Maryan Wisniewski

1953/63 RC Lens (FRA) 317 matches, 107 goals

(French Championship: 277 matches, 93 goals)

(French Cup: 23 matches, 9 goals)

(Charles Drago Cup: 17 matches, 5 goals)

1963/64 Sampdoria Genoa (ITA) 21 matches, 4 goals

1964/66 Saint-Étienne (FRA) 51 matches, 12 goals

(French Championship: 48 matches, 12 goals)

(French Cup: 2 matches)

(European Cup of Champion Clubs: 1 match)

1966/69 FC Sochaux (FRA) 105 matches, 10 goals

(French Championship: 90 matches, 8 goals)

(French Cup: France: 15 matches, 2 goals)

1969/70 Grenoble (FRA) 29 matches, 5 goals

(French D2 Championship: 27 matches, 4 goals)

(Coupe de France: 2 matches, 1 goal)

With the National Team :

33 caps, 12 goals

(Friendly matches: 17 caps, 3 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 6 caps, 4 goals)

(World Cup: 6 caps, 2 goals)

(Euro qualifiers: 2 caps, 2 goals)

(Euro: 2 caps, 1 goal)

1st cap: April 3, 1955 against Sweden (2-0)

Last cap: April 28, 1963 against Brazil (2-3)

Maryan Wisniewski

Born February 1, 1937 in Calonne-Ricouart (FRA)

Died March 3, 2022

French, Right Winger, 1m75

Maryan Wisniewski was born on February 1, 1937 in Calonne-Ricouart, a small town in the north of France where the young player's parents immigrated from Poland. He began his football career in the youth categories of the US Auchel club where he was one of the greatest hopes of French football.

A very technical winger and formidable in front of goals, he was recruited in 1953 by RC Lens, at the age of 16 and would immediately establish himself as one of the best players in the northern squad. A true jewel of the club, he is a lively and fast winger who chains dribbles on his side then takes the depth with his enormous speed.

From that moment on, he was considered one of the country's greatest prodigies and would become the youngest player after the Second World War to wear the French team jersey in a match won 2-0 against Sweden. He was then 18 years and 2 months old and, crazy thing, he was injured in the 66th minute but remained on the field until the end of the match. His record would not be beaten until 2020 by Eduardo Camavinga, 65 years later.

His moment of glory would continue since in 1957, he scored his first two goals with the French team against Iceland in a 5-1 victory. A very humble player, he did not hesitate to play with the youth categories in addition to professional matches, which is how he won the 1958 Gambardella Cup with the RC Lens junior team.

Only a few weeks later, he was called up to the French team to play in the 1958 World Cup. During the tournament he scored 2 goals, the first in the first match during the easy 7-3 victory against Paraguay and the second in the quarter-finals during the 4-0 victory against Northern Ireland (one of the best goals of his career, having dribbled 4 players before beating the goalkeeper with a fine strike). But his reference match during this World Cup will undoubtedly remain the match for third place against West Germany, in the shadow of Just Fontaine who scored a quadruple, Wisniewski delighted and provided 2 assists in a crazy match, a 6-3 victory for France.

Crazy anecdote, on his return from the World Cup and while he was doing his military service (being 21 years old at the time) he returned home instead of returning to his military barracks and was considered a deserter by the French army. He therefore spent a period in prison before being sent to Algeria as a punishment.

In 1963, after 10 years at RC Lens and a legendary status at the club (107 goals in 317 matches), he decided to leave France, something extremely rare for the time, and joined Sampdoria Genoa, a choice that would conclude his international career with France, at only 26 years old.

Wisniewski was then considered a good player but he still lacked something to enter among the best players on the continent, a bit of aggressiveness. Despite a very good start in Italy, he gradually lost his impact on the game despite all the confidence of the legend Ernst Ocwirk, then coach of the club.

Feeling homesick, he returned to France the following season to Saint-Etienne, where he had 2 good seasons but did not shine as much as before. He then signed with FC Sochaux for 3 years before ending his career in Grenoble during the 1969/70 season in the French second division when he was only 33 years old.

Maryan did not have the recognition he deserved (except at RC Lens where he remained an idol), he was one of the most talented players of his generation. Unfortunately, he won almost nothing in his playing career.

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