|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fritz
Walter
(West
Germany)
One
of the true legends in German football, Fritz Walter,
will always have a special position in his own
country. Born in 1920, he missed many years of his
career because of World War II, but still made his
debut for the national team during those years. He
played only for one club through-out his career, his
birthtown club 1.FC Kaiserslautern where he won two
German league championships as a playmaker and striker
in the early 1950s.
In 1954, national team
coach Sepp Herberger made Fritz Walter his captain as
the West German team travelled across the border to
Switzerland to participate in their first World Cup
after the war. Walter was now 33 and lead the Germans
through to the final where they met Hungary. A team
which hadn’t lost a match in four years! The
Germans, with many reserves, lost 8-3 in the first
round when the two teams met earlier in the
tournament, and despite trailing by two goals already
after ten minutes in the final, Walter drove his team
forward. Amazingly enough, West Germany recovered and
scored a winning goal in the dying minutes to win
their first World Cup. Also in the team was Fritz's
brother Ottmar making them the first brothers to win
the World Cup. A proud captain Fritz Walter, who
scored three goals in the tournament himself, could
collect the trophy.
Walter captained West
Germany also in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden as they
reached the semifinals losing to the hosts 3-1 in
Gothenburg. Fritz retired the following year, but
coach Herberger had a hard time accepting that, and he
seriously tried to persuade Walter to join the German
team for the Chile World Cup in 1962 with no success.
Walter was then almost 42! To illustrate his greatness
and position, Fritz Walter made the German Team of the
Century voted by the people in 1999. Kaiserslautern
paid tribute to him by naming their stadium after him
on his 65th birthday in 1985.
|
|
Back
to World Cup Legends |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
