Grzegorz Lato

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Records

Grzegorz Lato is one of the most decorated players in Polish football history. He is the only Pole to have won the World Cup Golden Boot, a feat he achieved in 1974 with seven goals. He helped Poland to two Olympic medals, gold in 1972 and silver in 1976, and two World Cup bronze medals, in 1974 and 1982. In 2003, UEFA named him the Golden Player of Poland, recognizing him as the country's best footballer of the past 50 years. He was also inducted into the Polish Football Association Hall of Fame and made an honorary citizen of Mielec.

AwardsLato won the Golden Boot as top scorer of the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He was named Polish Footballer of the Year in 1977 and 1981. He received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Golden Cross of Merit from the Polish government.

Honours & Distinctions

Olympic Gold Medal

International Olympic Committee·1972

Won with the Poland national football team at the Munich Summer Olympics.

Olympic Silver Medal

International Olympic Committee·1976

Won with the Poland national football team at the Montreal Summer Olympics.

FIFA World Cup Third Place

FIFA·1974

Poland finished third, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the third-place match.

FIFA World Cup Third Place

FIFA·1982

Poland finished third, defeating France 3-2 in the third-place match.

Polish League Champion

Ekstraklasa·1973

Won with Stal Mielec.

Polish League Champion

Ekstraklasa·1976

Won with Stal Mielec.

UEFA Golden Player of Poland

UEFA·2003

Named the best Polish player of the last 50 years as part of the UEFA Jubilee Awards.

PZPN Hall of Fame

Polish Football Association·2000

Inducted for his contributions to Polish football.

Honorary Citizen of Mielec

City of Mielec·1990

Awarded for his contributions to Stal Mielec and Polish football.

Rankings & Lists

#60

100 Greatest Footballers of All Time

World Soccer Magazine·1999

#75

100 Greatest Footballers of All Time

World Soccer Magazine·2014

#Top 100

Best European Player of the 20th Century

IFFHS·1999

Best Polish Player of the 20th Century

IFFHS·1999

Records & Feats

Only Polish player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot

Awards·1974

Scored 7 goals at the 1974 World Cup, finishing as top scorer, a feat no other Pole has achieved.

Most goals by a Polish player in a single World Cup

Career Milestone·1974

7 goals in 1974 remains the highest tally by any Polish player in a single tournament.

Only Polish player to score in three different World Cups

Historic First·1982

Scored in 1974 (7 goals), 1978 (2 goals), and 1982 (1 goal).

UEFA Golden Player of Poland

Awards·2003

Named the best Polish player of the last 50 years by UEFA in 2003.