Günter Netzer

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Netzer, the son of a greengrocer, played for 1. FC Mönchengladbach from the age of eight until 19 before switching to city rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1963. 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. In his 230 Bundesliga games for them, he scored 82 goals. 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. 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. He then went on to score the winning goal three minutes later, with only his second possession…

Netzer made his debut for the West Germany national team in October 1965 in a friendly against Austria. He represented West Germany 37 times 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; Netzer, despite being friends with Overath, considered the pair as not being able to play together effectively. 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.

A classic playmaker known for his technique and passing ability, Netzer was capable of playing either as an attacking midfielder, or as a deep-lying playmaker, is considered one of the greatest midfielders and passers of all time. Normally positioned as a midfielder in front of the defence, Netzer often dropped back between the back line. From there, he organised the game from deep and served his team-mates with precise long balls. During his time at Mönchengladbach, Netzer was also deployed as a libero at times. Apart from his superior ball skills, his natural authority made him the undisputed leader of his team. As a player for Borussia Mönchengladbach, he enjoyed a lot of freedom from the management and the coach Hennes Weisweiler, even off the pitch. On the field the way he orchestrated the team's midfield play earned him the nickname 'Karajan', after the conductor Herbert von Karajan.

After his career as a player Netzer offered to publish Hamburger SV's stadium magazine. The president, Paul Benthien, agreed on the condition that he also became general manager. Netzer spent eight successful years in Hamburg, during which time he completely transformed Hamburg's team, managed to sign famous coaches like Branko Zebec and later Ernst Happel, and led the club to three Bundesliga titles (1979, 1982, 1983). In 1983, Hamburg reached the final of the European Cup. With Horst Hrubesch, Felix Magath and Manfred Kaltz, Hamburg pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European Cup history by beating a Juventus side packed with Italian players who had won the World Cup a year earlier and two star import players – Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek. The years with Günter Netzer are today considered the most successful period in Hamburg's history.