Heinrich Müller (footballer, born 1909) facts for kids

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Heinrich Müller

Personal information
Date of birth	(1909-05-13)13 May 1909
Place of birth	Austria-Hungary
Date of death	5 April 2000(2000-04-05) (aged 90)
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
	Wiener AC
	MTK Hungaria
1940–1947	Austria Wien
National team
1932–1933	Austria	5	(4)
Teams managed
1946–1954	Austria Wien
1956	Netherlands
1956–1962	Willem II
1963–1964	AEK Athens
1964–1965	Austria Wien
1971–1972	Austria Wien
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Heinrich "Wudi" Müller (born May 13, 1909 – died April 5, 2000) was a famous Austrian football player and coach. He was known for his skills as a midfielder. In the early 1930s, he was part of Austria's amazing "Wunderteam." Later, as a coach, he led Austria Wien to many victories after World War II.

Playing Career Highlights

Club Football Journey

Heinrich Müller started his football journey in 1921. He played for Wiener AC in Vienna, Austria, until 1935. With this club, he won the 1931 Austrian Cup. His team also reached the final of the Mitropa Cup. They lost both final matches to their local rivals, First Vienna FC.

In 1935, Müller moved to MTK Hungaria in Budapest. There, he played alongside great players like Gusztáv Sebes and Ferenc Sas. Together, they won the Hungarian championships in 1936 and 1937. In June 1940, Müller returned to Vienna. He joined Austria Wien as a player.

Playing for Austria's National Team

In the early 1930s, Heinrich Müller played five times for the Austria national football team. He scored four goals for his country.

He was chosen twice for the famous "Wunderteam." This team was managed by Hugo Meisl and Jimmy Hogan. Müller played alongside legendary players like Matthias Sindelar. In these matches, Austria beat Italy 2–1 in March 1932. They also defeated Hungary 3–2 in October 1932.

Managerial Successes

Heinrich Müller is best known for his coaching time at FK Austria. He coached the team for about 12 years over three different periods. These periods spanned from the 1940s to the 1970s. He is still the longest-serving coach in the history of Austria football club.

His most successful coaching period was from 1945 to 1954. During this time, he led the club to three championships. They won in 1949, 1950, and 1953. He also guided them to win the Austrian Cup in 1948 and 1949. For the first three years as coach, he also played in some league matches for the club.

In 1951, Austria went on a famous trip to South America. The team, with players like Ernst Ocwirk and Ernst Stojaspal, played in the huge Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. They beat Club Nacional from Montevideo, Uruguay, 4-0. Nacional had six World Cup winners from the previous year's tournament.

After 1953, Austrian players over 30 were allowed to play abroad. This led to many talented players leaving Austria. Austria lost several of its best players, mostly to France. This meant the amazing Austria team of that time changed a lot.

"Wudi" Müller also decided to leave. In 1956, he coached the Netherlands national football team. He led them to a 3–2 win against Switzerland.

Later, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he coached Willem II. This team played in the first division in the Netherlands.

In December 1964, he returned to Austria after coaching AEK in Athens. He tried to help the club after Edi Frühwirt left. The team had promising young players like Robert Sara, Thomas Parits, and Hans "Buffy" Ettmayer.

However, the club finished seventh in the league that season. Ernst Ocwirk became "sporting director" alongside Müller. Ocwirk then fully replaced Müller by the end of the year.

In the 1971–72 season, "Wudi" Müller returned to coach Austria one more time. But this comeback was not as successful as his earlier periods.

Career Statistics