Fritz Walter

From Freepedia

Fritz Walter (October 31, 1920 – June 17, 2002) was one of the most popular German football players. In his time with the West German national team, he scored 33 goals in 61 matches.

As the son of a Vereinswart of 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Walter began his football career early. At age 8, he joined the Kaiserslautern youth academy, and he made his first team debut at just 17, where he would faithfully remain throughout his career.

Walter debuted with the national team in 1940 under Sepp Herberger, and scored a hat-trick against Romania. Walter was drafted into the armed forces in 1942, however, and remained in the army until the end of World War II in 1945. Upon his return from the army, Walter again played for Kaiserslautern, leading them to German championships in 1951 and 1953. He returned to the national team in 1951, and was named the captain.

He was captain of the West German team that won their first World Cup in 1954. Walter received his last cap during the semi-final against Sweden in the 1958 World Cup, suffering an injury who ended his international career, and retired from football in 1959.

Fritz's brother Ottmar Walter played with him on the 1954 West German team that won the World Cup.

In 2004, when UEFA celebrated its 50th anniversary, German Football Association selected him as its Golden Player from 1954 to 2003.