Matthias Sindelar facts for kids

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Matthias Sindelar

Personal information
Full name	Matthias Sindelar
Date of birth	(1903-02-10)10 February 1903
Place of birth	Kozlov, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
Date of death	23 January 1939(1939-01-23) (aged 35)
Place of death	Vienna, Germany
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Centre-forward
Youth career
1918–1922	Hertha Vienna
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1921–1924	Hertha Vienna	23	(4)
1924–1939	Austria Wien	312	(240)
National team
1926–1937	Austria	43	(26)
Honours Men's football Representing  Austria Central European International Cup Silver 1927–30 Central European International Cup Central European International Cup Gold 1931–32 Central European International Cup Central European International Cup Silver 1933–35 Central European International Cup
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Matthias Sindelar (born Matěj Šindelář; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an amazing Austrian professional footballer. Many people think he was one of the greatest Austrian players ever. Sindelar played for Austria Vienna and the Austrian national team.

He played as a centre-forward for Austria's famous national team in the early 1930s. This team was known as the Wunderteam, which means "Wonder Team". He was their captain at the 1934 World Cup. People called him "The Mozart of football" or Der Papierene ("The Paper Man"). This was because he was quite slim. He was famous for his fantastic dribbling skills and creative play. In 1999, he was voted the best Austrian footballer of the 20th Century.

Sindelar was a key player in the Wunderteam's special way of playing. Their style was so smooth it was called "the Viennese whirlpool". Sindelar's amazing skills often helped the team win games.

Early Life and Football Start

Matthias Sindelar was born Matěj Šindelář in Kozlov, Moravia. At that time, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Jan Šindelář, was a blacksmith. His family was Catholic.

In 1905, his family moved to Vienna. They lived in a working-class area called Favoriten. Many people there spoke Czech. Young Matěj, whose name became Matthias, started playing football in the streets. He played with other children from the neighborhood. One of them was his future teammate, Josef Bican.

After his father died, Sindelar took on different jobs. He worked as an apprentice mechanic or a locksmith. He also sold sports goods.

Club Career Highlights

Sindelar started his football journey with Hertha Vienna in 1918. He was just fifteen when a scout noticed him. He quickly joined Hertha's youth teams. Even as a teenager, he was known as an "excellent dribbler and finisher". He soon moved up to the first team in the early 1920s.

Playing for Hertha, Sindelar learned to use his skills to make up for his small size. He became very good at dodging and dribbling past opponents. This is how he earned his nickname, "the Paper Man". He scored his first goals in the national championship.

However, in May 1923, Sindelar got a serious knee injury. At the same time, Hertha faced money problems. Sindelar and some teammates lost their jobs. He had scored 4 goals in 23 matches for Hertha Vienna.

Joining Austria Vienna

Even though he was injured, Sindelar was determined to keep playing. He had a risky knee surgery. After he recovered, he joined SV Amateure in 1924. This team was the Austrian league and cup champion. In 1926, SV Amateure became a professional club and changed its name to FK Austria Vienna.

Sindelar's time at Austria Vienna was very successful. He helped the team win the Austrian Cup five times. They won in 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, and 1936. He also won an Austrian League title in 1926. The team also won the Mitropa Cup twice, in 1933 and 1936.

Just like before, Sindelar used his amazing technical skills. He was great with the ball and had a keen eye for goal. This helped him overcome his physical disadvantages. He was also a great leader on the field. His ability to beat defenders one-on-one was exceptional. Some people compare his skills to modern-day players like Lionel Messi.

Overall, Sindelar scored 600 goals in 703 matches for Austria Vienna. In 2001, he was named in their Team of the Century. Fans loved watching him play. Some went to games just to see how football "should" be played.

In 1938, he even appeared as himself in an Austrian film called Roxy and the Wonderteam.

International Career with Austria

The Wunderteam Era

From 1926 to 1937, Sindelar played 43 times for his country. He scored 26 goals. He scored four goals in his first three international matches. One of these was in his very first game, a 2–1 win against Czechoslovakia in 1926.

Sindelar became a vital part of the Austrian Wunderteam. This team was coached by Hugo Meisl.

Central European International Cup Success

Before they were fully known as the Wunderteam, Sindelar helped Austria achieve their first major international success. They were runners-up in the 1927–30 Central European International Cup.

The Wunderteam then won the 1931–32 Central European International Cup. Sindelar scored 4 goals, helping Austria win its first international trophy.

In the 1933–35 Central European International Cup, the Wunderteam finished as runners-up again. Sindelar scored 3 goals, making him Austria's top goalscorer in this competition.

1934 FIFA World Cup

Sindelar and Austria truly earned their "Wunderteam" nickname at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. A highlight was their win over Hungary in the quarterfinals. Sindelar played against György Sárosi, a strong midfielder. It was a tough game. One Hungarian player was sent off. Austria's Johann Horvath was injured and missed the next game. Austria then lost to the host nation, Italy. Sindelar was closely marked by Luis Monti, which made it hard for him to play his best.

Austria vs. Germany 1938

On 3 April 1938, the Austrian team played Germany in Vienna. This match was very important. A few weeks earlier, Nazi Germany had taken over Austria. This was called the Anschluss. The Austrian national team was going to be absorbed into Germany's team. This meant Austria would not play in the World Cup that summer, even though they had qualified. Many people felt this was a great loss for Austrian football. They believed Austria was one of the favorites to win the World Cup.

The match was called the "Anschlussspiel" (Anschluss game). The Nazi government planned it as a celebration. At Sindelar's request, the Austrian team wore red-white-red strips. These colors looked like the Austrian flag. Austria missed many easy scoring chances in the game. It looked like they did it on purpose. But in the last 20 minutes, Sindelar and Karl Sesta both scored. The game ended 2–0.

It is said that Sindelar celebrated his goal in a very showy way in front of important Nazi officials.

International Appearances and Goals

Here is a list of Sindelar's international games and goals for the Austria national football team.

Cap #	Date	Location	Type of match	Result	Opponent	Minutes played	Goals	Notes
1	28 Sep 1926	Prague	Friendly	2–1	Czechoslovakia	90	1
2	10 Oct 1926	Vienna	Friendly	7–1	Switzerland	90	2
3	7 Nov 1926	Vienna	Friendly	3–1	Sweden	90	1
4	20 Mar 1927	Vienna	Friendly	1–2	Czechoslovakia	90	0
5	10 Apr 1927	Vienna	Friendly	6–0	Hungary	48	0
6	6 May 1928	Vienna	Friendly	3–0	Yugoslavia	90	0
7	28 Oct 1928	Vienna	Central European International Cup	2–0	Switzerland	90	0
8	23 Mar 1930	Prague	Friendly	2–2	Czechoslovakia	90	0
9	16 May 1931	Vienna	Friendly	5–0	Scotland	90	1
10	24 May 1931	Berlin	Friendly	6–0	Germany	90	0
11	14 Sep 1931	Vienna	Friendly	5-0	Germany	90	3
12	4 Oct 1931	Budapest	Central European International Cup	2–2	Hungary	90	0
13	29 Nov 1931	Basel	Central European International Cup	8–1	Switzerland	90	1
14	20 Mar 1932	Vienna	Central European International Cup	2–1	Italy	90	2
15	24 Apr 1932	Vienna	Friendly	8–2	Hungary	90	3
16	22 May 1932	Prague	Central European International Cup	1–1	Czechoslovakia	90	1
17	17 Jul 1932	Stockholm	Friendly	4–3	Sweden	90	1
18	2 Oct 1932	Budapest	Friendly	3–2	Hungary	90	0
19	23 Oct 1932	Vienna	Central European International Cup	3–1	Switzerland	90	0
20	7 Dec 1932	London	Friendly	3–4	England	90	1
21	12 Feb 1933	Paris	Friendly	4–0	France	90	1
22.	9 April 1933	Vienna	Friendly	1–2	Czechoslovakia	90	0
23	30 Apr 1933	Budapest	Friendly	1–1	Hungary	90	0
24	11 Jun 1933	Vienna	Friendly	4–1	Belgium	90	1
25	17 Sep 1933	Prague	Friendly	3–3	Czechoslovakia	90	2
26	1 Oct 1933	Vienna	Friendly	2–2	Hungary	90	0
27	29 Nov 1933	Glasgow	Friendly	2–2	Scotland	90	0
28	10 Dec 1933	Amsterdam	Friendly	1–0	Netherlands	90	0
29	15 Apr 1934	Vienna	Friendly	5–2	Hungary	90	0
30	25 Apr 1934	Vienna	World Cup qualification	6–1	Bulgaria	90	1
31	27 May 1934	Turin	1934 FIFA World Cup	3–2	France	120	1
32	31 May 1934	Bologna	1934 FIFA World Cup	2–1	Hungary	90	0
33	3 Jun 1934	Milan	1934 FIFA World Cup	0–1	Italy	90	0
34	23 Sep 1934	Vienna	Central European International Cup	2–2	Czechoslovakia	90	0
35	7 Oct, 1934	Budapest	Central European International Cup	1–3	Hungary	90	0
36	24 Mar 1935	Vienna	Central European International Cup	0–2	Italy	90	0
37	6 May 1936	Vienna	Friendly	2–1	England	90	0
38	17 May 1936	Rome	Friendly	2–2	Italy	90	0
39	27 Sep 1936	Budapest	Central European International Cup	3–5	Hungary	90	2
40	21 Mar 1937	Vienna	Central European International Cup	2–0	Italy	73	0
41	9 May 1937	Vienna	Friendly	1–1	Scotland	90	0
42	23 May 1937	Budapest	Friendly	2–2	Hungary	90	0
43	19 Sep 1937	Vienna	Central European International Cup	4–3	Switzerland	90	1
Totals						3841	26
==	3 Apr 1938	Vienna	Friendly	2–0	Germany	90	1

Team Record with Sindelar

In the 43 matches Sindelar played, Austria won 25 games, drew 11, and lost only 7. Sindelar scored 26 goals in these matches.

Death and Legacy

Sindelar did not want to leave his home country. He refused to play for the new German national team. He said he was too old (he was 35) and injured.

On 23 January 1939, Sindelar and his girlfriend Camilla Castagnola were found dead. They were in their apartment in Vienna. The official reason given was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Awards and Achievements

The IFFHS named Sindelar Austria's best footballer of the twentieth century. He was also ranked the world's 22nd best player.

Club Honours

Austria Wien

• Austrian League
  • Winner: 1926
  • Runner Up: (2) 1925, 1937
• Austrian Cup
  • Winner: (5) 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, 1936
• Mitropa Cup
  • Winner: (2) 1933, 1936

International Honours

Austria

• FIFA World Cup
  • Semi-finals: 1934
• Central European International Cup
  • Winner: 1931–32
  • Runner-up': (2) 1927–30, 1933–35

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1934

Images for kids

• 

  Sindelar's grave at Vienna's Zentralfriedhof

See also

In Spanish: Matthias Sindelar para niños