Dariusz Dziekanowski

Polish footballer and striker who became a cult hero at Celtic, known for his goalscoring ability and memorable performances in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Dariusz Paweł Dziekanowski was born on 30 September 1962 in Warsaw, Poland, and progressed through Polish football with Polonia Warsaw, Gwardia Warszawa, Widzew Łódź, and Legia Warsaw, developing into one of the country's most gifted attacking players during the 1980s. He earned dozens of caps for Poland across the decade, representing his country in an era when Polish football still carried significant continental weight. Dziekanowski moved to Scotland in 1989 to join Celtic, where he became known to fans simply as "Jacki" and quickly established himself as a cult hero with his direct, unpredictable style of play. His most memorable moment came in a European Cup Winners' Cup tie against Partizan Belgrade, in which he scored all four Celtic goals in a memorable European night at Celtic Park, despite the tie ultimately ending in Celtic's elimination on away goals. After three seasons in Scotland, Dziekanowski moved to Bristol City in England in 1992, though his time there proved less successful, and his career subsequently took him across multiple countries, including a return to Legia Warsaw, spells in Switzerland with Yverdon-Sports, and in Germany with Alemannia Aachen and 1. FC Köln, before he returned to Poland to retire with Polonia Warsaw in 1997. Since retiring, Dziekanowski has built a prominent career in Polish football media as a television commentator and pundit, and served as an assistant coach to Leo Beenhakker with the Poland national team between 2006 and 2008, drawing on the experience of a well-travelled playing career across four different countries.

Clinical finisher with excellent positioning and work rate

Pioneering Polish footballer who paved the way for Eastern European players in Scottish football

• 62 Poland caps
• Cult Celtic hero
• Polish Cup 1988
• Polish Championship 1989
• Polish Championship 1990

Club Career

Club	Period	Apps	Goals
Polonia Warsaw	1973–1979	4	1
Gwardia Warszawa	1979–1983	51	15
Widzew Łódź	1983–1985	57	20
Legia Warsaw	1985–1989	95	44
Celtic	1989–1992	49	10
Bristol City	1992–1993	43	7
Legia Warsaw	1993–1994	6	1
Yverdon-Sports	1994–1994	0	0
Alemannia Aachen	1994–1994	12	2
1. FC Köln	1994–1996	0	0
Polonia Warsaw	1996–1997	22	4
Poland	—	62	9