For the German radio commentator, see Herbert Zimmermann (football commentator). For other uses of "Zimmermann", see Zimmermann (disambiguation).

Herbert Zimmermann (born 1 July 1954) is a former German

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 player.

A successful forward, Herbert Zimmermann was signed by FC Bayern Munich

FC Bayern Munich

FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

 and also appeared as defender

Defender (association football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for 1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....

, the club he joined after he did not get enough games at Bayern. Injury worries of his new club made him appear as defender and doing well on that adopted position prevented him from giving up his new role. After being just part of the squad of FC Bayern Munich that won the Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 in 1973 and 1974, and the European Cup

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 in 1974, Zimmermann was a vital figure for Köln in Köln's German Cup

DFB-Pokal

The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...

 wins in 1977 and 1983. In 1978 he and his club even won the German Cup

DFB-Pokal

The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...

 and the Bundesliga title (see double

The Double

The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...

), his greatest achievement as a regular on club level. Hampered by injuries in his final years in the game, Zimmermann played in 204 Bundesliga matches (22 goals).

As defender he debuted for West Germany in a friendly at Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 in October 1976. His career for his country was in best prime in 1978 and 1979, years where he won the vast majority of his altogether 14 caps. In 1979 he even found the net, scoring vital goals in 1980 UEFA European Championship qualifiers against Wales and Turkey

Turkey national football team

The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

. These goals brought him a call-up to the 1980 UEFA European Championship winning squad of his nation, not knowing that the mentioned qualifying fixture against Turkey would remain his final cap. In 1978 he had been with West Germany at the FIFA World Cup

1978 FIFA World Cup

The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...

 in Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, taking part against Poland

Poland national football team

The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...

 and dropping out injured in the second-half of the goalless draw against Italy

Italy national football team

The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 at Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, is a stadium in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the intersection of Figueroa Alcorta and Udaondo. It is the home venue of Club Atlético River Plate and is named after former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti...

 in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

.