Rudi Kargus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rudi Kargus

Rudi Kargus in 1977
Personal information
Full name	Rudolf Kargus
Date of birth	(1952-08-15) 15 August 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Worms, West Germany
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Wormatia Worms
	Hamburger SV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1971–1980	Hamburger SV	254	(0)
1980–1984	1. FC Nürnberg	141	(0)
1984–1986	Karlsruher SC	22	(0)
1986–1987	Fortuna Düsseldorf	20	(0)
1987–1990	1. FC Köln	0	(0)
Total		437	(0)
International career
1975–1977	West Germany	3	(0)
Managerial career
1991–1996	Hamburger SV (youth)
1998	USC Paloma
Medal record Representing  West Germany UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1976 Yugoslavia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rudolf Kargus (born 15 August 1952) is a German former professional footballer. He was a talented goalkeeper known for his amazing saves, especially from penalty kicks.

Rudi Kargus: A Goalkeeping Legend

Rudolf Kargus, often called Rudi, started his football journey in his hometown of Worms, in what was then West Germany. He played for his local club, Wormatia Worms, as a young boy.

Starting His Football Journey

In 1970, Rudi joined the youth team of Hamburger SV, a big club in Germany. By 1971, he was playing for their main team in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. He became the team's main goalkeeper in 1973. He stayed with Hamburg until 1980, becoming a very important player for them.

Success with Hamburger SV

During his time at Hamburg, Rudi became known as a very reliable and promising goalkeeper. He was especially famous for saving penalty kicks. This earned him the cool nickname Elfmetertöter, which means "penalty killer" in German!

He helped Hamburger SV win some big trophies. In 1977, they won the European Cup Winners' Cup. This was a major European competition. He also helped them win the Bundesliga title in the 1978–79 season. In 1980, they reached the final of the European Cup, which is the biggest club competition in Europe, but they finished as runners-up.

A Career Across Germany

After leaving Hamburg in 1980, Rudi joined 1. FC Nürnberg. He played for them for four years. Later, he moved to Karlsruher SC in 1984. He then played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1986.

In 1987, Rudi signed with another Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln. He spent three years there. Even though he was a very experienced player, he mostly helped the younger main goalkeeper, Bodo Illgner. Rudi played a total of 408 matches in the Bundesliga during his career.

Playing for West Germany

Rudi also played for the West Germany national team. He started playing for the youth national teams when he was still at Wormatia Worms. His first game for the senior national team was in 1975 against Turkey.

He was chosen for the 1976 UEFA European Championship squad. West Germany finished as runners-up in that tournament. He played a total of three games for his country. He was also part of the West German squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

Life Beyond the Pitch

After he stopped playing professional football, Rudi Kargus worked as a coach. He taught young players how to be goalkeepers. Since 1996, he has also been an artist! He started by painting football scenes in 2006, but now he paints other things too. He even went to art school before showing his paintings.

What Rudi Kargus Won

Here are some of the big achievements Rudi Kargus had in his football career:

Hamburger SV

• Bundesliga: 1978–79 (Winner)
• DFB-Pokal: 1975–76 (Winner); 1973–74, 1981–82 (Runner-up)
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1976–77 (Winner)
• European Cup runner-up: 1979–80

West Germany

• European Championship runner-up: 1976