Władysław Szczepaniak (19 May 1910 – 6 May 1979) was a Polish footballer. He served as the captain of Polonia Warsaw, a club with which he became a prominent symbol. Szczepaniak also represented the Poland national team.
Football career
Szczepaniak made his debut in 1928 as a forward player. After a few years he moved to defense, becoming one of the pillars of Polonia's team as well as its captain.
His debut for the Poland national team occurred in 1930, during a game against Sweden. His career lasted for almost 20 years. His last game, in 1947, was also against Sweden.
Szczepaniak had a toal of 34 caps for the national team, and in most matches was the captain. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics, where Poland finished fourth.[1] Also, he was captain in the 1938 FIFA World Cup game of Poland against Brazil. The game was played on 5 June 1938 in Strasbourg, France which Poland lost 5–6.
During the Second World War, he took part in unofficial football championships, despite the fact that the German occupying forces had forbidden the Poles to organise football matches. Under his leadership, the Polonia underground team became the champion of the Warsaw district in 1942 and 1943.[2]
^Thomas Urban, "Football 'Only for Germans', in the Underground and in Auschwitz: Championships in Occupied Poland“, in European Football During the Second World War. Ed. M. Herzog/F. Brändle. Oxford 2018, p. 373.
