Germany Greatest All-Time Team before 1972
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World Cup 1954 |
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index
Germany All-Time Team
North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria
East German Players after 1990
German Americans/American Germans
German Turks
German-born Players Capped by Other National Teams
Germany All-Time Team After Beckenbauer
The rise of German football was credited with West Germany's victory at the European Championship in 1972. However, West Germany actually won a World Cup in 1954. A number of great players emerged during in the eras before 1972. This is my selection of a 23 member all-time German team before West Germany won the European Championship in 1972. All players ended their national team career before the European Championship of 1972, where it marked the beginning of German's rise in football. The number 23 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the World Cup Finals.
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| World Cup Final 1966 against England |
GK: Bert Trautmann
Trautmann was a former POW who decided to remain in England after the war. He signed for Manchester City in 1949. He turned from the most hated player in England to a fan favourite. He was the hero of 1956 FA Cup winning team. In his prime, he was known as one of the best keeper in the world. He was credited for healing the German-British relations after the War.
GK: Toni Turek
He was the starting keeper for West Germany at WC in 1954. His longest club stint was with Fortuna Düsseldorf.
GK: Hans Tilkowski
He played mainly for Westfalia Herne and Borussia Dortmund. In 1966, Tilkowski was the No. 1 goalkeeper of the West German team which lost the World Cup Final against England.
RB: Paul Janes
He was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8:0 in Breslau in 1937. His longest club stint was with Fortuna Düsseldorf. He went to two WC Finals in 1934 and 1938.
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| Paul Janes |
RB: Hans Nowak
While playing for FC Bayern Munich, he won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. Nowak became notable for being the first attacking Fullback in German football. Between September 1961 and November 1964, Nowak was the standard right back of West Germany, starting in 15 out of 20 international games during that period.
CB: Willi Schulz
He was one of the best center-backs in the world during the 1960's. He started as the sweeper in the 1966 WC Finals. He went to Mexico 1970, but was injured. He played for Hamburger and Schalke 04.
DM/CB: Ludwig Goldbrunner
He went to the WC in 1938. He spent his entire career with Bayern Munich, winning the German title in 1932. He was considered to be one of Bayern's greatest players.
CB/LB: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
In his prime, he was considered one of the best leftbacks in the world. He participated in 4 World Cup Finals, unfortunaitely sandwiched between West Germany's two WC winning tournaments. He was remembered one of the first German to star in Italy. He had a remarkable stint with AC Milan and As Roma. He won the European Cup in 1969.
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| Karl-Heinz Schnellinger |
CB: Herbert Erhardt
Erhardt was one of Bayern Munich's greatest defender. He earned 50 caps for the West-Germany and was a member of the German team which won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also participated in two other World Cups, in 1958 and 1962. He served as the German captain 6 times.
CB/LB: Reihold Munzenberg
Münzenberg spent most of his career with Alemannia Aachen (1927–1951) but also had spells with SV Werder Bremen and LSV Hamburg as a Wartime Guest Player. On the national level he played for Germany (41 matches, no goals), and was a participant at the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups. Münzenberg was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8–0 in Breslau in 1937 and went on to win 10 out 11 games played during that year. He was considered one of the greatest left backs.
LB: Erich Juskowiak
He made his national team debut in 1951, but did not go to Swizterland 1954. He was the starting leftback for the West German national team at Sweden 1958. He became the first German player to be sent off in a WC Finals match over there.
DM: Andreas Kupfer
Kupfer was one of two FC Schweinfurt 05 players featured in the Breslau Elf that beat Denmark 8:0 in 1937. Kupfer was one of the best half backs in the history of German football and is the only player to have played Germany’s last international game before the end of World War II (played in 1942) and the first one after the war (in 1950).
CM: Helmut Haller
Haller was one of the best midfielders in the world in the 1960's. In 1966, he helped West Germany to reach the WC Final in 1966, forming one of the best midfield of the tournament. He also went to Chile in 1962 and Mexico in 1970. He started with Augsburg. He was also known for his stints in Italy, playing for Bologna and Juventus.CM: Horst Szymaniak
He was one of West Germany's greatest midfielders. He went to the WC Finals in 1959 and 1962. He played for SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsruher SC, Calcio Catania, F.C. Internazionale Milano, A.S. Varese 1910, and Tasmania 1900 Berlin. He joined Inter Milan in 1962 at a time when Serie A clubs seldom signed German players.
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| Horst Szymaniak |
CM: Fritz Szepan
Szepan is one of Germany's greatest midfielder. He played in 1934 and 1938 WC Finals. He played his entire career with Schalke 04. He was voted as the club's greatest ever player.
RW: Ernest Lehner '
He played for the Germany in the 1934 and the 1938 World Cup. He was capped 65 times and scored 31 goals. He was a member of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8–0 in Breslau in 1937. He was considered to have been one of the best outside rights of the 1934 World Cup. Others touted him as "the best non-professional player in Europe" (professionalism was not allowed in Germany in the 1930s). He was one of the players selected to represent Western Europe against Central Europe in 1937.
RW: Helmut Rahn
Rahn was known as "Der Boss" (English: "The Boss") because of his on-field leadership and occasionally also as "The Cannon from Essen". He was considered one of the best ever German winger. His club career was associated with Rot-Weiss Essen. Capped 40 times. He was a star of the 1954 WC team. He scored the winning goal in the final vs Hungary. He also went to the WC Finals in 1958.
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| Helmut Rahn |
LW: Hans Schafer
He played for 1. FC Köln between 1948 and 1965. He also played for the West Germany, earning 39 caps and scoring 15 goals. He played in three World Cups, in 1954, 1958, and 1962, earning a winner's medal in 1954 and scoring a total of seven goals. Between 1957 and 1962, Schäfer captained Germany 16 times. He was German Player of the Year in 1963. He spent all of his career with Koln.
AM/FW: Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter was the captain of the 1954 World Cup winning team. He was considered one of Germany's greatest players. He was selected as the UEFA Golden Player for Germany at the 50th anniversary of UEFA in 2004. He played with Kaiserslautern. During the war, he was captured as a POW and escaped.
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| Fritz Walter |
FW: Max Morlock
Morlock started with Eintracht Nürnberg. In 1940 he joined 1. FC Nürnberg, debuting in the first team on 30 November 1941. He appeared more than 900 times in the first team and scored about 700 goals. In 1948 and 1961 he led the team to German championships. He earned 26 caps and scored 21 goals. He was a member of the West German team that won their first World Cup in 1954. In the final match against Hungary Morlock scored West Germany's first goal to start the comeback.
ST: Edmund Conen
Conen played with FV 03 Saarbrücken, Stuttgarter Kickers,[2] Mülhausen 93, HSV Groß Born (Pommern) and a couple of smaller clubs. He played from 1934 to 1942 in 28 international matches for Germany and scored 27 goals. With four goals in the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy, Conen was the joint second top scorer with Angelo Schiavio of Italy, behind Oldřich Nejedlý of Czechoslovakia who had five goals.
ST: Ernst Kuzorra
During his entire career, he played for Schalke 04, whom he led to six national championships and one national cup. He is commonly regarded as the greatest Schalke player of all time alongside Fritz Szepan. A highly athletic, technical and prolific forward, Kuzorra is also commonly regarded as one of the greatest German forwards. Capped 12 times.
ST: Uwe Seeler
Seeler was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He played in 4 WC Finals(1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970), but sandwiched between Germany's two World Cup winning years(1954 and 1974). West Germany came second in 1966 and reached the semifinal in 1970 while playing next to Gerd Muller. However, he is still regarded one of Germany's greatest players. He spent his entire career with SV Hamburger.
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| Uwe Seeler |
Hans Jakob, Heinrich Stuhlfauth, Friedrich Herkenrath, Horst Eckel, Ottmar Walter, Eugen Kipp, Richard Hofmann.
Squad Explanation
-- Only three players are on my Germany All-Time Team: Helmut Rahn, Hans Schafer and Fritz Walter.
-- The players whose career with the national team ended before the European Championship of 1972, where it marked the beginning of German's rise in football. Some players played with Beckenbauer and members of the 1974 World Cup team.
-- Bert Trautmann was not considered in other German-related all-time team because he never played for Germany. However, I made an exception for this team. As a result, Hans Jakob missed out. I am not familiar with Heinrich Stuhlfauth.
-- I do not know much about Eugen Kipp.
-- All Austrian players who played for Germany in 1938 because of Anschluss were not considered due to sensitivity of the political situation.
-- East German players were considered, but none were selected.
-- Saarland played as a national team between 1950 and 1956. All players were eligible, but none made the team.
Formation
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