The newly resurrected DFB, with its headquarters in Frankfurt, maintained and continued the pre-war record of Germany with the newly formed West Germany national team, and after only 18 post-war games in total, they qualified for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. As there was no professional league in Germany at the time, the entire West German squad was comprised of amateurs, and led by their captain Fritz Walter, the West Germans ventured to Switzerland where they played, and won, their first World Cup game against Turkey, 4-1.

 

West Germany’s next game was against the phenomenal Mighty Magyars of Hungary, one of the greatest teams to ever play the game. With the knowledge that his side would probably play a weaker team for the play off to the next round, West German coach Sepp Herberger rested several of his key players as a tactic meant to disguise the true strength of his team. It certainly worked, albeit not as he intended, and the Hungarians ran riot, demolishing the Germans 8-2. Sandor Kocsis had scored four before West Germany knew what was happening, and although they attempted a comeback towards the end with two late goals, they were comprehensively beaten. However, ominously for Hungary, their legendary captain Ferenc Puskas had to come off with a broken ankle. Herberger had taken a huge gamble, but it paid off when West Germany again faced Turkey in the play-off, destroying them 7-2. With a combination of luck, skill and tricky managerial tactics, the unfancied West Germans went on to the knockout stages.

 

They knocked out the quality Yugoslavians 2-0, then it was all one way traffic in the semi final in Basel, Germany routing the stylish and talented Austrians 6-1. Four goals in 20 minutes at the start of the second half leaving Austria with no hope. Against all the odds, West Germany had reached the World Cup final, and what followed on the 4th July 1954, was a match that is not only considered one of the greatest in World Cup history, but has since become renowned as the greatest upset of all time: The Miracle of Berne.

 

Again, they faced Hungary – the favored team to win the tournament by far. They were unbeaten for five years prior to the final, and the reigning Olympic and Central European champions as well. The entire team were full-time professionals and mostly played for the Hungarian Army or Secret Police teams,  Budapest Honved and Budapest FC. They had several of the greatest players not just of the time, but of all time, and were probably the most tactically advanced, well-trained team on the planet. The West Germans, as mentioned, were all amateurs and typically worked in second jobs or ran businesses to make ends meet. They had only played a few pointless friendly games and just two qualification matches. With no exposure, pundits and foreign observers had no idea of what to expect from West Germany, but they weren’t expecting much at all. The Germans had a secret weapon however:  boots supplied by Adidas that had new, fandangled, screw-in studs, allowing them to be adapted to any kind of weather, meaning that despite the rain, the Germans were able to wear their regular boots in the final.

 

Six minutes after kick off, Germany were already loosing after Puskas, with a heavily bandaged ankle, put Hungary ahead. Kocsis added another just two minutes later. The Germans rallied back however, and Max Morlock converted a cross from Rahn who struck himself following a corner to level the score at 2-2. This fired up the Magyars and they attacked furiously and relentlessly, hitting the woodwork and forcing Turek pulling off several spectacular saves. Kohlmayer and Posipal cleared two separate Hungarian shots off the goal line. With just six minutes left, Schafer took control of the ball and lofted a cross in to the penalty box, which Rahn collected. He faked a pass which wrong footed the Hungarian defenders, moved into the box and shot hard and low for the third German goal. Two minutes before the end, Puskas appeared to equalise once more, but the goal was controversially ruled offside. Newly found footage proves that the decision was correct.

 

The whistle blew and West Germany had pulled off the biggest upset ever and became world champions for the first time. The Hungarian public were furious, and took to the streets of Budapest to protest the result and the regime which had used the Magyars prestige to boost its own reputation. This reaction is said to have sparked the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Meanwhile, the West German side became known as “The Heroes of Bern” as a wave of euphoria swept across Germany. The match is considered to be not just the greatest sporting achievement in world history, but also a turning point in post-war German history – a liberation from everything that weighed down on the German psyche from the war. Less spectacular results followed in the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, resulting in the DFB making changes that would lead to the establishment of the Bundesliga.

Achievements: FIFA World Cup – Champions x1

Star player: Uwe Seeler DoB 5 November 1936, Hamburg, Germany, nickname: Uns Uwe (Our Uwe)

Like his father before him, Uwe Seeler played his club football for Hamburger SV. His debut came in 1954 as a 17 year old against Holstein Kiel. He scored four goals in that game. In the ensuing years, Seeler turned down tempting offers from top Italian and Spanish clubs, staying loyal to HSV – something that’s unheard of these days. The list of qualities that made Seeler a great footballer was a long one – he was gifted, powerful and prolific, he possessed excellent leadership, consistency and aerial ability and could pull off overhead kicks. 137 goals in 239 Bundesliga games plus 43 goals in 72 international games for West Germany along with 21 goals in 29 appearances on the European stage are further achievements of Seelers. Seeler won the German championship in 1960 and DFB-Pokal in 1963, and was German Footballer of the Year three times. Alongside his brother Dieter, he took HSV to the semi-final of the European Cup, missing out on the final due to a defeat by Barcelona. He then helped the team to the final of the European Cup Winners Cup, but despite being the tournaments top scorer, his side lost to AC Milan. Seeler participated in the 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cups, exactly the same as Pele. His team only made the 1966 final, a controversial and famous 4-2 loss to England in extra time. He played in the so-called “Game of the Century” against Italy in 1970, which was also a loss for West Germany. He was the first player to appear in 20 World Cup matches, the first to score in four World Cups (he beat Pele literally by a matter of minutes) and the first to score at least twice in four World Cups.  Seeler is third in all time minutes played in World Cups, behind Paolo Maldini and German compatriot Lothar Matthaus. His international career stretched from 1954 to 1970. In 1978, 6 years after ending his football career, an aging Uwe Seeler played for Cork Celtic FC in a sponsored one-off event. In this game, he scored twice. It turned out that this what an official League of Ireland fixture and subsequently he attained the record for overall goals scored in league and championship matches of 444, a record which still stands today. This makes Seeler the second best German goalscorer behind Gerd Muller. In 1995, he spent two and a half years as Presdient of HSV. 10 years later, a giant monument of his right foot was unveiled outside HSV’s home ground. A picture of Seeler hunched over following the 1966 World Cup final defeat is one of the most famous football pictures in history.