Herbert Zimmermann
Encyclopedia
Herbert Zimmermann was a popular German
football
commentator.
He did one of the most famous pieces of commentary in German language
during the World Cup final in 1954 by "recommending" the goal that won "The Miracle of Bern"
for Germany.
After the final he was criticized for praising the goal keeper Turek by calling him Toni du bist ein Teufelskerl, Toni du bist ein Fußballgott (Toni you are a devil chap. Toni you are a football god.). Zimmermann, who rode a tank and held a major's rank during the war, was also criticized for the somewhat militaristic vocabulary he had used during the match.
He also commented the world championships in 1958, 1962 and 1966 over the radio. However, TV was more prominent now as most people had access to TV sets, so fewer and fewer people heard his reports.
On 11 December 1966 Zimmermann, who was known as a notoriously bad driver, had an accident with his car. He succumbed to the injuries sustained in that accident five days later.
Zimmermann was the uncle of the German Green Party
politician Hans-Christian Ströbele
. The family holds the rights to his reports which still generates revenue.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
commentator.
He did one of the most famous pieces of commentary in German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
during the World Cup final in 1954 by "recommending" the goal that won "The Miracle of Bern"
1954 FIFA World Cup Final
- External links :* - fifa.com, FIFA, 2002.*...
for Germany.
- SchäferHans SchäferHans Schäfer is a former German footballer. He played for 1. FC Köln between 1948 and 1965. He also played for the West-Germany national football team, earning 39 caps and scoring 15 goals. He played in three World Cups, in 1954, 1958, and 1962, earning a winner's medal in 1954 and scoring a total...
nach innen geflankt... Kopfball... Abgewehrt. Aus dem Hintergrund müßte RahnHelmut RahnHelmut Rahn, known as Der Boss , was a German football player. He became a legend for having scored the winning goal in the final game of the 1954 FIFA World Cup .- Career :...
schießen... Rahn schießt! Tor! Tor! Tor! Tor!
(silence)
Tor für Deutschland! Drei zu zwei führt Deutschland. Halten Sie mich für verrückt, halten Sie mich für übergeschnappt!
- Schäfer puts in the cross... header... Cleared. Rahn should shoot from deep... Rahn shoots! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!
(Zimmermann fell silent for eight seconds before he spoke again)
Goal for Germany! Germany lead 3-2. Call me mad, call me crazy!"
After the final he was criticized for praising the goal keeper Turek by calling him Toni du bist ein Teufelskerl, Toni du bist ein Fußballgott (Toni you are a devil chap. Toni you are a football god.). Zimmermann, who rode a tank and held a major's rank during the war, was also criticized for the somewhat militaristic vocabulary he had used during the match.
He also commented the world championships in 1958, 1962 and 1966 over the radio. However, TV was more prominent now as most people had access to TV sets, so fewer and fewer people heard his reports.
On 11 December 1966 Zimmermann, who was known as a notoriously bad driver, had an accident with his car. He succumbed to the injuries sustained in that accident five days later.
Zimmermann was the uncle of the German Green Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
politician Hans-Christian Ströbele
Hans-Christian Ströbele
Hans-Christian Ströbele is a German politician and lawyer. He is a member of the German Green party.Ströbele studied law and political science in Heidelberg and at the Free University of Berlin. Has practiced law since 1969 in Berlin...
. The family holds the rights to his reports which still generates revenue.
Awards
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Silver (1942) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd and 1st Class - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 5 April 1945 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
and chief of the 1/Panzer-Regiment 36