Herbert Wimmer

This article is about the German soccer player Herbert "Hacki" Wimmer. For the Austrian writer Herbert Josef Wimmer, see Herbert J. Wimmer

Hacki Wimmer
Wimmer as a player in the German national team
Personnel
Surname	Herbert Wimmer
birthday	November 9, 1944
place of birth	Eupen ,  Belgium
position	midfield
Juniors
Years	station
	Borussia Brand
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
0000-1966	Borussia Brand
1966-1988	Borussia M'gladbach	366 (51)
1978-1979	Borussia Brand
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
1966-1968	Germany U-23	4 0(0)
1968-1976	Germany	36 0(4)
1 Only league games are given.

Herbert "Hacki" Wimmer (born November 9, 1944 in Eupen , Belgium ) is a former German soccer player who won the German championship from 1970, 1971 and 1975 to 1977 as an active member of Borussia Mönchengladbach . With the team from Bökelberg, he also won the DFB Cup in 1973 and the UEFA Cup in 1975 . In his national team career from 1968 to 1976 - 36 international matches with four goals - he won the finals of the European Championship in Brussels in 1972 and he was also part of the victorious DFB team at the 1974 World Cup in Germany with two appearances . For Borussia Mönchengladbach he played 366 games in the Bundesliga from 1966 to 1978 , scoring 51 goals.

career

Clubs until 1979

Herbert Wimmer went through the entire youth classes at his home club Borussia Brand in Aachen. When the enthusiastic, hooking and combination-safe winger reached promotion to the Mittelrhein Association League with the Green-Whites in the 1965/66 season , he was observed by Borussia coach Hennes Weisweiler - he was also active in the regional cup selection for the Middle Rhine - and finally after two trial training sessions for round 1966/67 equipped with a contract for the Bundesliga. With the ex-amateur soccer player from Brand, Gladbach's second Bundesliga round, 1966/67, also brought goalkeeper Volker Danner , defender Vladimir Durković and striker Dieter Schollbach to the Lower Rhine.

The newcomer from the amateur camp, called "Hacki" by teammates and fans, was immediately used by coach Weisweiler on the first match day of the 1966/67 round to make his Bundesliga debut. Gladbach played 0-0 at Schalke 04 on August 20, 1966 and Wimmer had made a good debut on the right wing. At the end of the round, the Borussia were in eighth place. "Hacki" immediately made 34 appearances (all rounds) and three goals in the regular cast and enriched the hopeful substance of the young team of coach Weisweiler. He was already in the sights of national coach Helmut Schön and came to his first two DFB appointments in November 1966 and May 1967 when he stormed the international matches against Romania and Czechoslovakia on the right wing of the German junior national team U23. In the next two years - 1968 and 1969 - Borussia came third in the table and the former endurance runner and flank donor on the right flank had become a playful and tactical defensive midfielder, completely without a “bone-breaking mentality” but with extraordinary stamina and combination skills compensated for the missing backward movement of the outstanding playmaker Günter Netzer in Gladbach's midfield and thus allowed his playful creativity to develop to its fullest. His outstanding qualities in midfield also led him to the senior national team. On November 23, 1968 Wimmer made his debut in the World Cup qualifying game in Nicosia against Cyprus in the team of Helmut Schön. The "Tall One" had bet on Max Lorenz , Wimmer and playmaker Wolfgang Overath in midfield . Striker Gerd Müller released the debutants, teammates, coaches and fans with his winning goal to make it 1-0 in the 90th minute.

He won the first German championship with Mönchengladbach in the 1969/70 season , when the "Fohlen-Elf" won the title race four points ahead of last year's double winner, FC Bayern Munich . The 1970 championship team included the following regular players: Wolfgang Kleff , Hans-Hubert Vogts , Klaus-Dieter Sieloff , Ludwig Müller , Hartwig Bleidick , Peter Dietrich , Günter Netzer , Herbert L Bäumen , Herbert Wimmer, Horst Köppel , Ulrik le Fevre and Winfried Schäfer . The "man for long journeys" had scored six goals in 30 games.

In 1971, 1975, 1976 and 1977 there were four more championship titles in the Bundesliga. Two German championships in 1970 and 1971 with Netzer, the UEFA Cup in 1975 and three other championship titles after the playmaker left for Real Madrid in 1973 . The player "Hacki" Wimmer also celebrated successes without Günter Netzer, limiting his perception to the role of Netzer's "water carrier" does not do justice to his career. Not at Borussia Mönchengladbach, not even in the national team. The success in the DFB Cup in 1973 was spectacular, when Günter Netzer, who came on in the 91st minute, scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute to make it 2-1 against 1. FC Köln .

With the 1970/71 season , the games in the European Cup were added for Wimmer and his teammates. In 1971/72 the "rifle throw" game on October 20, 1971 against Inter Milan went down in football history books. Borussia prevailed in a playful demonstration with 7-1 goals against the Intergarde around Burgnich, Facchetti, Corso, Mazzola and Boninsegna. The game was then canceled by UEFA because a spectator threw the rifle against Boninsegna and a replay was scheduled for December 1, 1971 in Berlin. In Milan, Wittkamp shortened to 2: 3 in the 89th minute of the game and Ghio scored the 4: 2 winning goal for Inter with the final whistle. In Berlin, Sieloff missed a penalty in the 17th minute and the 0-0 draw eliminated “Hacki” and colleagues from the competition. But the “Gladbacher Motor”, which ran constantly over twelve laps, experienced dramatic moments in the European Cup not only in the “rifle throwing game”. The two finals in May 1973 against Liverpool FC (with Keegan and Toshack) (0: 3; 2: 0) in the UEFA Cup were highlights, which can also be said about the semi-finals in April 1974 in the cup winners' competition against AC Milan . The course in the UEFA Cup of the 1974/75 season , which culminated in the 5-1 away win on May 21, 1975 in the final second leg at Twente Enschede , and the Weisweiler era - it went to FC Barcelona for the 1975/76 round from the 1976 round / 77 coaching 1. FC Köln - which ended with an international success - was, however, less marked by drama, futile artistry and ultimate failure, but was entirely under the impression of the offensive and playful superiority of the Gladbach team, which at the same time also played Bundesliga championship six points ahead of Hertha BSC.

In addition to Herbert Wimmer, the following players were used in the final against Enschede: Wolfgang Kleff, Hans-Hubert Vogts, Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp , Ulrich Surau , Rainer Bonhof , Ulrich Stielike , Dietmar Danner , Christian Kulik , Allan Simonsen , Henning Jensen , Jupp Heynckes , Hans Klinkhammer , Frank Schäffer , Horst Köppel , Karl Del'Haye .

In the national championship competition 1975/76, however, the nerves of the Gladbach players and those responsible in the quarter-final second leg at Real Madrid (with Paul Breitner and Günter Netzer) were strained. After a 2-2 lead after a 2-0 lead in the first leg at Bökelberg, the Mönchengladbachers, who were one of the best teams in Europe at the time, were under pressure in Madrid. The Dutch referee van der Kroft warned Borussia Berti Vogts, Dietmar Danner and Uli Stielike within the first 15 minutes. After 28 minutes, Jupp Heynckes scored the opening goal for Borussia. In the 52nd minute, a controversial free kick decision van der Krofts equalized by Santillana . However, the Mönchengladbacher dominated the game and in the 69th minute Henning Jensen supposedly scored another opening goal on a pass from Hans Klinkhammer. Although the linesman left the flag down, the referee ruled offside. In the 82nd minute, defender Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp scored a goal for Borussia Mönchengladbach, but this time the Dutch linesman Ben Hoppenbrouwer indicated a previous foul, which prompted van der Kroft not to give this goal either. The game-winning decisions of the referee in this game were largely due to incomprehension. An official protest by Mönchengladbach against the factual decisions remained without consequences. The entry into the national championship final on May 25, 1977 in Rome against Liverpool FC was again a great achievement by the "three old men from Bökelberg", Heynckes, Vogts and Wimmer. But the chapter “European Cup” ended without a chance for the endurance runner in Gladbach's midfield on April 12, 1978 in the second leg in Liverpool, when the “Reds” Wimmer and colleagues clearly dominated the 3-0 defeat and pushed them out of the competition. "Hacki" Wimmer has played a total of 58 European Cup games for Mönchengladbach and scored six goals.

After the 1977/78 season - tied behind champions 1. FC Köln with his ex-trainer Weisweiler, "Hacki" was runner-up at the end of his career - Herbert Wimmer said goodbye after 366 Bundesliga appearances with 51 goals from Mönchengladbach and the Bundesliga. Then he put on his soccer shoes again in the amateur camp to round off his playing activity at his home club Borussia Brand, before massive hip problems (three hip operations) finally forced him to say goodbye to the grass.

successes

• 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977: German champion
• 1973: DFB Cup winner
• 1975: UEFA Cup winner

National team 1968 to 1976

At the end of the Bundesliga preliminary round in 1968/69, “Hacki” Wimmer was called up by national coach Helmut Schön in the squad for the World Cup qualifier on November 23, 1968 in Nicosia against Cyprus. He made his debut in the 1-0 success in the national team and formed the midfield of the German selection with Max Lorenz and Wolfgang Overath. In December of this year he was also a member of the DFB squad for the games in South America against Brazil and Chile and in Central America against Mexico. He was in the 40-man squad for the 1970 World Cup, but was not accepted into the 22-man squad for the World Cup in Mexico.

When Gladbach was the first club in Bundesliga history to defend the championship in the 1970/71 round , the DFB again became aware of the strong midfielder with a talent for combination. In the 3-0 success of the national team on April 25, 1971 in Istanbul against Turkey in the European Championship qualifier, he and his Gladbacher club colleagues Netzer and Köppel formed the midfield of the German team. From this developed his further appearances in the European championship games against Albania, Poland, England, in the semi-finals against Belgium and in the 3-0 final on June 18, 1972 in Brussels against the Soviet Union. After the 3-1 victory against England on April 29 in London, the national team at that time was showered with praise. Internationally, the European championship from 1972 is recognized as the best German national team in terms of play. Wimmer, Netzer and Uli Hoeneß formed the midfield .

When he won the 1974 World Cup in Germany, the "water carrier von Netzer" (Netzer himself played no role at all in the 1974 World Cup in contrast to the 1972 European Championship) came on for Bernd Cullmann in the group game against Australia and was in the second round at 2-0. Success against Yugoslavia alongside Rainer Bonhof and Wolfgang Overath in action. On the way to the final tournament of the EM 1976 in Belgrade, the Gladbach player helped the German defending champion to advance against Spain in the two quarter-finals in April and May 1976. In Belgrade he was active in the semi-finals against the organizers and in the final against Czechoslovakia. After his 36th international match on June 20, 1976 in Belgrade against Czechoslovakia, "Hacki" Wimmer ended his national team career. That a defensive midfielder could do without tackling, without tough duels, without particular athleticism, without unconditional assignment to an opponent who had to be eliminated, but could do his job with technique, combination skills, tactical discipline and excellent running ability for years at an international level in the service of the team, that is the extraordinary thing about footballer Herbert Wimmer. Because of his participation in winning the World Cup in 1974, he received the Silver Laurel Leaf .

After the end of his career in 1978, he took over his father's business, which he has since sold for health reasons. His father had a tobacco wholesaler in which Wimmer had already helped out during his active Bundesliga days. That's why he never moved to Mönchengladbach, but always traveled the 80 kilometers for training and games.

successes

• 1972: European Champion
• 1974: world champion
• 1976: Vice European Champion

literature

• Lorenz Knieriem, Hardy Grüne : Player Lexicon 1890 - 1963 . In: Encyclopedia of German League Football . tape 8 . AGON, Kassel 2006, ISBN 3-89784-148-7 .
• Matthias Kropp: Germany's great football teams. Part 5: Borussia Mönchengladbach (= "AGON Sportverlag statistics." Vol. 11). AGON Sportverlag, Kassel 1994, ISBN 3-928562-39-8 .
• Heinrich Peuckmann: More heroes from the football west . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 2003, pp. 89-93, ISBN 3-402-05463-9 .
• Jürgen Bitter : Germany's national soccer player: the lexicon . SVB Sportverlag, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-328-00749-0 .
• Raphael Keppel : Germany's international football matches. Documentation from 1908–1989. Sport- und Spielverlag Hitzel, Hürth 1989, ISBN 3-9802172-4-8 .

Web links

Commons : Herbert Wimmer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Herbert Wimmer in the database of fussballdaten.de
• Herbert Wimmer at German Football Route NRW.