Władysław Szczepaniak was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 football player. A defender for his entire career, he played for Polonia Warsaw, where he was the captain. Szczepaniak was one of Polonia’s symbols, also he played for the Poland national football team

Poland national football team

The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...

.

Football career

Szczepaniak debuted in the Polish Soccer League debiut in 1928 and he played 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 Polish national football team occurred in 1930, during a game versus Sweden

Sweden national football team

The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

. 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

1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...

, where Poland finished fourth. Also, he was captain in the 1938 FIFA World Cup

1938 FIFA World Cup

The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...

 game of Poland versus Brazil

Brazil national football team

The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

. The game was played on June 5, 1938 in Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 which Poland lost 5-6.

See also

• Polish Roster in World Cup Soccer France 1938