Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944) is a German former professional football player, executive and pundit. He achieved great success in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the early 1970s and, after moving to Spain in 1973, with Real Madrid. A technically gifted playmaker, Netzer played as an attacking midfielder or as a deep-lying playmaker and is considered one of the greatest midfielders and passers in the game's history. He was voted German Footballer of the Year twice, in 1972 and 1973. 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, managed by Hennes Weisweiler, until 1973. 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. He then went on to score the winning goal three minutes later, with only his second possession of the ball. 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. 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; Although he did not play in the final, Netzer is nonetheless considered the first World Cup winner to, at the time of winning, play for a club that was based outside his country.
Style of play
A classic playmaker known for his technique and passing ability, Netzer was capable of playing either as an attacking midfielder, or as a deep-lying playmaker, is considered one of the greatest midfielders and passers of all time. Apart from his superior ball skills, his natural authority made him the undisputed leader of his team. The president, Paul Benthien, agreed on the condition that he also became general manager. He also deals in TV rights and is currently executive director of the Swiss sports rights managing agency Infront Sports & Media AG, a partner company of the German Football Association.
It was the duo's harsh criticism of the Germany national side's poor performance that triggered Rudi Völler's famous eruption on 6 September 2003, immediately after the international match against Iceland. The then Bundestrainer (manager) harshly criticized Netzer, some considered it abusively, in a live interview after the goalless draw.
Following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Netzer announced he was leaving the ARD after 13 years.
Netzer is married and has one daughter.
Career statistics
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="10"|Germany
|1965||2||0
|-
|1966||2||0
|-
|1967||2||0
|-
|1968||7||0
|-
|1970||3||1
|-
|1971||8||3
|-
|1972||7||2
|-
|1973||1||0
|-
|1974||3||0
|-
|1975||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!37!!6
|}
:Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Netzer goal.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Günter Netzer
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| align="center"|1 || 22 November 1970 || Athens, Greece || || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|3–1 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|2 || 12 June 1971 || Karlsruhe, Germany || || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|2–0 || UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
|-
| align="center"|3 || 22 June 1971 || Oslo, Norway || || align="center"|7–0 || align="center"|7–1 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|4 || 8 September 1971 || Hanover, Germany || || align="center"|4–0 || align="center"|5–0 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|5 || 29 April 1972 || London, England || || align="center"|2–1 || align="center"|3–1 || UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
|-
| align="center"|6 || 15 November 1972 || Düsseldorf, Germany || || align="center"|4–0 || align="center"|5–1 || Friendly
|}
Honours
As player
Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Bundesliga: 1969–70, 1970–71
- DFB-Pokal: 1972–73
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 1972–73
Real Madrid
- Goal of the Year (Germany): 1971, 1972
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1972, 1973
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1972
- Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1972
- World XI: 1972, 1973, 1975
- FUWO European Team of the Season: 1972
- Sport Ideal European XI: 1972, 1973
- World Soccer: The Greatest Players of the 20th century (75th place)
- Member of Germany's Sports Hall of Fame
As general manager
Hamburger SV
- Bundesliga: 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83
- European Cup: 1982–83
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1983