Background
Netzer was born in 1944, in Germany. He was the son of a greengrocer.
Paul Breitner and Günter Netzer (Real Madrid)
Günter Netzer, Real Madrid
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Netzer - Borussia Moenchengladbach
Günter Netzer, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bobby Charlton of England and Gunter Netzer of West Germany at the coin toss with referee
Netzer was born in 1944, in Germany. He was the son of a greengrocer.
Netzer played for 1. FC Mönchengladbach from the age of eight until 19 before switching to city rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1963. He scored on his debut against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, and quickly established himself as a first team regular, helping the club win promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965.
Netzer played for Borussia until 1973. In his 230 Bundesliga games for them, he scored 82 goals. The era also saw one of the most competitive rivalries in the Bundesliga's history between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich had stars Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Paul Breitner and Sepp Maier on their side while Mönchengladbach had Berti Vogts, Herbert Wimmer, Jupp Heynckes, Rainer Bonhof and Netzer. When they achieved their first successes the average age of both teams was 21.
With Borussia Mönchengladbach he won the Bundesliga in 1970 and 1971 (the first Bundesliga club to win back-to-back championships), and the DFB-Pokal in 1973. The final was a famous match against 1. FC Köln in which he started as a sub – it is said because he had told his manager of his intention to move to Spain after the season – and went onto the pitch during extra time on his own authority, simply telling the coach "I'll go and play now" whilst removing his tracksuit. He then went on to score the winning goal three minutes later, with only his second possession of the ball.
When Johan Cruyff joined FC Barcelona in 1973, Real Madrid needed to respond in kind. So Santiago Bernabéu signed him and Paul Breitner a year later. Netzer was the first german player of the club. He played in Spain until 1976, winning La Liga in 1975 and 1976 and the Copa del Rey in 1974 and 1975. After his three-year spell in the Spanish capital, Netzer joined Grasshopper Club Zürich, where in 1977 he finished his playing career.
Netzer made his debut for the West German national team in October 1965 in a friendly against Austria. He represented West Germany 37 times from 1965 to 1975, scoring six goals (some from the penalty spot) and playing a vital role in the country's victory at UEFA Euro 1972. He also appeared briefly (for 21 minutes against East Germany) in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, during which time the only goal of the match was scored against his team. At the tournament, Wolfgang Overath was the central figure in Germany's midfield; Netzer, despite being friends with Overath, considered the pair as not being able to play together affectively.
Netzer was a playmaker and is considered one of the best midfielders of all time, gaining a lot of attention with his long passes and pushes from deep within his own half of the pitch. Apart from his superior ball skills, his natural authority made him the undisputed leader of his team. As a player for Borussia Mönchengladbach, he enjoyed a lot of freedom from the management and the coach Hennes Weisweiler, even off the pitch.
After his career as a player Netzer offered to publish Hamburger SV's stadium magazine. The president, Paul Benthien, agreed on the condition that he also became general manager. He spent eight successful years in Hamburg, during which time he completely transformed Hamburg's team, managed to sign famous coaches like Ernst Happel and later Branko Zebec, and led the club to three Bundesliga titles (1979, 1982, 1983). In 1983, Hamburg reached the final of the European Cup. With Horst Hrubesch, Felix Magath and Manfred Kaltz, Hamburg pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European Cup history by beating a Juventus side packed with Italian players who had won the World Cup a year earlier and two star import players – Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek. The years with Günter Netzer are today considered the most successful period in Hamburg's history.
Netzer had achieved a certain pop star-like popularity because of his good looks, flowing blond hair, and perceived rebel personality and playboy lifestyle.
Netzer often accused of laziness, as he once uttered the words: "I understand that I must run, but I do so reluctantly, at least, without the ball".
Physical Characteristics: Gunter grew hair at a time when nearly all polls were playing with shaved necks, and others like it, "scumbag" Get sidelong glances and public condemnation. It was one of the manifestations of it very inconvenient for the surrounding nature.
Netzer is married and has one daughter.