Herman Nattkämper was a 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 and was German champions

German champions

The German champions is the general name given to winners of a Bundesliga sporting competition in Germany.-Current German championship holders:* Football 2010–11: Women's: 1...

 in 1934 and 1935.

Born in Gladbeck

Gladbeck

Gladbeck is a city in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The name ´Gladbeck´ evolves from Low German, originally spoken in the area around Gladbeck. ´Glad´ means something like gleamy and ´beck´ means about brook. However, the brook Gladbeck flows under the ground...

, he became member of a local football club when he was 14. Being criticized due to a failed penalty, he left his club and joined the FC Schalke 04

FC Schalke 04

Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...

. After 76 games and 27 goals he stopped playing football. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he came into Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n war captivity where he started playing football again. Additionally, Hermann Nattkämper was the last living member of the legendary ´Schalker Kreisel´, a special tactic in football, to which Ernst Kuzorra

Ernst Kuzorra

Ernst Kuzorra was a German footballer of the pre-war era. During his entire career, he played for Schalke 04, whom he led to six national championships and one national cup...

 and Fritz Szepan

Fritz Szepan

Friedrich "Fritz" Szepan was a German footballer in the period leading up to and including World War II. He spent his entire career with Schalke 04 where he won six national championships and one German Cup. He is commonly regarded as one of the greatest Schalke players of all time...

belonged likewise.