Most Celtic supporters, and football supporters in general know the name Legia Warsaw, the most famous and successful club in Polish football history. And similar to Celtic are synonymous for their famous green and white colours…
Mention the name Legia Warsaw to Celtic supporters, and the first thing that naturally springs to mind, would be the debacle that was the 2014 Champions League qualifier, a tie that saw Ronny Deila’s Scottish champions comprehensively dumped on aggregate by the much superior Polish outfit, only to be re-instated after being awarded a 3-0 win due to the Polish side fielding an ineligible player in the latter stages of the second leg.
Several players have also played for both Legia and Celtic throughout the many years, most notably current centre back Maik Nawrocki.
Then of course there was Dariusz Dziekanowski, Dariusz Wdowczyk, and who could forget the holy goalie himself Artur Boruc. But there’s also a unique connection between the two clubs, due to an interesting fact surrounding the Polish sides 1990 Polish cup final win over GKS Katowice.
That day on 2nd June 1990 seen the Polish side take to the field in a different top to the one they usually donned on match days.
Legia kits where produced by Adidas back then, but took to the field that day in Umbro emblazoned tops, and a quicker inspection would reveal that the jerseys not only had a striking resemblance to the Celtic top of the same era, they where in fact the very same tops that Billy McNeills men wore that season.
All that was missing was the Celtic crest, and the CR Smith advertising across the middle, but they were essentially and literally Celtic jerseys but replaced with the much recognisable Legia crest on the right hand corner of the shirt.
The reasoning behind this interesting story, is that part of the deal that took both Daurisz Dziekanowski, and Daurisz Wdowczyk to Glasgow from Legia in the latter part of the previous year, included Celtic strips being sent to the Warsaw club along with the combined £1 million fee for both players.
Legia despite being sponsored by Adidas, wore the Umbro emblazoned shirts in the Polish showpiece final, a game they won 2-0. Celtic also reached the final of their own domestic competition a few weeks earlier, but suffered a 9-8 penalty shootout defeat to Aberdeen.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
1 Comment
The first top shown there, with the L on it, is identical to the top that Celtic wore in the Centenary Season, and in season 1988-89. Its last outing was the 1989 Scottish Cup Final against a club which no longer exists.