Jan Furtok
|
File:FURTOK (3x4 cropped).jpg Furtok in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 March 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Katowice, Poland | ||
| Date of death | 26 November 2024 (aged 62) | ||
| Place of death | Katowice, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1977 | MK Górnik Katowice | ||
| 1977–1978 | GKS Katowice | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1988 | GKS Katowice | 169 | (77) |
| 1988–1993 | Hamburger SV | 135 | (51) |
| 1993–1995 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 53 | (9) |
| 1995–1998 | GKS Katowice | 40 | (8) |
| Total | 397 | (145) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1993 | Poland | 36 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005 | GKS Katowice | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jan Furtok (9 March 1962 – 26 November 2024) was a Polish professional footballer who played as a striker.[1] Regarded as the greatest player in GKS Katowice's history,[2] he is the club's all-time best goalscorer.
Career
[edit | edit source]Born in Katowice, Furtok spent the early and latter parts of his career playing for his hometown club GKS Katowice, with a seven-year stint in (West) German clubs Hamburger SV and Eintracht Frankfurt in-between.[3]
With GKS, he won the 1985–86 Polish Cup, the club's first major domestic achievement. He then led the Silesian side to third-place and second-place finishes in the 1986–87 and 1987–88 league campaigns, accordingly. With 122 goals in 299 appearances across all competitions, he is the best goalscorer in GKS Katowice's history.[4] GKS retired the number 9 in honour of Furtok's service to the club.[5]
Furtok played for the Poland national team, scoring 10 goals across 36 appearances.[6] He was a participant at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[7] His goal scored by hand rescued Poland from humiliating goalless home draw against San Marino in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification.[8]
Death
[edit | edit source]Furtok had been suffering from Alzheimer's for years. He was diagnosed in 2015.[9] Furtok died on 26 November 2024, at the age of 62.[10][9] Posthumously, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, awarded him the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. His funeral took place on 29 November 2024 at the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Parish in Katowice. The ceremony was attended by prominent figures, including Jan Urban, Jerzy Brzęczek, Lukas Podolski, and representatives from GKS Katowice and Górnik Zabrze.[11]
Commemoration
[edit | edit source]On 29 November 2024, the Polish Football Association announced that all matches of the I, II, and III leagues played between 29 November and 2 December would be preceded by a minute of silence in memory of Furtok.[12] A similar announcement was made by the Ekstraklasa. However, the minute of silence for Furtok was not observed by Ruch Chorzów before their match against Odra Opole, which sparked controversy and various reactions from fans and the public.[13]
In May 2025, he was inducted into the Ekstraklasa Hall of Fame.[14]
Career statistics
[edit | edit source]| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1984 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1988 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1989 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 36[7] | 10 | |
- Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Furtok goal.
Honours
[edit | edit source]GKS Katowice
- Polish Cup: 1985–86[7]
Individual
Individual
- Ekstraklasa Hall of Fame: 2025[14]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Jan Furtok at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- Jan Furtok at WorldFootball.netLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Jan Furtok at National-Football-Teams.comLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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- 1962 births
- 2024 deaths
- Footballers from Katowice
- Polish men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Poland men's international footballers
- 1986 FIFA World Cup players
- GKS Katowice players
- Hamburger SV players
- Eintracht Frankfurt players
- Ekstraklasa players
- Bundesliga players
- Polish football managers
- GKS Katowice managers
- Polish expatriate men's footballers
- Polish expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany
- Polish expatriate sportspeople in West Germany
- Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Polish sports executives and administrators
- Polish football executives
- Association football players with retired numbers
- 20th-century Polish sportsmen