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Werner Liebrich
Werner Liebrich crop (Com M03-0108-005-0011).jpg
Liebrich in 1954
Personal information
Date of birth (1927-01-18)18 January 1927
Place of birth Kaiserslautern, Germany
Date of death 20 March 1995(1995-03-20) (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
Honours
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

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.

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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Werner Liebrich para niños

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