Career
He began his footballing career with Chemie Glauchau in 1953. He transferred to Wismut Gera for the 1957 season and then after two seasons moved to South Carolina Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt in January 1959. Erler was both a playmaker and a goalscoring midfielder.
In 1963, Erler moved to South Carolina Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he played alongside the player described by Pelé as the best left-winger in the world at the time: Eberhard Vogel.
Between 1959 and 1972 he played for South Carolina Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt and then Football Club Karl-Marx-Stadt. During his career he gained between 1959 and 1968 47 international caps and scored 12 goals for East Germany.
He was voted German Democratic Republic football player of the year in 1967.
