Norbert Nigbur facts for kids
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Nigbur in 1974
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 May 1948 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| SV Gelsenkirchen 06 | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1966–1976 | Schalke 04 | 289 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1976–1979 | Hertha BSC | 101 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1983 | Schalke 04 | 104 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | VfB Hüls | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 27 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1973 | West Germany U23 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1975–1981 | West Germany B | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1974–1980 | West Germany | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Norbert Heinrich Nigbur (born May 8, 1948) is a famous German football goalkeeper. He played for big clubs like FC Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC. He also played six times for the German national team. With Schalke 04, he helped them win the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in 1972 and finish second in the Bundesliga (top German league). He was also a reserve goalkeeper when Germany won the World Cup in 1974. Besides football, Norbert Nigbur has also been successful in harness racing.
Football Career Highlights
Norbert Nigbur first wanted to be a harness racing driver. But he played football for SV Gelsenkirchen-Hessler when he was young. He started as a forward, scoring goals.
Becoming a Goalkeeper
One day, during a match, the team's goalkeeper was sent off. Norbert stepped in to replace him. He saved two penalty kicks! After that, he became a goalkeeper for good.
On his 18th birthday, his father signed his first professional contract. This was with FC Schalke 04, a famous club. Norbert was not yet old enough to sign it himself.
Early Days at Schalke 04
For the 1966–67 season, Norbert joined Schalke 04. He was the second-choice goalkeeper. But on September 3, 1966, he got his chance. He played against 1. FC Nürnberg and became the main goalkeeper at just 18 years old.
In 1969, Schalke lost the DFB-Pokal final to FC Bayern Munich. But in 1972, things changed. Norbert and his teammates, like Klaus Fichtel and Klaus Fischer, finished second in the league.
Record-Breaking Goalkeeper
Norbert Nigbur was amazing in the 1972 season. He let in the fewest goals of any goalkeeper in the Bundesliga. He even went over 555 minutes without letting a goal in! This record lasted for more than ten years.
Schalke then won the DFB-Pokal, beating 1. FC Kaiserslautern 5–0. This was Norbert's first big national title. It was also the club's first major win since 1958. In the semi-final, Norbert was a hero. He saved a penalty kick in regular time. Then, during a penalty shootout, he saved two more! He even took one himself. Schalke won after 21 penalties. Norbert was seen as one of the best goalkeepers in the 1970s.
Staying Out of Trouble
In 1971, there were some problems in the Bundesliga that involved several Schalke players. Norbert Nigbur was not part of these issues. He was injured and did not play in the game that caused the problems.
A Strange Moment on the Field
On September 14, 1974, something funny happened during a game. After halftime, the match restarted, but Norbert was still in the changing room! A police officer stopped him from running onto the field. Schalke's goal was empty for a few minutes, but luckily, no goals were scored.
Moving to Hertha BSC
In 1976, Norbert left Schalke 04. He had some disagreements with the coach and president about his contract. He then joined Hertha BSC for three years. With Hertha, he reached the DFB-Pokal final twice, in 1977 and 1979. He played almost every league game for them.
Return to Schalke 04
In 1979, Norbert came back to Schalke 04. In the 1980–81 season, Schalke was relegated to the second division. But Norbert helped them get promoted back to the top league.
However, he later had more disagreements, this time with the new manager. After a game, he was suspended by the club. He even had to go to court to be allowed to train with the team again. He played a total of 455 games for Schalke 04.
Ending His Career
After Schalke signed a new goalkeeper, Norbert played for VfB Hüls for half a year. In 1984, he moved to Rot-Weiss Essen. He played 27 league games there before ending his football career in 1985.
International Career
Norbert Nigbur played for the German youth national team 13 times. His first game was in 1965 against Hungary.
Playing for the National Team
On February 23, 1974, Norbert played his first game for the senior German national team. It was a match against Spain.
He was one of the reserve goalkeepers for Germany at the 1974 World Cup. Germany won the World Cup that year! Norbert was on the bench and did not play in any of the tournament games.
His last international match was on April 2, 1980, against Austria. He was supposed to be the main goalkeeper for the 1980 European Championship. But he got a serious injury and had to miss it. After that, Toni Schumacher became the main goalkeeper, and Norbert did not return to the national team.
Special Recognition
Because he was part of the team that won the 1974 World Cup, Norbert received the Silver Laurel Leaf award on September 23, 1974. This is a very special award for German athletes.
Honours
- FIFA World Cup: 1974
- DFB-Pokal: 1972
See also
In Spanish: Norbert Nigbur para niños
