Dariusz Raczyński (30 May 1962 – 12 October 2022) was a Polish footballer who played as a midfielder. He is best known for winning the Polish Cup and Polish Supercup in 1983 with his hometown club Lechia Gdańsk, their first major trophies and greatest success to date.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1962-05-30)30 May 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Gdańsk, Poland | ||
| Date of death | 12 October 2022(2022-10-12) (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Gdańsk, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–1979 | Lechia Gdańsk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1980–1985 | Lechia Gdańsk | 98 | (7) |
| 1985–1987 | Igloopol Dębica | ||
| 1987–1988 | Arka Gdynia | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Raczyński was born in Gdańsk on 30 May 1962.[2] He made his footballing debut with Lechia Gdańsk on 16 March 1980 playing against PKS Odra Wrocław.[3] In his first three seasons he made 48 appearances and scored 5 goals in the II liga, with Lechia suffering relegation to the third tier at the end of his third season.[4]
Despite being relegated it was a time which would become an historic period for the club. The 1982–83 season saw Lechia winning the III liga[4] with Raczyński making 13 appearances and scored 2 league goals[5] as Lechia won the division and playing in five games of Lechia's winning Polish Cup run, beating Piast Gliwice in the final 2–1.[6][7][8] The following season Lechia won the Polish SuperCup final by beating the Polish champions Lech Poznań 1–0,[9] with Raczyński starting the game. He also played in a 3–2 home defeat against Juventus in a European competition due to the previous season's cup win.[10][11] Lechia also won promotion to the top division that season by winning the II liga for the 1983–84 season.[12]
That season would prove to be his last playing for Lechia, having made his final appearance for the club on 8 June 1985 against GKS Katowice.[2] In total for Lechia he made 111 appearances and scored 9 in all competitions.[13]
Raczyński then played a further two seasons for Igloopol Dębica[14][1] and then one and a half for Arka Gdynia, with whom he won promotion to the second division in 1988[14] before retiring six months later.[1][2]
Raczyński died in his hometown Gdańsk after a serious illness on 12 October 2022, at the age of 60.[15][2]
Arka Gdynia[14]