In the Hauptfriedhof cemetery in Karlsruhe, there is a rather modest tombstone with the Polish-sounding name Wilimowski. The visible silhouette of the footballer and the characteristic R in the white and blue colours of the former Ruch Hajduki Wielkie clearly indicate the profession and club colours of the deceased. Ernst "Ezi" Wilimowski, who is buried here, was a true football star of the 1930s. He was famous, among other things, for the 1175 goals he scored in competitions and for being the first footballer in history to score four goals in a World Cup match.

He knew how to play football. He won Polish hearts on the pitch. And then the Second World War broke out and the discussions began....

On Sunday 27 August 1939, Warsaw already smelled of war. Newspapers reported in detail on the political moves of European governments. The sight of whole groups of soldiers was not unusual. And in this armed atmosphere, a glimmer of normality appeared. At the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, in the presence of nearly 20,000 fans, the Poles were taking on the Hungarians, the then current world vice-champions. "The Madziarz" were the favourites and initially performed well. They were already leading 2:0. But after half an hour of play, Ernest Wilimowski started his show. First, in the 33rd minute, he scored the contact goal. And then... This is what Przegląd Sportowy wrote:

"In the meantime, however, they (the Hungarians - author's note) lost a second goal, a third from a penalty and a fourth again through the 'dummy' Wilimowski. If, as is customary, 'Ezi' had still kicked a penalty instead of Piontek, he would have burdened his conscience with the full four goals, an occurrence at an inter-state match not so common again!". "Pieron" Wilimowski and his colleagues beat the second world team. It ended 4:2! A few days before the outbreak of war, the Poles were thus united by sporting pride. The Polish victory was received with great enthusiasm. The crowd burst onto the pitch. They cheered. And Ernest was an important part of this football celebration. At that point, he had scored 21 goals in 22 representative games. Fantastic numbers... Except that after 1 September 1939, not everyone thought positively of him.

The red-headed virtuoso

He was born on Father's Day in 1916 in what was then Kattowitz, Germany. For the first years of his life he was called Prandella. He was brought up by his mother, Pauline. Dad was to be killed in the First World War. It was not until 1929, when his mother married Roman Wilimowski and the man fathered him, that his name was changed to the one by which stadiums came to know him.

From childhood, he was drawn to sport. He played handball. He did well in ice hockey. But he found himself best in football. He started his career at 1. FC Katowice, a club managed by the German community. The talented sniper was spotted by the people at Ruch Hajduki Wielkie, known today as Ruch Chorzów. He made his debut for the team in early January 1934, in a clash against KS Chorzów. And then he fell in love with the fans of the "Blues". And all of Poland.

Because Wilimowski "knew how to do everything", as representative comrade Henryk Martyna said. He may not have had the build of an athlete. A short redhead, with protruding ears, crooked legs and a wry smile, he was not the epitome of the ideal sportsman. But whenever he got the ball under his feet, he could work miracles. Kazimierz Górski remembered his game, because he used to face him when he played for Pogoń Lvov.

"He could dribble past several rivals, lay the goalkeeper on the pitch, and wait just before the goal line for everyone to collect themselves, then shoot into the net," recalled the coach of the national team that finished third in the world in 1974.

There were numbers behind Górski's words. At Ruch Hajduki Wielkie, Ernest scored 117 goals in 86 games. On top of that, he reached the national championship title four times. Three times he was crowned King of Scorers. In attack, he was so effective that Fritz Walter - Germany's representative who reached the 1954 World Cup - said of him that "he was probably the only footballer in the world who scored more goals than he had chances". One of his showpiece matches was the league clash between Ruch and Union-Touring Lodz, won by the "Ezi" team 12:1. It was 22 May 1939, the day after this meeting, when in the "Voice of the Nation" readers could read:

""The double-digit score has its meaning, so we will not describe this match, which probably has -- as far as the result is concerned -- no precedent in the history of the League. The hero of the match was Wilimowski, who scored 10 goals. The other two were scored by Peterek. For the visitors, the point of honour was scored from a penalty by Swietoslawski. Union Touring were still defending well up until the break, but after the fourth goal they lost their heads and let a dozen goals score without resistance."" In that season, which was not completed for war reasons, Ruch and Wilimowski were again at their best.

World Cup star

With the Polish national team he also experienced extraordinary moments. And we are not talking about the match against Hungary, mentioned at the beginning. He made his debut in the red and white colours on 21 May 1934 in a game against Denmark. Two days later in Stockholm, he scored his first goal. And he was less than eighteen years old at the time. His most famous performance was the one at the 1938 World Cup in France.

On 5 June, the Poles ran up against Brazil in Strasbourg. The rules were that the loser was going home. The team led by Józef Kałuża took up the gauntlet. After an exciting battle, full of twists and turns, in the presence of the French Polish community, we lost after extra time, 5:6.

"The Upper Silesian", as Wilimowski used to call himself, was the brightest point of the national team. Over the years it has been claimed that he scored four goals in that match. In 2020, Leszek Jarosz, author of the two-volume 'History of the World Cup', wrote an article in which he proved that 'Ezi' got under the skin of the Brazilians three times. The author thus moved the legend, but did not take away the footballer's glory. Because whether Ernest scored three or four goals, he still recorded an excellent performance. He was even appreciated by the opponents' coach, Adhemar Pimenta, who said: "I liked and agility in leading the attacks thanks to which we were quickly getting under our goal. The best of the Poles throughout the match was Wilimowski".

The Polish national team's debut at the World Cup, despite the defeat, indicated that domestic football was heading in the right direction. Who knows how the national team's fortunes would turn out four years later. Paweł Czado, an expert on the history of Silesian football, wrote: "'Ezi' came at a time when it was not possible to show all the possibilities. I firmly believe that if the World Cup had been held in 1942, Poland with Wilimowski in the squad would have even fought for the highest laurels, for the title".

Crowds outside the hospital

Wilimowski was the best footballer of the inter-war period. It is hard to count how many times his name appeared in the press. These were not always mentions related to on-field deeds.

In early May 1935, panic broke out among Polish fans. Here, in a match in Bielsko against the local BBSV, incidentally lost by Ruch Hajduki Wielkie (1:3), Ernest suffered an injury which caused him to miss a lot of time. In the process, he also found out how much respect he enjoyed. Editors dissected this unpleasant situation -- its impact on the game of Ruch, or the national team. And ordinary fans, those who lived in Silesia, were able to go up to the hospital windows and talk to the footballer. It ended with an operation. And then back to the game.

On another occasion he was dropped from the Olympic team. The situation took place in 1936. The reason for this action by the Polish Football Association was an alcohol scandal involving Ernest. He was known for his alcoholic tendencies. At the time, a group of Ruch players were drinking before a lost match against Cracovia (0:9). "Ezi" was disqualified, although it was not uncommon to hear that the real reason for the punishment was the footballer's professionalism, which was forbidden at the Games. The national team later finished fourth in Berlin. If the red-and-white ace had played in that tournament, there probably would have been medal chances too....

Traitor?

After the outbreak of World War II, Wilimowski, being a Silesian, signed the volkslist. Defenders of the move say that many people from the footballer's hometowns faced similar, often tragic choices. That "Ezi" was not interested in politics and just wanted to play football. He and other Silesian players were even said to have been persuaded to leave by Józef Kałuża, the national team coach. But there was no shortage of condemnations. He was called a "traitor" by many.

Bogdan Tomaszewski, the legendary reporter: "This red-haired player, moving like a duck on crooked legs, seemingly slow and careless, spoke poor Polish and felt German when the Germans occupied the country".

Wilimowski's wartime fate did indeed involve football. He left for Saxony. He played for German clubs and made it to the Third Reich national team led by Sepp Herberger. Between 1941 and 1942, he played eight games for the team and scored thirteen goals. His effectiveness thus continued to boast.

Off the pitch, he worked in the police. He also had to get his mother out of a concentration camp. The aviator Hermann Graf then came to his aid. After the war ended, he never returned to Poland. And after 1945 he was even erased from the memory of the Poles. In 1948, a compilation of the best pre-war shooters was published in the newspaper "Sport and Holiday". And the journalist compiling it noted right at the beginning: "We have not included the renegades Wilimowski, Szerfke and Pazurek I in the compilation, just as the athletes do not include the records and results of Lukchaus and Turczyk, and the skaters Nehringova."

Afterwards, the fans were divided into allies who were able to forgive him for playing on the Third Reich's national team. For them, he was one of the best, if not the best Polish footballer in history. And antagonists, for whom the wartime attitude was and is unforgivable.

Wilimowski died on 30 August 1997 in Karlsruhe. He was 81 years old. A representative of the Polish federation was missing at his funeral. But his legend lives on.