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THE GREAT FRITZ WALTER
With the World Cup just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to write about a true legend of game, the great Fritz Walter. Although, The Frozen Northerner never saw this iconic German inside forward play, whenever, he hears the mention of his name, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The story of Fritz Walter is a fascinating one, demonstrating the highs and lows of football and how a player’s destiny can be shaped by one act of good fortune.
Fritz Walter was born in the month of October, 1920, in the German city of Kaiserslautern, in 1928, Walter, joined his home town’s football academy at the tender age of eight. His talent was evident at an early age resulted in him being handed a debut as a seventeen year old in 1937. Walter was clearly a player with a future and sure enough by the time he was twenty, his early promise was recognised by Germany’s head coach, Sepp Herberger, who rewarded Walter with his first cap for the national side.
However, Walter was living in Nazi Germany and in 1942 he was drafted into German Armed Forces to fight on the Russian front. When the tide turned against the German forces, Walter was duly imprisoned along with his brother Ottmar. Whilst awaiting transportation to the Siberian Gulags and almost certain death, Walter was playing in a makeshift game within the prisoner of war camp, where he was recognized by one of the Hungarian guards, who claimed that Walter and his brother were not German. This twist of fate saved the Walter brothers from the Gulags allowing them to eventually return to Kaiserslautern and war torn Germany.
After returning to Germany, Walter suffered from a bout of Malaria, fortunately, football didn’t resume competitively until 1947 allowing Walter the time to rehabilitate before returning to play his beloved ” Die Roten Teufel”. Like most of the tales I tell about my forgotten heroes, Walter was complex character, for all of his brilliance here was a player who was plagued with crippling self doubt, a player, that always performed better on rain soaked pitches, a player who hated playing in the sunshine, forever, wanting to play in the rain, always craving the need for wet weather to produce his sublime skills.
After the war and the political upheaval that came with it, Herberger was now left in charge of the democratic West Germany, a country, that would be denied access to the 1950 World Cup competition. Walter was now thirty, an age when, back then, most players were thinking of retiring, you would have thought that his playing career would have started to decline, however, despite his endless self doubt, the next eight years would see this troubled genius rise to become the most revered German player of all time.
His form at this time was exceptional, so good, that the legendary manager, Helenio Herrera (II Mago) offered Kaiserslautern DM 225,000 in an attempt to prise Walter away to Athletico Madrid, Walter, resisted, staying ever loyal to beloved hometown club. Herberger’s prodigal son, returned to the international arena in 1951, the year that Kaiserslautern won their first German Championship, they would take the championship again in 1953 followed by two runner spots in 1954 and 1955.
Etched in the middle of Kaiserslautern’s great run would be the 1954 World Cup, a competition that appeared to lie at the mercy of the Magical Magyars, the greatest Hungarian team of all time, led by the irresistible Ferenc Puskas. Germany were drawn in the group with Hungary, Turkey and South Korea, Herberger decided to field a weakened side against the Hungarians, who duly mauled the German side 8-3. Herberger was unmoved, results in the group dictated that the Germans must play Turkey in a play-off for a place in the quarter finals. Turkey were duly dispatched 4-1, allowing the Germans to enter the knock out stages of the tournament. Yugoslavia and old rivals Austria, were disposed in the quarter and semi finals leaving the Germans to face Hungary in the final.
To say Walter was worried about the final would be the understatement of a lifetime, when he awoke in his hotel in Spiez, on the morning of the final, the sun was shining brightly across Lake Thun. Walter, ever the sensitive soul, saw this as sign of impending disaster, nevertheless, by lunchtime the weather had changed dramatically with rain now pouring down. Walter was uplifted by the rain, becoming more optimistic about West Germany’s chances later that afternoon in World Cup final of 1954.
The final, was played at the Wankdorf Stadium in Berne, 62,000 fans crammed into the ground to witness one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, as the seemingly unbeatable Hungarian side succumbed to a West Germany side inspired and driven by the genius of Walter, 3-2.
The miracle of Berne, as the final became known, firmly established Walter as West Germany’s greatest player, possibly of all time, giving him soccer immortality. Fame didn’t sit easily on Walter’s shoulders, but, the die was now firmly cast. He would play on, captaining West Germany to fourth place in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Walter retired in 1959 after career that saw play 364 times for Kaiserslautern scoring 357 goals whilst 61 caps would yield him 33 goals for his country. The crafty Herberger attempted to draw Walter out of retirement for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, which the 42 year old Walter resisted.
Players like Fritz Walter simply don’t exist anymore, forever loyal to his adored, Kaiserslautern, he set the standard by which all German footballers and that includes Beckenbauer, must aspire to, yet, if it had been for the kindness of that Hungarian guard who knows what might have happened to “Der Alte Fritz” the great Fritz Walter.
thefrozennortherner 