Gerard Cieślik (27 April 1927 – 3 November 2013), also known as Gienek, was a Polish footballer who played as a striker. Playing for the Poland national team, he is most noted for having scored two goals against the Soviet Union on 20 October 1957 at Stadion Śląski. The rather small striker (163 cm, 59 kg) was capped 45 times and scored 27 goals.[2][3] He also played for Poland at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[4]
Biography
Born in Hajduki Wielkie,[5] now a part of Chorzów, he spent his entire career with Ruch, from July 1939 to June 1959, a tenure which included victory in the 1951 Polish Cup, and three Ekstraklasa titles (1951, 1952, 1953). In total, he scored 177 goals for Ruch. He became the club's coach and scout in 1959, and having never cut ties with the team, is seen as a great example of loyalty within the Polish game.
He was drafted to Wehrmacht 1944–45 and transferred to Denmark.[6]
In 2003, after a particular group of Ruch fans controversially displayed a banner with the German name for Upper Silesia, Cieslik expressed his opposition to the banner and urged the fans to respect the memory of the club's founders who had been patriots and participated in the Silesian Uprisings against German rule of Silesia.[7]
In 2006, the documentary film Das Alphabet von Gerard Cieślik was presented by Antena Górnośląska as part of the exhibition Oberschlesier in der deutschen und polnischen Fußballnationalmannschaft – gestern und heute. Sport und Politik in Oberschlesien im 20. Jahrhundert[8] covering Upper Silesians who played for the Poland national team and/or the Germany national team.
