Willi Schulz

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Willi Schulz
Schulz in 1968
Personal information
Date of birth (1938-10-04) 4 October 1938 (age 85)
Place of birth Wattenscheid, Germany
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)
sweeper
Youth career
1950–1960 Union Günnigfeld
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1965 Schalke 04 134 (8)
1965–1973 Hamburger SV 211 (3)
Total 345 (11)
International career
1959
West Germany B
1 (0)
1959–1960
West Germany Amateur
8 (0)
1959–1970
West Germany
66 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  West Germany
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1966 England
Third place 1970 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Willi Schulz (born 4 October 1938) is a German former footballer who played as a defender for Schalke 04 and Hamburger SV.[1] At International level, he made 66 appearances for the West Germany national team.

Career

Schulz was born in

West Germany in 1959 at a time when he was still an amateur for lower league club Union Günnigfeld. In 1960 he joined FC Schalke 04, spending the first three years in the Oberliga West, and in 1963 the Bundesliga was officially created. In 1965 he changed outfit joining Hamburger SV.[2]

Schulz started out as a

central defenders in global football. In November 1968, he was part of the FIFA XI that faced Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.[3]

Schulz would have been the standard sweeper of West Germany during the 1970 World Cup, but an injury of the meniscus as well as a calf bruise meant that he only started in two of the six World Cup games in Mexico.[4] In his place, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger played as sweeper. After the 1970 World Cup, Schulz retired from international activities.[5] He continued to play for Hamburger SV until 1973.

Playing style

Being a conservative sweeper with no urge to join the attack of his teams, Schulz focused on marshalling his defense. He was noted for his calmness even under pressure, his positional play, his strength at man-to-man duels, his solid passing game, aerial ability and a special expertise at sliding tackling. For these traits as well as his consistency at the top level, Schulz was revered by West Germany national team coach Helmut Schön, who preferred Schulz at the sweeper position to the younger and more adventurous Franz Beckenbauer, who had to play in midfield instead.

Career after football

After his retirement, Schulz established an insurance agency in

two sides colluded to allow West Germany to win 1–0 enabling both sides to progress at the expense of Algeria, Schulz famously called the West Germany players "gangsters".[6]

Honours

References

  1. kicker.de
    . Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. RSSSF
    . Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b Bitter, Jürgen (1997). Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler (in German). Sportverlag. p. 444.
  4. ^ Havekost, Folke; Stahl, Volker; Vinke, Hans (2005). Fußballweltmeisterschaft 1970 Mexiko (in German). Agon Sportverlag. p. 111.
  5. RSSSF
    . Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. ^ Doyle, Paul (13 June 2010). "The day in 1982 when the world wept for Algeria". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 June 2010.

External links