Marek Sebastian Leśniak (born 29 February 1964) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker.[1] A prolific goalscorer, he was successful in his country in the 1980s, and then had a career in Germany which spanned nearly 20 years, broken by a half-year stint in Switzerland. In 1993, he won the Polish Footballer of the Year Award presented by the Piłka Nożna football weekly.[2]
Career
Leśniak was born in Goleniów. He started his professional career with Pogoń Szczecin, topping the Ekstraklasa goal charts in 1986–87, for a final runner-up position. In 1988, he moved abroad, with German side Bayer Leverkusen, starting his stint of well by scoring three Bundesliga goals in his first six games.
After a couple of solid seasons, Leśniak lost his importance in the side after the arrival of Ulf Kirsten, eventually leaving in 1992 to SG Wattenscheid 09, totalling 25 goals in three seasons. He continued to play in the country until 2006, aged 42, in various levels. From 2002 to 2005, he also acted as player-coach for SSVg Velbert.
Career statistics
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1986 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | 7 | 5 | |
| 1988 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 7 | 5 | |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 10 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leśniak goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 March 1987 | Stadion Miejski, Rybnik, Poland |  Finland |
2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2 September 1987 | Zawisza Bydgoszcz Stadium, Bydgoszcz, Poland |  Romania |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 3–0 | |||||
| 4 | 23 September 1987 | Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland |  Hungary |
3–1 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 5 | 11 November 1987 | Makario Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 6 | 13 April 1993 | Stadion Radomiaka Radom, Radom, Poland | Finland |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2–0 | |||||
| 8 | 19 May 1993 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 2–0 | |||||
| 10 | 17 November 1993 | Stadion Miejski, Poznań, Poland |  Netherlands |
1–1 | 1–3 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Poland U20
- FIFA World Youth Championship third place: 1983[3]
Individual
- Polish Newcomer of the Year: 1983[4]
- Piłka Nożna Polish Footballer of the Year: 1993[4]
- Ekstraklasa top scorer: 1986–87[3]
References
- ^ "Marek Lesniak". Kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "Player of the year – Poland". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Marek Leśniak". 90minut.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Laureaci". pilkanozna.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 16 July 2024.
External links
- Marek Leśniak at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- Marek Leśniak at Soccerway
- Marek Leśniak at National-Football-Teams.com
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| National | |
