View source for Antoni Gałecki

{{short description|Polish footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name                 = Antoni Gałecki
| image                = Antonigalecki.png
| fullname             = Antoni Gałecki
| birth_date           = {{birth date|df=y|1906|6|4}}
| birth_place          = [[Łódź]], [[Congress Poland]]
| death_date           = {{death date and age|df=y|1958|12|14|1906|6|4}}
| death_place          = Łódź, [[Poland]]
| height               = {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| position             = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = HKS Łódź
| years1 = 1922–1939
| clubs1 = [[ŁKS Łódź]]
| caps1 = 211
| goals1 = 1
| years2 = 1941
| clubs2 = HAŠK
| caps2 = 
| goals2 = 
| years3 = 1947
| clubs3 = [[ŁKS Łódź]]
| caps3 = 
| goals3 = 
| nationalyears1 = 1928–1938
| nationalteam1 = [[Poland national football team|Poland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 18
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1 = 1934
| managerclubs1 = [[ŁKS Łódź]] (player-manager)
| manageryears2 = 
| managerclubs2 = TUR Łódź
| manageryears3 = 
| managerclubs3 = Boruta Zgierz
| manageryears4 = 
| managerclubs4 = Kolejarz Łódź
| manageryears5 = 
| managerclubs5 = Resursa Łódź
| manageryears6 = 
| managerclubs6 = [[Budowlani Łódź]]
| manageryears7 = 
| managerclubs7 = [[Orzeł Łódź]]
| manageryears8 = 
| managerclubs8 = Budowlani Kutno
| manageryears9 = 
| managerclubs9 = Włókniarz Pabianice
| manageryears10 = 
| managerclubs10 = Włókniarz Łódź
| manageryears11 = 
| managerclubs11 = Lechia Tomaszów Mazowiecki
| manageryears12 = 
| managerclubs12 = Włókniarz Aleksandrów Łódzki
}}

'''Antoni Gałecki''' (4 June 1906 – 14 December 1958) was a Polish [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Defender (association football)|defender]], spending most of his career with [[ŁKS Łódź]]. He also played on the Poland national team during the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin Olympics]] and Poland's [[1938 FIFA World Cup]] lone match against [[Brazil]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/26930 |title=Antoni Gałecki |work=Olympedia |access-date=22 September 2021}}</ref>

Born in [[Łódź]], Gałecki joined ŁKS in 1922, becoming its key defender four years later. Gałecki represented this team until 1939, participating in more than 400 games. In many of them, he was the team captain.

He earned 22 caps for the [[Poland national football team|Poland national team]]. He made his debut against [[Czechoslovakia]] on 27 October 1928 in [[Prague]].

During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Gałecki was a key defender for the Polish team, participating in all games, a 3–0 victory over [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]], a 5–4 win over [[Great Britain Olympic football team|Great Britain]], a 1–3 defeat to [[Austria national football team|Austria]] and a 2–3 loss to [[Norway national football team|Norway]], as Poland finished in 4th place.

From 1937 to 1938, Gałecki played in qualifying matches for the [[1938 World Cup]]. In [[Warsaw]], Poland beat [[Yugoslavia]] 4–0. In the second leg, in [[Belgrade]], the Poles lost 0–1, but Poland qualified on goal advantage. Gałecki represented Poland in a legendary World Cup game against [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] on 5 June 1938 in [[Strasbourg]], France. The Poles lost 5–6, but the match is to this day regarded as one of the best performances of the Poland national team.{{citation needed|date=April 2009}}

Called to active military duty in August 1939, Gałecki fought in the [[Polish September Campaign|September 1939 Campaign]]. He was held prisoner in a POW camp in [[Eger, Hungary]], but managed to escape through Yugoslavia and [[Greece]] and reached [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], where he became a soldier of the [[Polish 2nd Corps]]. Gałecki fought at [[Battle of Tobruk (1941)|Tobruk]] and [[Battle of Monte Cassino|Monte Cassino]]. After the war, Gałecki returned to his hometown in 1947.

He died in Łódź.

==See also==
* [[Polish Roster in World Cup Soccer France 1938]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.hppn.pl/reprezentacja/pilkarze/1434,Antoni-Galecki]
* [http://lksfans.pl/antoni-galecki-najwybitniejszy-w-historii-obronca-lks/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401215815/http://lksfans.pl/antoni-galecki-najwybitniejszy-w-historii-obronca-lks/ |date=1 April 2019 }}
* {{Soccerway}}
* {{Olympics.com|antoni-galecki}}
* {{PKOl|new_id=antoni-galecki|old_id=527,galecki-antoni}}

{{Poland Squad 1936 Summer Olympics}}
{{Poland Squad 1938 World Cup}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galecki, Antoni}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Łódź]]
[[Category:People from Piotrków Governorate]]
[[Category:Polish men's footballers]]
[[Category:ŁKS Łódź players]]
[[Category:Ekstraklasa players]]
[[Category:Polish expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Poland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Poland]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:1938 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Polish football managers]]
[[Category:ŁKS Łódź managers]]
[[Category:Ekstraklasa managers]]
[[Category:Men's association football player-managers]]
[[Category:Polish military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Polish prisoners of war in World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish sportsmen]]