Lucjan Brychczy, the legendary Polish footballer and former coach of Legia Warsaw, passed away at the age of 90. His death was confirmed on Monday by the Warsaw club, where he had served as honorary president since 2014.
"It is with great regret that we inform you about the passing of Lucjan Brychczy, legend of Legia Warsaw and Polish football," the club said on its website on Monday.
"He was a symbol of faith to club colours. A great authority figure. A person widely respected by many generations of fans. He was 90 years old."
Brychczy was born on June 13, 1934, in Nowy Bytom. He started his football career in 1945 at Pogoń Nowy Bytom. He later played for ŁTS Łabędy (1948–1953) and briefly for Piast Gliwice in 1954, before moving to Legia Warsaw, where he played from 1954 to 1972.
Brychczy was connected with Legia for 70 years in various roles. As a player, he won the Polish championship four times (1955, 1956, 1969, 1970) and the Polish Cup four times (1955, 1956, 1964, 1966). He was also the top scorer in the Polish top division three times - in 1957, 1964, and 1965.
He played 19 seasons in the top-tier league, totaling 368 matches and scoring 182 goals, making him the second-highest scorer in Polish league history. In all competitions, Brychczy played the most matches for Legia, with 452 appearances, and scored the most goals, totaling 227 (some sources list 226).
Brychczy earned 58 caps for the Polish national team, scoring 18 goals. He made his debut for Poland in 1954. His nickname on the field was "Kici" (meaning "small" in Hungarian - kicsi), and he was known for his exceptional technical skills.
After retiring, Brychczy served as a coach and a member of the coaching staff at Legia on several occasions. Since 2014, he had held the honorary president position at the club.
In recognition of his contributions to Polish football, he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
"Goodbye, Legend! You will forever live in our hearts," Legia said.
The Polish Football Association (PZPN) reminded that Brychczy was a member of the Club of Distinguished Representatives and a participant in the 1960 Rome Olympics. The PZPN extended its condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
Ekstraklasa SA, the company managing Poland's top football division, highlighted that Brychczy will be remembered as one of the greatest players in Legia's history, Polish league competitions, and Polish football overall.
"In 2018, he was ceremoniously inducted into the Ekstraklasa Legends Gallery," Ekstraklasa SA added on its website.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda also extended his condolences.
"I received with deep sorrow the news of the death of Lucjan Brychczy, an outstanding member of Poland's national team, a recipient of the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
"I offer my sincerest condolences to his family and to the Legia Warszawa community, which bids farewell to a legend of Polish football," the president wrote.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Newspix