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Sepp HerbergerGerman footballer and coach
Date of Birth: 28.03.1897
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Sepp Herberger
Sepp Herberger, a German football player and coach, twice coached the German national team, with whom he won the World Cup in 1954. He holds the record for the most appearances as the head coach of national teams in World Cup tournaments.
Early Life and Career
Sepp Herberger, the son of a worker, was born in Mannheim. He grew up in the Waldhof and Luzenberg districts. After completing his primary education in 1911, Herberger started working, first as a laborer and later at a metalworking firm. In 1916, Herberger was drafted into the army and participated in the battles of World War I. On April 30, 1921, Herberger married Eva Muller from Mannheim, whom he affectionately called "Ev" throughout his life. Herberger's cousin, Johann Herberger, was also a football player and even played for the German national team.
At the age of 14, Herberger began playing for the club "Waldhof Mannheim," initially for the youth team and later for the first team. After the war, Herberger returned to "Waldhof Mannheim," and then, in October 1921, he moved to the club "Mannheim," for which he played until 1926 while also working at "Dresdner Bank." Three times, in 1921, 1924, and 1925, Herberger was called up to the German national team and scored two goals (both in the first match). From 1926 to 1930, Herberger played for the Berlin club "Tennis Borussia" while working at "Bankhaus Fuerternberg und Glock."
Alongside his playing career, Herberger studied at the German Sports Institute of Physical Education, earning a degree as a sports teacher in 1930 with a thesis on "Maximal Performance in Football."
Coaching Career
Herberger began his coaching career at "Tennis Borussia." In 1932, he became the coach of the West German national team, and a year later, after joining the Nazi Party, he became the assistant coach of the national team. However, after Germany's defeat in the 1936 Olympics, Feliks Linnemann invited Herberger to become the head coach of the German national team, to which he agreed. Herberger was tasked with building a team consisting of Germans and Austrians who joined Germany after the Anschluss, although he suggested creating two independent German and Austrian national teams. However, Germany was eliminated from the World Cup in the first round, losing 2-4 to Switzerland. Due to the outbreak of World War II, Herberger continued to lead the national team until 1942.
From December 1945 to January 1946, Herberger served as the interim coach of Eintracht Frankfurt. In 1946, as part of the denazification process in Mannheim, Herberger was classified as a "complicit" collaborator in Nazi Germany, but no further action was taken against him. A year later, Herberger began working as an associate professor at the Sports Institute in Cologne, teaching future football coaches.
In 1949, Herberger was reappointed as the head coach of the German national team. In 1954, he led the German team to win the World Cup, defeating Hungary 3-2 in the final. This victory, known as the "Miracle of Bern," was considered remarkable as Hungary was the favorite, having defeated the reigning champion and finalist of the previous World Cup and having previously thrashed Germany 8-3 in the group stage. At the next World Cup in Sweden, Germany reached the semi-finals, and four years later, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Herberger was dismissed as the coach of the German national team in 1964 but requested to play a farewell match, which ended in a 2-2 draw against Scotland. He then requested a second farewell match, which took place on June 7 in Helsinki against Finland, and Germany won with a respectable score of 4-1.
Throughout his coaching career, Herberger led the German national team in 97 matches, with 52 wins, 14 draws, and 31 losses. In total, the German national team under Herberger's leadership played 162 matches, achieving 92 victories, 26 draws, and 44 defeats.
Achievements and Honors
- World Cup Champion: 1954
- Honorary Citizen of Weinheim
- Gold Medal of the German Football Federation (highest achievement in German football)
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1st class): 1962
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Commander's Cross): 1967
- Special postage stamp dedicated to Herberger: 1977
- An InterCityExpress train owned by Deutsche Bahn named after Herberger: 1997
- Special postage stamp featuring Herberger's portrait with a value of 100 pfennigs
- Member of the Hall of Fame of German Sports
