Ernst Wilimowski
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ernest Otton Wilimowski | ||
Birth name | Ernst Otto Prandella | ||
Date of birth | 23 June 1916 | ||
Place of birth | Kattowitz, German Empire | ||
Date of death | 30 August 1997 | (aged 81)||
Place of death | Karlsruhe, Germany | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1932–1933 | 1. FC Kattowitz | 25 | (15) |
1934–1939 | Ruch Chorzów | 86 | (113) |
1939–1940 | 1. FC Kattowitz | ||
1940–1942 |
PSV Chemnitz | 29+ | (68) |
1942–1944 | 1860 Munich | 5 | (8) |
1944 | 1. FC Kattowitz | 1 | (2) |
1944 | Karlsruher SC | 4 | (6) |
1944–1945 | PSV Chemnitz | 3+ | (14) |
1946 | SC Zwiesel | 4+ | (4+) |
1946–1948 | SG Chemnitz-West | 27 | (65) |
1948 | BC Augsburg | 6 | (3) |
1949–1950 | Offenburger FV | 18 | (18) |
1950–1951 | FC Singen 04 | 30 | (16) |
1951–1955 | VfR Kaiserslautern | 75+ | (73) |
1955–1956 | Kehler FV | 7 | (8) |
Total | 328+ | (413+) | |
International career | |||
1934–1939 | Poland | 22 | (21) |
1934–1939 | Silesia | 6 | (7) |
1941–1942 | Germany | 8 | (13) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Ernest Otton Wilimowski (German: Ernst Otto Wilimowski, born Ernst Otto Prandella; 23 June 1916 – 30 August 1997), nicknamed "Ezi", was a footballer who played as a forward. He ranks among the best goalscorers in the history of both the Poland national team and Polish club football. After re-taking German citizenship following the invasion of Poland, he also played for the Germany national team.
Wilimowski was the first player to score four goals in a single FIFA World Cup game. According to RSSSF, Wilimowski scored over 1077 total goals in at least 688 total matches, making him the 14th greatest goalscorer of all time.[1] He is the most prolific goalscorer in official matches in one season in recorded history according to RSSSF, with 107 goals scored in 45 matches.[2]
Wilimowski also occasionally played ice hockey for the team Pogoń Katowice.
Early life
Born in
His parents, Ernst-Roman and Paulina, were German. His father, a soldier for the German Empire, died on the Western Front in the First World War. His mother sent him to a German kindergarten, a German primary school[3] and, when he was nine years old, to the German football team 1. FC Kattowitz. At the age of 13, he was legally adopted by his stepfather, who was Polish,[4] and took on the surname Wilimowski. At home, he spoke German for the most part, while in public he often spoke a Silesian dialect of the Polish language. Officially a citizen of Poland, he referred to himself as an Upper Silesian ("Górnoślązak" - Oberschlesier).
Early career
Ruch Chorzów
Wilimowski, who had six toes on his right foot, played on the left side as a forward and showed himself to be a very skilled dribbler as well as a natural goalscorer. He began his career with the ethnically German club
Wilimowski played 86 games for Ruch, scoring 112 goals, and was the league's top scorer in 1934 and 1936. He also led the league in scoring in 1939 until the German invasion of Poland. On 21 May 1939, he scored 10 goals in a single match against Union Touring Łódź as his club won 12–1. That performance still stands as a league record.
Poland national team
Soon after beginning his club football career, "Ezi" earned his first cap for Poland when he debuted against Denmark in Copenhagen on 21 May 1934 in a 2:4 loss: he was just 17 years and 332 days old. In a total of 22 appearances for Poland, Wilimowski netted 21 goals, nearly a goal per game. However, his off field conduct was less than ideal and in 1936 the young man's penchant for drinking and partying led to a one-year suspension imposed by the Polish football association just before the Olympic Games in Berlin. Without his goal scoring touch the Poles managed only a fourth-place finish in the Olympic tournament. Many felt that his presence could have brought the team a gold medal.
Wilimowski's appearances for Poland include two performances that were both historic and memorable.
In a
Wilimowski put on another memorable display on 27 August 1939 in
War years
After the invasion and occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany, Wilimowski as
For propaganda purposes, Nazi sports officials made 1. FC Kattowitz a model side representative of the German Upper Silesia. The region's best players were assigned to the team and besides Wilimowski included
Through the course of the war, he also played for
Germany national team
Like other officials, Sepp Herberger, manager of the Germany national team, developed an immediate appreciation for Wilimowski's talent. He debuted for Germany against Romania on 1 June 1941, in Bucharest scoring twice in a 4–1 victory. He followed that performance with three goals against Finland in Helsinki on 5 October 1941 as the Germans scored an easy 6–0 win.
The only international match Wilimowski ever played in his native Upper Silesia (in
Wilimowski's most memorable performance for the Germany national side came on 18 October 1942 in Bern, Switzerland as the Germans defeated a well-respected Swiss national team by a score of 5-3. "Ezi" scored four[7] of five goals with the other being netted by Fritz Walter.
Wilimowski was capped a total of eight times for Germany, scoring 13 goals (1.63 per match). His last appearance for Germany was in a 5–2 victory over Slovakia in Bratislava on 22 November 1942. After this match, Germany no longer played international friendlies because of the war.
Postwar career
After the war, Wilimowski, who was regarded by the Polish government as a traitor, was not allowed to visit his Silesian homeland during the Communist regime.
At the
Sylvia Haarke who lives in
Legendary coach of the Poland national team,
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
1. FC Kattowitz | 1932–1933 | Liga Oberschlesien | 25 | 15 | – | 1 | 2 | 26 | 17 | |
1944 | Gauliga Oberschlesien | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | ||||
Total | 26 | 17 | – | 1 | 2 | 27 | 19 | |||
Ruch Chorzów | 1934 | Ekstraklasa | 15+ | 33 | – | – | 15+ | 33 | ||
1935 | 5+ | 8 | 5+ | 8 | ||||||
1936 | 10+ | 19 | 10+ | 19 | ||||||
1937 | 7+ | 8 | 7+ | 8 | ||||||
1938 | 10+ | 19 | 10+ | 19 | ||||||
1939 | 9+ | 26 | 9+ | 26 | ||||||
Total | 86 | 113 | – | – | 86 | 113 | ||||
PSV Chemnitz
|
1940–41 | Gauliga Sachsen | 21 | 36 | 6 | 17 | 13[a] | 41 | 40 | 94 |
1941–42 | 14+ | 32 | 1+ | 1 | – | 15+ | 33 | |||
1943–44 | 2+ | 9 | – | – | 2+ | 9 | ||||
1944–45 | 1+ | 5 | 1+ | 5 | ||||||
Total | 40 | 82 | 7+ | 18 | 13 | 41 | 65+ | 140 | ||
TSV 1860 Munich | 1942–43 | Gauliga Bayern | 5 | 8 | 6 | 17 | – | 11 | 25 | |
Karlsruher SC | 1943–44 | Gauliga Baden | 4 | 6 | 5+ | 17 | – | 9 | 23 | |
SC Zwiesel | 1946–1947 | 1.Liga Niederbayern | 4+ | 4+ | – | – | 4+ | 4+ | ||
Chemnitz-West | 1946–1948 | Bezirkliga Chemnitz | 27 | 65 | – | – | 27 | 65 | ||
BC Augsburg | 1948–49 | Oberliga Süd | 6 | 3 | – | – | 6 | 3 | ||
Offenburger FV | 1949–50 | Oberliga Südwest | 18 | 18 | – | – | 18 | 18 | ||
FC Singen 04 | 1950–51 | Oberliga Süd | 30 | 16 | – | – | 30 | 16 | ||
VfR Kaiserslautern | 1951–52 | Oberliga Südwest | 16+ | 23 | – | – | 16+ | 23 | ||
1952–53 | 29 | 34 | 29 | 34 | ||||||
1953–54 | 24 | 14 | 24 | 14 | ||||||
1954–55 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||||||
Total | 75+ | 73 | – | – | 75+ | 73 | ||||
Kehler FV | 1955–1956 | 2 Amat. Liga Südbaden | 7 | 8 | – | – | 7 | 8 | ||
Career total | 328+ | 413+ | 13+ | 36 | 1 | 2 | 365+ | 507+ |
- ^ Appearances in Chemnitz District summer war tournament
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Poland | 1934 | 5 | 3 |
1935 | 0 | 0 | |
1936 | 1 | 0 | |
1937 | 4 | 3 | |
1938 | 8 | 10 | |
1939 | 4 | 5 | |
Germany | 1941 | 4 | 6 |
1942 | 4 | 7 | |
Total | 30 | 34 |
- Wilimowski's team's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Wilimowski goal.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
For Poland | ||||||
1 | May 23, 1934 | Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden | Sweden | 2–2 | 2–4 | Friendly |
2 | August 26, 1934 | Stadion SK Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly |
3 | September 9, 1934 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Germany | 1–1 | 2–5 | Friendly |
4 | June 23, 1937 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Sweden | 3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
5 | September 12, 1937 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Denmark | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
6 | October 10, 1937 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Yugoslavia | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification |
7 | March 13, 1938 | Hardturm, Zurich, Switzerland | Switzerland | 1–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
8 | May 22, 1938 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Republic of Ireland | 5–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
9 | June 5, 1938 | Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg, France | Brazil | 2–3 | 5–6 | 1938 FIFA World Cup |
10 | 3–3 | |||||
11 | 4–4 | |||||
12 | 5–6 | |||||
13 | September 25, 1938 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Yugoslavia | 2–0 | 4–4 | 1938 King Peter II Cup |
14 | 4–4 | |||||
15 | October 23, 1938 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Norway | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
16 | November 13, 1938 | Dalymount Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | Republic of Ireland | 1–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
17 | May 27, 1939 | Stadion Miejski ŁKS, Łódź, Poland | Belgium | 1–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
18 | 2–0 | |||||
19 | August 27, 1939 | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland | Hungary | 1–2 | 4–2 | Friendly |
20 | 2–2 | |||||
21 | 4–2 | |||||
For Germany | ||||||
22 | June 1, 1941 | Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania | Romania | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
23 | 4–0 | |||||
24 | June 15, 1941 | Praterstadion, Vienna, Germany | Croatia | 4–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
25 | October 5, 1941 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | Finland | 2–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
26 | 5–0 | |||||
27 | 6–0 | |||||
28 | August 16, 1942 | Hinderburg Stadium, Beuthen, Germany | Romania | 7–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
29 | October 18, 1942 | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland | Switzerland | 1–0 | 5–3 | Friendly |
30 | 2–1 | |||||
31 | 3–2 | |||||
32 | 4–2 | |||||
33 | November 22, 1942 | Adolf-Hitler-Kampfbahn , Stuttgart, Germany
|
Croatia | 3–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
34 | 4–0 |
Literature
- Karl-Heinz Harke, Georg Kachel; Fußball – Sport ohne Grenzen. Die Lebensgeschichte des Fußball-Altnationalspielers Ernst Willimowski., ISBN 3-87466-259-4
- Thomas Urban: Schwarze Adler, weiße Adler. Deutsche und polnische Fußballer im Räderwerk der Politik. Göttingen 2011, pp. 28–48.
See also
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
References
- ^ "Prolific Scorers Data".
- ^ "One season (official matches)". RSSSF.
- ^ Thomas Urban: Schwarze Adler, weiße Adler. Deutsche und polnische Fußballer im Räderwerk der Politik. Göttingen 2011, p. 30.
- ^ Urban, op.cit., p. 31.
- ^ a b c "Dwie ojczyzny Wilimowskiego" [The two fatherlands of Wilimowski]. Wprost weekly. 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Urban, op.cit., p. 43.
- ^ "Michael Ballack elfter Spieler mit vier oder mehr Treffern" (in German). DFB. 28 May 2004. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Alex Webber. "Here we go! As Poland heads to Qatar, fans will be hoping they recapture the spirit of 1974". thefistnews. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ Sport-Magazin No. 31 of 1949, p. 4
- ^ Urban, op.cit., p. 46.
- ^ "willimowski". docs.ufpr.br. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Prolific Scorers Data - Ernst Willimowski - Additional Data". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ https://www.historical-lineups.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Strikers-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Ernest Wilimowski, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
External links
- Ernst Wilimowski at WorldFootball.net
- Ernst Wilimowski at National-Football-Teams.com
- Biography (in Polish)
- O występach Ernesta Wilimowskiego w reprezentacji Niemiec (in Polish)
- Press article about Sylvia Haarke's visit to Poland and her stories about her father (in Polish)
- Ernst Wilimowski – FIFA competition record (archived)
- DFB.de on Willimowski