Born on this day in 1963, is right-back Dariusz Kubicki, our first ever Polish player. The classy defender was a really popular player here on Wearside, and he made over 140 appearances in red and white…
He spent multiple years playing for teams such as Stal Mielec and Legia Warsaw, and he helped Legia qualify for the UEFA Cup. Kubicki also won multiple Polish cups for 'The Militarians', including a Polish Super Cup win against Ruch Chorzow. Needless to say, he had his fair share of success in his native country.
In 1992, the right-back finally got a move to England when he was signed by Aston Villa for a reported fee of £200,000. He only went on to make 25 appearances for Villa, and was later loaned out to Sunderland in 1993/94. Kubicki signed for the club permanently in the summer of '94 and didn’t miss a game for two and a half years!