Fritz Walter 1954 FIFA World Cup Classic Players

A footballing grandmaster
Walter was a gifted technician, an artist with the ball and a footballing grandmaster of the highest order. He rates as one of the best footballers the world has ever seen, a goal hungry playmaker whose talents were honed by a stupendous work rate and burning ambition. He appeared 379 times for Kaiserslautern, scoring an astonishing 306 goals from midfield, the finest of which came against Wismut Aue as he famously performed a reverse overhead back-heel from a corner.

He consistently found the target at international level too, scoring 33 times in 61 games for Germany. His international career came to an end at the age of 37 in the 1958 FIFA World Cup semi-final against hosts Sweden when he was forced off injured, never to appear again.

Walter remained a beloved figure in Germany, largely thanks to his modesty and down-to-earth personality. He was also notoriously loyal to his hometown club and was never tempted by the many lucrative offers from FC Nancy of France and then Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, for example. He stayed in the Palatinate, turning out for Kaiserslautern in a career that spanned from 1928 to 1959.

In 1985, still in the player's lifetime, the Betzenberg Stadium was renamed after him. The totally renovated Fritz Walter stadium was a 2006 FIFA World Cup venue, and it was the old captain himself who was symbolic leader of the city's bid.

Unfortunately, this true football icon did not witness Germany 2006 at the stadium which bears his name - Fritz Walter died at the age of 81 in the summer of 2002.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Fritz Walter
• 1954
• FIFA
• World Cup
• Football

[YrrHoch3]

best player of world-cup 1954!!!

[Betzebub10]

best player of the world...

KAISERSLAUTERN!!!!

[FreiUndWild01]

He was just a great individuality, one of the big players of the world!

Modest,comradly, just unique!

With him, soccer lost a big personality, germans most famous soccer player!!!

A Legend himself