An uneven terrain. Some Hungarian and Slovak soldiers guarding a prison camp in a lost place on the border between the present Romania Y Ukraine They will play a soccer game. We are in 1945 and the regime of Third Reich has fallen Soviet troops arrive at the prison camp to take all the German soldiers to the ‘gulag’. To all except one who had the great fortune to meet.
‘A Club Man’
fritz walter He was a tall forward who started and ended his football career in kaiserlautern. The so-called ‘One Club Man’. He entered the lower ranks of his hometown club in 1928 at the age of 8 and stopped playing soccer in 1959 due to an injury. But what makes him special is that he was able to restore German pride to a country torn apart by war and guilty of allowing the rise of Nazism.
The world war took away many young athletes and was about to take it fritz walter. His goals to kaiserlautern The national team did not notice them. Sepp Herberger he was called up to join the team in 1940 making his debut in a victory over Romania with an upset result: 9-3. Walter score a ‘hat-trick’ and the prize is a rifle and uniform of wehrmacht that led him in front of France, sardinia, Corsica, Elba, Bohemia Y Romania.
The game of your life
Walter was assigned to the paratroopers and a border mission in between Hungary Y Slovakiawas arrested and sent to a concentration camp in maramures under American care and guarded by Hungarian soldiers. There he contracted malaria which causes high fever so the sun and heat are not good companions for the patient. In Germany, when the weather is rainy and windy, it is common to comment “Fritz Walter time ago”.
A misdirected ball into a makeshift goal in the prison camp ended up rolling at the feet of a mischievous German prisoner who volleyed it back. The Magyar sentry receiving the ball whispers: “I know you. Naa Hungary-Germany what are you playing Budapest in 1942, you won 5-3. And you scored two goals”. He joined the guards and played what he considered “the game of his life.” The next day his name disappeared from the list of prisoners to be sent to Siberia where few survived the first five weeks. The reason was to say that the prisoner was not German but Austrian. That was the first miracle. The second will come in the final of 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.
Against Hungary’s best
A Germany was not allowed to play with Soccer World Cup of 1950 of Brazil that won Uruguay in the famousmaracanazo‘. The weather in Bern was rainy, windy and strangely cold on July 4, 1954. The World Cup final was played between Hungary’s best with Puskas, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Grosics and Czibor who dazzled the world with their football without losing a game in the last four years. The big captain fritz walterat 34 years old, led a Germany that he has very little chance of winning.
The marker indicated 10 minutes after the start of the match a 0-2 in favor of the Hungarians with goals from puss Y czibor. The tragedy is gnawing. That was then Morlock the German comeback started to score first in his locker and, rahn at 18 and 24, they put 3-2 without moving. The European press called it the Bern’s miracle.
Germany he raised a glass of Jules Rimet and the one who appreciated that storm the most was Fritz who went home a hero. Along with his brother Ottmar who also played in that match. They are the first siblings to win the World Cup final.
Matches to help Puskas
In 1956, Russia invade Hungary to form a satellite country and raise the communist bloc as a whole Eastern Europe. Hungarian players playing in the western part of Europe they refuse to return to their country and Walter and other players arrange some friendly matches Portugal, Spain, Italy Y Brazil to raise funds for exiles. Theirs, puss who played with him Spanish from Barcelona some unofficial matches until signing for him real Madrid in 1958.
The next one worldthe one of Sweden from 1958, Fritz he still starts at 38 but they lose against France 6-3 in contention for third and fourth place. He removed himself from the world of soccer and, from 1960, dedicated part of his time to a highly commendable social work: the rehabilitation of prisoners. He was credited with leading a team that restored the pride of German football and many tributes were paid to him when he died in kaiserlautern on June 17, 2002 at age 81.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
