznan and Amica Wronki.

Grzegorz Lato, as a member of Democratic Left Alliance, was a Polish Senator for the Rzeszow region, between 2001 and 2005.

Grzegorz Lato did not seek reelection and was replaced by Zbigniew Boniek, in October 2012.

Grzegorz Lato was not renowned as a crowd pleaser, but rather as a consistent team player.