Few clubs were born on a battlefield. Legia Warsaw was founded in March 1916, on the Eastern Front of the First World War, and the exact day has not been recorded with certainty. In March 2027 the club turns 111 years old, and this is the story of its shirt.

Football in the trenches

The team was born inside the Polish Legions, the units fighting in Volhynia, in today's Ukraine. Antoni Poznański had started the idea back in 1915, gathering players among the soldiers.

The club was founded at a meeting in the office of the Legions' staff company, with Władysław Groele as chairman. Sources disagree on the exact village: some mention the camps near Maniewicze, others Kostiuchnówka.

The name and the return to Warsaw

The first name was Drużyna Sportowa Legia, meaning "Legion Sports Team". The name is credited to Stanisław Mielech. The first matches at the front were mostly wins, including a 7-0.

In the summer of 1916 the unit was pulled back west and the players ended up in Warsaw. In 1917 the Legions were disbanded and the team stopped playing. It was revived on 14 March 1920 in an officers' club in the capital.

From black and white to four colours

The first players wore white shirts with a black diagonal band. The regimental teams had already taken the national white and red, so Legia chose black and white, following Czarni of Lwów.

The 1920 revival brought white and red, and a merger with Korona in 1922-23 added green. In 1957 the four colours were officially approved: red, white, green and black. Today the team favours all-white kits with black trim, while the green shirt also has its place in the club's history.

The "L" and "the Military Men"

The first badge was a white "L", the symbol of the Legions, on a black circle. The same letter still dominates today, on a black shield.

Fans are deeply attached to this symbol. When the club unveiled a redesigned crest in 2007, shaped more like a triangle than the historic coat of arms, the supporters boycotted it.

Because of its roots, Legia is called "Wojskowi", the Military Men, or "Legioniści", the Legionaries. The club has played at the Polish Army Stadium on Łazienkowska Street since 1930. The ground was rebuilt in 2008-2011 and holds more than 31,000 spectators.

Trophies, Europe and legends

Legia holds the Polish records with 15 league titles and 21 cups. In 1970 it reached the European Cup semi-finals, and in 1991 the Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, where Manchester United knocked it out.

That season the team wore shirts from three different makers, adidas, Umbro and Lotto.

Lotto, however, made a funny blunder: it mistook a club pennant for the crest and printed it on the shirt. On top of that, the Müllermilch sponsor name had to be covered up in European games. In 2025 Legia won the cup again and reached the Conference League quarter-finals.

Lucjan Brychczy holds the club records with 452 appearances and 226 goals. Captain Kazimierz Deyna, with 390 appearances and 141 goals, became one of the greatest names in Polish football. In 1979 he moved to Manchester City.

Celebrate with us

From the trenches of Volhynia to the European nights on Łazienkowska, Legia carries 111 years of history on its chest. Happy birthday to the Military Men of Warsaw!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Legia's stadium on Łazienkowska Street from the air (2022) – Emptywords, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.