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Wolfgang Overath

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Wolfgang Overath
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-09-29) 29 September 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth Siegburg, Germany
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder
Youth career
1953–1962 SSV Siegburg 04
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1977 1. FC Köln 409 (83)
International career
1963–1974 West Germany 81 (17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wolfgang Overath (born 29 September 1943 in Siegburg, Germany) is a former West German footballer.[1] A true one-club man, Overath spent his entire professional career at 1. FC Köln. He represented his country three times in World Cup finals, culminating in 1974 with victory on home soil. Primarily an attacking midfielder, Overath was known for his passing ability, technique and his left foot.

Career

An attacking midfielder, Overath started playing football at SSV Siegburg, but spent the majority of his career at 1. FC Köln, appearing 765 times between 1962 and 1977 and scoring 287 goals. He won the inaugural Bundesliga with 1. FC Köln in 1964, overall he appeared in the first 14 seasons of the newly formed top-flight,[2] and the German Cup in 1968. At European club level he played 71 matches (11 goals) for 1. FC Köln.[3]

In total he won 81 caps for the national side between 1963 and 1974, scoring 17 goals. As well as the World Cup victory in 1974, he was at the heart of the West German midfield when they reached the final in 1966 and achieved third place in 1970. Overath scored the only goal in the latter match, with many foreign journalists voting him Germany's best player in Mexico.

Overath is one of only four players (alongside his teammates Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, later compatriot Miroslav Klose, and Italian Franco Baresi) with World Cup medals for first, second and third place. A main rival in the national team for leading the midfield was the flamboyant Günter Netzer from Borussia Mönchengladbach, German Player of the year in 1972 and 73. However, German coach Helmut Schön preferred the more staid Overath. An injury forced Overath out of the side before the quarterfinals of the European Championships 1972 where Netzer became alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller one of the outstanding protagonists leading the side, considered still Germany's best of all time, to victory in the final over the USSR. Overath soon regained his place ahead of Netzer, due to the latter’s now being injured. Netzer himself said that Overath "was born to play for Germany".

In 2004 he was elected President of 1. FC Köln, but resigned on 13 November 2011.[4]

Club career statistics

Overath (left) and Gerd Müller after winning the 1974 FIFA World Cup in Munich

[5]

Club performance League
Season Club League Apps Goals
Germany League
1963–64 Köln Bundesliga 30 8
1964–65 27 9
1965–66 30 3
1966–67 33 6
1967–68 29 9
1968–69 34 6
1969–70 29 12
1970–71 26 4
1971–72 25 6
1972–73 30 3
1973–74 31 5
1974–75 34 4
1975–76 27 2
1976–77 24 6
Country Germany 409 83
Total 409 83

International career statistics

[6]

Germany national team
Year Apps Goals
1963 3 0
1964 4 1
1965 4 2
1966 13 3
1967 8 1
1968 8 2
1969 6 3
1970 12 2
1971 6 1
1972 0 0
1973 8 0
1974 9 2
Total 81 17

Honours

Club

Köln

International

Germany

Individual

Personal life

Overath and his wife have three children: two sons and one adopted daughter. Also, he was named an honorary citizen of Siegburg in 2003. Overath was awarded the Egidius-Braun-Preis for his charity work.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Overath, Wolfgang" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  2. ^ Matthias Arnhold (31 October 2013). "Wolfgang Overath - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  3. ^ Marcel Haisma (19 February 2010). "Wolfgang Overath - Matches in European Cups". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Zu viel Frust: Overath tritt ab und erntet Pfiffe" (in German). kicker.de. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  5. ^ Wolfgang Overath at National-Football-Teams.com
  6. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (13 March 2004). "Wolfgang Overath - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  7. ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo (20 October 2015). "FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Overath für soziales Engagement geehrt" (in German). Rhein-Sieg-Anzeiger. 22 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
Sporting positions
Preceded by West Germany captain
1970–1972 		Succeeded by

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