German football Hall of Fame revealed
November 23, 2018
The German Football Museum has announced its top 11 players in the museum's newly formed Hall of Fame.
Sports journalists from across Germany voted on the entries. The football legends on the list included:
- Goalkeeper Sepp Maier
- Defenders Franz "Kaiser" Beckenbauer, Andreas Brehme and Paul Breitner
- Midfielders Fritz Walter, Lothar Matthäus, Matthias Sammer and Günter Netzer
- Strikers Gerd "The Bomber" Müller, Uwe Seeler and Helmut "Boss" Rahn
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Sepp "Chef" Herberger, the legendary coach of the German national team that won the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, was the top choice among coaches
"The jury wrestled with each name," museum director Manuel Neukirchner said Thursday. "In the end, we were able to unite the most outstanding players of each generation in this team."
The vote was marked by heated discussion, however, over Herberger's past — the former coach joined the Nazi Party in 1933 — and Beckenbauer's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal surrounding the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The first round of players had to have ended their careers by 2013. Winners of the 2014 World Cup were therefore ineligible for consideration, but the museum plans to expand the Hall of Fame in the future.
The Hall of Fame is set to become a permanent exhibition at the museum in the western city of Dortmund.
The museum is expected to announce the first 11 entries into a female Hall of Fame next year, on the 30th anniversary of the female national team's victory at the 1989 European Championship.
amp/cmk (SID, dpa)