A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing mostly as a right winger and second striker, he is considered one of the greatest Polish players of all time,[2] and was selected by Pelé as one of the 100 best living footballers in 2004.

[3] In an 80-cap international career, Boniek scored 24 goals and played at three consecutive World Cups, helping Poland to 3rd place in 1982 and making the Team of the Tournament.

[5][7][8] He returned to the starting line-up for the victorious third-place match against France and was named to the team of the tournament for his performances throughout the competition.

A tall, brave and hard-working footballer with a large, powerful, and slender physique, he was known for his blistering pace, acceleration, and quick reactions.

In particular, Boniek was highly regarded for his ability to make sudden attacking runs to beat the defensive line and get on the end of his teammates' long passes, especially those of Michel Platini, with whom he formed a close friendship and formidable partnership at the Turin club, which made him lethal on counterattacks; this prompted Diego Maradona to describe Boniek as “one of the finest players of their generation.”[10] A highly talented, creative, intelligent, and skilful footballer, he was one of the best dribblers of his time and also displayed superb technique, flair, and class.

Despite his ability, at times he was also criticised, however, for being tactically undisciplined, inconsistent, too static in his movements off the ball, and for not being involved enough in his team's play during matches, which led him to struggle against opponents who did not give him a lot of space.

[5][6][7][8][11][12][13] The Juventus president at the time of Boniek's tenure with the club, Gianni Agnelli, nicknamed him Bello di notte ("Beauty at night", which is a play on the title of the Buñuel movie Belle de Jour) because of his excellent performances in European club tournament matches, which were played in the evening; indeed, during continental tournaments, his opponents usually allowed him more space and time on the ball than in Serie A, which allowed him to get forward, undertake individual dribbling runs and score goals himself, or drop deep, link up with midfielders and create chances or provide assists for his teammates, courtesy of his passing, vision, and clever movement.

He resigned in December 2002, after just five matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats, including a 1–0 home loss against Latvia in a European Championship qualifier).

[7] According to Polish sources, Boniek had been favoured to become the new Minister of Sport for his country, but he denied the claims and stated that he had no intention of taking the job.

[17] He is popular for speaking in favour of decriminalising football fans by legalising pyrotechnics inside stadiums, a common practice among ultras.

[25] The same year, he was voted as a member of Poland's Team of the Century in a poll organized on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Polish Football Association.