Werner Liebrich facts for kids
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Liebrich in 1954
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 January 1927 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kaiserslautern, Germany | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | 20 March 1995 (aged 68) | ||||||||||||
| Place of death | Kaiserslautern, Germany | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1938–1943 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1943–1962 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 273 | (25) | ||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1951–1956 | West Germany | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 1965 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | ||||||||||||
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Honours
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Werner Liebrich (born January 18, 1927 – died March 20, 1995) was a famous German football player. He played as a centre back, which is a defensive position. He is best known for helping West Germany win the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Liebrich spent his whole playing career, which lasted almost 20 years, with his hometown club, 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He also briefly coached the team.
Contents
Early Life and Club Career
Liebrich grew up in Kaiserslautern, a city in Germany. He came from a working-class family.
He played only for 1. FC Kaiserslautern during his club career. He joined the first team in the 1940s. In the 1950s, he was a key part of the team. They won the German championship twice. These wins happened in the 1951 and 1953 seasons.
Playing for West Germany
Werner Liebrich played 16 times for the West Germany national team. He was a very important player in the team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. This was a huge victory for Germany.
During the 1954 World Cup, Liebrich played in the final match. In an earlier game against Hungary, he accidentally injured their captain, Ferenc Puskás. Puskás missed two games because of this. He did play in the final against Germany, but he was not fully fit. West Germany won the final 3–2, which was Hungary's first loss in four years.
In 1950, a big Italian club, A.C. Milan, offered Liebrich a contract. However, he chose to stay with his hometown club, Kaiserslautern.
Top Performances and Retirement
Besides winning the German championship with Kaiserslautern, Liebrich's best moments were his strong defensive plays in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He played especially well in the quarter-final game against Yugoslavia.
After the 1954 World Cup, he had another great game. This was against England at Wembley Stadium on December 1, 1954. He did an excellent job guarding England's centre forward, Ronnie Allen. He also helped cover another famous player, Stanley Matthews.
Liebrich stopped playing football in 1962. He had played for his hometown club for almost 20 years. He later returned to coach the team for a short time in the 1964–65 season. He was praised for helping his club avoid being moved to a lower league.
Later Life and Death
Werner Liebrich passed away in March 1995. He was 68 years old. He died in Kaiserslautern from heart failure.
See also
In Spanish: Werner Liebrich para niños
