Helmut Rahn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Helmut Rahn

Rahn in 1962
Personal information
Date of birth	(1929-08-16)16 August 1929
Place of birth	Essen, Germany
Date of death	14 August 2003(2003-08-14) (aged 73)
Place of death	Essen, Germany
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Wing forward
Youth career
1938–1946	SV Altenessen 1912
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1946–1950	SC Oelde 1919
1950–1951	Sportfreunde Katernberg	30	(7)
1951–1959	Rot-Weiss Essen	280	(97)
1959–1960	1. FC Köln	29	(11)
1960–1963	SC Enschede	69	(39)
1963–1965	Meidericher SV	19	(8)
Total		427	(162)
National team
1951–1960	West Germany	40	(21)
Honours Representing  West Germany FIFA World Cup Winner 1954 Switzerland
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Helmut Rahn (born August 16, 1929 – died August 14, 2003) was a famous German footballer. People often called him Der Boss (The Boss). He played as a forward, which means he was an attacking player.

Helmut Rahn became a legend in football history. He scored the winning goal in the final match of the 1954 FIFA World Cup. In that exciting game, West Germany beat Hungary 3–2. In 1972, Rahn and his teammates were honored by the President of Germany.

Helmut Rahn's Football Journey

Helmut Rahn started playing football in 1938 for a team called Altenessen 1912. He played there until 1946. After that, he joined SC Oelde 09. He scored 52 goals for that team. In the 1950–51 season, he played for Sportfreunde Katernberg.

His most successful time was with Rot-Weiss Essen. He played for them from 1951 to 1959. During this time, his team won the DFB-Pokal (a German cup competition) in 1953. They also won the German Championship in 1955.

After leaving Rot-Weiss Essen, Rahn played for 1. FC Köln for one year (1959–1960). Then, in 1960, he moved to the Netherlands to play for Sportclub Enschede.

In 1963, he returned to Germany to play for MSV Duisburg. He stopped playing football in 1965 because of a knee injury. He was one of the last players from the 1954 World Cup winning team to retire. He played as an outside right, a position on the wing.

The Miracle of Bern

Helmut Rahn became a hero in German football because of the amazing 1954 World Cup final. Germany was playing against Hungary. Hungary was a very strong team. They had not lost a single match for four years before the final. Earlier in the tournament, Hungary had even beaten Germany 8–3.

In the final, Germany quickly fell behind 0–2 after only eight minutes. But they fought back! Rahn helped with the first German goal and then scored the second one himself, making the score 2–2.

With only six minutes left in the game, Rahn got the ball. He was just outside the penalty box. He dribbled past a Hungarian player and shot the ball with his weaker left foot. The ball flew into the net! Germany won the game 3–2 against the unbeatable Hungarian team.

This match is famous in Germany as The Miracle of Bern. It was like a "David versus Goliath" story. Many people believe this victory helped to rebuild the spirit of the German people after World War II.

Rahn (right) in a game in August 1960.

Rahn also played for the German team in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. His team reached the semifinals. He scored a goal against Yugoslavia. This made him one of the top goal scorers in World Cup history at that time. He was also the first player to score at least four goals in two different World Cups.

Overall, Helmut Rahn played 40 international matches for West Germany. He scored 21 goals. People called him "Der Boss" because he was a great leader on the field. Sometimes, they also called him "The Cannon from Essen" because of his powerful shots.

Life After Football

After he stopped playing football, Helmut Rahn started his own business. He opened a car dealership in Essen, his hometown. He was known for being funny and friendly. Many stories about him are still told in Essen.

One story tells how a friend asked him about his car business. Rahn replied, "I buy a car for 1,000 DM and sell it for 4,000 DM. And I live off the three percent profit." This shows his simple and direct way of thinking.

Helmut Rahn passed away on August 14, 2003, just two days before his 74th birthday. The movie The Miracle of Bern was made in his honor by the director Sönke Wortmann.

Family Life

In 1953, Helmut Rahn married Gerti Seller. They had two sons named Uwe (born in 1954) and Klaus Rahn. It is believed that Helmut Rahn is related to the grandfather of Kevin-Prince Boateng, a famous player for the Ghana national football team.

Helmut Rahn Memorial

The Helmut Rahn Memorial

On July 11, 2004, exactly 50 years after the famous Bern match, a life-sized statue of Helmut Rahn was put up. It is located near the Georg-Melches-Stadium in Essen. The square where the statue stands is also named after him.

Achievements and Awards

Club Honours

Rot-Weiss Essen

• DFB-Pokal: 1952–53
• German football championship: 1955

International Honours

West Germany

• FIFA World Cup: 1954

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1954
• FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 1958
• Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1958

Books About Helmut Rahn

• Helmut Rahn wrote a book called Mein Hobby: Tore schießen. (My Hobby: Scoring Goals) in 1959.

Images for kids

• 

  The tomb of Helmut Rahn

See also

In Spanish: Helmut Rahn para niños