Günter Netzer

Günter Netzer

Netzer in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Günter Theodor Netzer
Date of birth	(1944-09-14) 14 September 1944 (age 79)
Place of birth	Mönchengladbach, Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1952–1963	1. FC Mönchengladbach
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1963–1973	Borussia Mönchengladbach	297	(108)
1973–1976	Real Madrid	85	(9)
1976–1977	Grasshopper Club Zürich	26	(3)
Total		408	(120)
International career
1965–1975	West Germany	37	(6)
Managerial career
1977–1985	Hamburger SV (general manager)
Medal record Men's football Representing  West Germany FIFA World Cup Winner 1974 West Germany UEFA European Championship Winner 1972 Belgium
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944) is a German former professional

Netzer, the son of a greengrocer,[4] played for 1. FC Mönchengladbach from the age of eight until 19 before switching to city rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1963.^[1] He scored on his debut against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, and quickly established himself as a first team regular, helping the club win promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965.

Netzer played for Borussia, managed by Hennes Weisweiler, until 1973.^[1] In his 230 Bundesliga games for them, he scored 82 goals.^[5] The era also saw one of the most competitive rivalries in the Bundesliga's history between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich had stars Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Paul Breitner and Sepp Maier on their side while Mönchengladbach had Berti Vogts, Herbert Wimmer, Jupp Heynckes, Rainer Bonhof and Netzer. When they achieved their first successes the average age of both teams was 21.

With Borussia Mönchengladbach he won the Bundesliga in 1970 and 1971 (the first Bundesliga club to win back-to-back championships), and the DFB-Pokal in 1973.^[1] The final was a famous match against 1. FC Köln in which he started as a sub – it is said because he had told his manager of his intention to move to Spain after the season – and went onto the pitch during extra time on his own authority, simply telling the coach "I'll go and play now" whilst removing his tracksuit.^[1][6] He then went on to score the winning goal three minutes later, with only his second possession of the ball.^[1] By then Netzer had achieved a certain pop star-like popularity because of his good looks, flowing blond hair, and perceived rebel personality and playboy lifestyle. Netzer was voted German Footballer of the Year twice, in 1972 and 1973, by the country's football journalists.^[3]

Netzer was a

Real Madrid

When

Netzer made his debut for the West German national team in October 1965 in a friendly against Austria. He represented West Germany 37 times^[8] from 1965 to 1975, scoring six goals (some from the penalty spot) and playing a vital role in the country's victory at UEFA Euro 1972. He also appeared briefly (for 21 minutes against East Germany) in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, during which time the only goal of the match was scored against his team. At the tournament, Wolfgang Overath was the central figure in Germany's midfield;^[1] Netzer, despite being friends with Overath, considered the pair as not being able to play together effectively.^[9] Although he did not play in the final, Netzer is nonetheless considered the first World Cup winner to, at the time of winning, play for a club that was based outside his country.

Managerial career

After his career as a player Netzer offered to publish

It was the duo's harsh criticism of the German national side's poor performance that triggered Rudi Völler's famous eruption on 6 September 2003, immediately after the international match against Iceland. The then Bundestrainer (manager) harshly criticized Netzer, some considered it abusively, in a live interview after the goalless draw.^[12]

Following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Netzer announced he was leaving the ARD after 13 years.^[11][12][13]

Netzer is married and has one daughter.^[1][4] He lives in Switzerland and has Swiss citizenship, too.^[14]

Career statistics

Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Netzer goal.

List of international goals scored by Günter Netzer

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 November 1970	Athens, Greece	Greece	1–0	3–1	Friendly
2	12 June 1971	Karlsruhe, Germany	Albania	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
3	22 June 1971	Oslo, Norway	Norway	7–0	7–1	Friendly
4	8 September 1971	Hanover, Germany	Mexico	4–0	5–0	Friendly
5	29 April 1972	London, England	England	2–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
6	15 November 1972	Düsseldorf, Germany	Switzerland	4–0	5–1	Friendly

Honours

As player

Borussia Mönchengladbach^[15]

• Bundesliga: 1969–70, 1970–71
• DFB-Pokal: 1972–73
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1972–73

Real Madrid[15]

• La Liga: 1974–75, 1975–76
• Copa del Rey: 1973–74, 1974–75

West Germany^[15]

• UEFA European Championship: 1972
• FIFA World Cup: 1974

Individual

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]}
• Goal of the Year (Germany): 1971, 1972^[23][24]
• Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1972, 1973
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1972^[15]
• Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1972^[a]
• World XI: 1972, 1973, 1975^[25]
• World Soccer: The Greatest Players of the 20th century (75th place)^[26]
• Member of Germany's Sports Hall of Fame^[27]

As general manager

Hamburger SV

• Bundesliga: 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83
• European Cup: 1982–83
• Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1983

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Günter Netzer.

• Günter Netzer at fussballdaten.de (in German)
• Günter Netzer at
  IMDb