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Lucjan Brychczy

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Lucjan Brychczy
Lucjan Brychczy in 1970
Personal information
Full name Lucjan Antoni Brychczy
Date of birth (1934-06-13)13 June 1934
Place of birth Nowy Bytom, Poland
Date of death 2 December 2024(2024-12-02) (aged 90)
Place of death Warsaw, Poland
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
–1948 Pogoń Nowy Bytom
1948–1953 ŁTS Łabędy Gliwice
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1948 Pogoń Nowy Bytom
1949–1953 ŁTS Łabędy Gliwice
1954 Piast Gliwice
1954–1972 Legia Warsaw 368 (182)
International career
1954–1969 Poland[1] 58 (18)
Managerial career
1972–1973 Legia Warsaw
1979–1980 Legia Warsaw
1987 Legia Warsaw
1990 Legia Warsaw
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lucjan Antoni Brychczy (nicknamed Kici; 13 June 1934 – 2 December 2024) was a Polish footballer who played as a striker. Born in New Bytom, Upper Silesia, where after starting at local lower league clubs, he played for nearby the then third division Piast Gliwice.

He then transferred to Legia Warsaw, where the rest of career was linked with and one that earned him notoriety. He won four naional titles with them, in 1955, 1956, 1969 and 1970 as well as four domestic cups, in 1955, 1956, 1964 and 1966. He scored 182 goals during his stint which lasted 19 seasons, both of which remain club records to this day. His Legia career also included a foray into the semi-finals of the European Cup. He was also part of Poland's squad at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[2] After retiring from playing, he became one of Legia's coaching staff, which included short periods of being the first team manager.

Biography

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Early life and career

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He was born on 13 June 1934, in Nowy Bytom.[3] His father was Stanisław Brychczy, a Silesian Uprising participant and a lieutenant in the Polish army,[4] and his mother, Maria Brychczy, was a homemaker.[5] He had three siblings: Mieczysław, Helena, and Tadeusz, and he was the youngest in the family. His father was conscripted into the army in September 1939 and returned to the family only after the war.[5]

He began his adventure with sports in the boxing section of the local club Pogoń Nowy Bytom. After being forbidden by his father, he switched to the football section.[5] In 1949, his father was employed at the Military Mechanical Works in Łabędy (district of Gliwice), where he moved with his entire family. There, Lucjan Brychczy joined the ŁTS Łabędy club, where he was quickly promoted to the senior team, coached by former Polish national team player Karol Dziwisz.[6] He combined playing football with working at the military factory.[7]

Karol Dziwisz was also the coach of the voivodeship team, and at the time, he called up the 18-year-old Brychczy to join the squad.[7] In 1953, the regional team played against the Polish national B team, ending in a 3:3 draw, with Brychczy scoring a hat-trick.[8] Following this match, he was called up for a national B team game against Tirana in Warsaw. The match was held at Legia Warsaw's stadium, marking Brychczy's first visit to the city and the venue.[8]

After the game, Brychczy, along with his brother Tadeusz, moved to nearby Piast Gliwice, a third-division team aiming for promotion to a higher league in the 1954 season.[8] After six months of playing for Piast, Brychczy was conscripted into the army and assigned to play for Legia Warsaw, the central military club. Legia was coached by Hungarian János Steiner [pl], who aimed to build a strong team modeled after Honvéd Budapest.[9][10]

Legia player

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Even before making his debut for Legia, Brychczy was called up to the Polish national team for a match against Bulgaria, held at Legia's stadium. Brychczy made his debut on 8 August 1954 in the second half of the game, which ended in a 2:2 draw.[9]

During one of the training sessions, coach Steiner gave Brychczy the nickname "Kici," which stuck with him throughout his career. "Kici" is a Polonized version of the Hungarian word kicsi, meaning "small."[11] Legia's situation was difficult, as the team had earned only 6 points after 10 matches in the first round and was on the brink of relegation. There was even consideration of disbanding the football section.[11] Brychczy made his debut on 12 September 1954, in a match against Ruch Chorzów, which ended in a 0:1 defeat. However, a subsequent series of victories allowed Legia to avoid relegation.[11]

Legia began the 1955 season much stronger, quickly establishing itself as one of the league's top teams. A major success came with a 5:0 victory in the Polish Cup final against Lechia Gdańsk. This was Brychczy's first career trophy and the first in Legia's history.[12]

Lucjan Brychczy in 2014

He won four titles with Legia, in 1955, 1956, 1969 and 1970 as well as four Polish Cups, in 1955, 1956, 1964 and 1966. He scored 182 goals during his stint which lasted 19 seasons, both of which remain club records to this day. His Legia career also included a foray into the semi-finals of the European Cup. He was also part of Poland's squad at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[13]

It is said that Real Madrid and AC Milan were interested in securing his services but during that time it was impossible to leave the country due to the restrictions of the communist regime.[4]

Later life

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Brychczy lived for many years in an apartment on the sixth floor at the corner of Świętokrzyska and Emilii Plater streets. He enjoyed playing cards, had a fear of flying, and was a fan of television series. In 1998, he was attacked in a stairwell after withdrawing a large sum of money from the bank, which resulted in an open clavicle fracture.[4] Brychczy was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in December 2000.[14]

Death and tributes

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Grave of Lucjan Brychczy at Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw

Brychczy died in Warsaw on 2 December 2024, at the age of 90.[15]

Following his death, the Polish Football Association announced that all matches of the I liga and the Polish Cup, scheduled between 2 and 9 December 2024, would be preceded by a moment of silence to honor his memory.[16] Additionally, on 4 December, the Polish Sejm paid tribute to Lucjan Brychczy with a moment of silence during a parliamentary session.[17]

Before the first Legia match after Brychczy’s death, on 5 December, during a Polish Cup game against ŁKS Łódź at the Władysław Król Stadium, Legia Warsaw players took to the pitch wearing special shirts featuring Lucjan Brychczy’s image and the inscription ŻEGNAJ, LEGENDO! ("Farewell, Legend!").[18]

Immediately after his death, a debate started regarding the possibility of renaming the Polish Army Stadium in his honor.[19][20][21]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[22][23]
Club Season League National cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Piast Gliwice 1954 III Liga, gr. 1 —
Legia Warsaw 1954 Ekstraklasa 10 3 0 0 — 10 3
1955 Ekstraklasa 22 13 4 1 — 26 14
1956 Ekstraklasa 19 16 5 8 2[a] 1 26 25
1957 Ekstraklasa 18 19 2 3 — 20 22
1958 Ekstraklasa 16 15 0 0 — 16 15
1959 Ekstraklasa 18 9 0 0 — 18 9
1960 Ekstraklasa 22 13 0 0 2[a] 0 24 13
1961 Ekstraklasa 25 12 0 0 — 25 12
1962 Ekstraklasa 13 9 2 0 — 15 9
1962–63 Ekstraklasa 19 5 2 2 — 21 7
1963–64 Ekstraklasa 24 18 5 6 — 29 24
1964–65 Ekstraklasa 25 20 4 5 7[b] 2 36 27
1965–66 Ekstraklasa 25 8 5 4 — 30 12
1966–67 Ekstraklasa 24 6 2 1 2[b] 0 28 7
1967–68 Ekstraklasa 26 8 2 3 6[c] 0 34 11
1968–69 Ekstraklasa 25 6 7 3 6 1 38 10
1969–70 Ekstraklasa 22 0 4 0 8[a] 4 34 4
1970–71 Ekstraklasa 5 0 0 0 — 5 0
1971–72 Ekstraklasa 10 2 3 0 4 0 17 2
Career total 368 182 47 36 37 8 452 226

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Poland 1954 2 0
1955 3 1
1956 6 1
1957 5 3
1958 2 0
1959 3 1
1960 7 1
1961 6 1
1962 8 3
1963 6 4
1964 4 0
1965 1 0
1966 0 0
1967 3 2
1968 0 0
1969 2 1
Total 58 18

Honours

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Player

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Legia Warsaw[24]

Individual[14]

Manager

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Legia Warsaw

  • Polish Cup: 1971–72, 1979–80, 1989–90[24]

Orders

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in European Cup
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Cup Winners' Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Intertoto Cup

References

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  1. ^ "Piłka nożna, Euro 2012, Reprezentacja Polski, Ligi Europejskie". Kadra.pl. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Lucjan Brychczy". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Zawodnik Lucjan Brychczy" [Player Lucjan Brychczy]. legia.net. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Lucjan Brychczy: skazany na piłkę nożną. Wywiad rzeka z wielkim (małym) piłkarzem" [Lucjan Brychczy: doomed to football. a long interview with the great (small) footballer]. Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). 8 July 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Dawidziuk 2024, p. 6.
  6. ^ Dawidziuk 2024, p. 8-9.
  7. ^ a b Dawidziuk 2024, p. 9.
  8. ^ a b c Dawidziuk 2024, p. 10.
  9. ^ a b Dawidziuk 2024, p. 11.
  10. ^ Tudek, Mateusz (13 June 2024). "Lucjan Brychczy świętuje 90. urodziny". polsatsport.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Dawidziuk 2024, p. 12.
  12. ^ Dawidziuk 2024, p. 13-14.
  13. ^ "Lucjan Brychczy". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "Lucjan Brychczy". alejagwiazd.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Zmarł Lucjan Brychczy - legionisci.com". legionisci.com (in Polish). 2 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Minuta cisza w związku ze śmiercią Lucjana Brychczego". Polish Football Association (in Polish). Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Sejm uczcił minutą ciszy pamięć Lucjana Brychczego". www.portalsamorzadowy.pl (in Polish). 4 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Specjalne koszulki piłkarzy oraz minuta ciszy w Łodzi. Legioniści uczcili pamięć Lucjana Brychczego". Legia Warsaw (in Polish). 5 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Stadion Legii zmieni patrona? Vuković nie ma wątpliwości". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 3 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Warszawa: Stadion Legii imienia Lucjana Brychczego? Apel byłego trenera". stadiony.net (in Polish). Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  21. ^ Wawrzyniak, Mikołaj (3 December 2024). "Stadion im. Lucjana Brychczego? Vuković nie ma wątpliwości". weszlo.com (in Polish). Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Zawodnik Lucjan Brychczy - Legia.Net". legia.net. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Lucjan Brychczy". www.90minut.pl. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Lucjan Brychczy (Napastnik)". legia.net (in Polish). Retrieved 14 June 2024.
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Bibliography

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  • Dawidziuk, Adam (2024). "Na zawsze z Legią". Nasza Legia. 4.
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