Klaus-Dieter Sieloff
Encyclopedia
Klaus-Dieter Sieloff (now in Russia
) is a former German football (soccer) player. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga
with VfB Stuttgart
and Borussia Mönchengladbach
. He played in two World Cup Qualifying matches in 1966.
During his youth in Kiel
, Sieloff aimed to become a boxer, having stood in the ring 25 times by the age of 14. When his family moved to Rottweil
near Stuttgart
and after visiting football games of VfB Stuttgart
at Neckarstadion, Sieloff's interest however shifted from boxing to football. In October 1960, he played his first game for VfB Stuttgart
in the Oberliga Süd. There he soon became a fixture in the stopper position in Stuttgart's team.
Physically strong yet technicall adept, Sieloff soon got the attention of German national team coach
Sepp Herberger
, who first called him up for a 1964 friendly against Finland
in Helsinki
. During the next year, Sieloff became the standard sweeper of Germany
. As a player, Sieloff became known for surging forward from the sweeper position, often scoring with long range shots.
Unfortunately for Sieloff, he lost his starting place in the German national team
during the 1965-66 season and thus did not feature in the 1966 FIFA World Cup
. During the next four years, the sweeper position was usually that of either Willi Schulz
or Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
and thus Sieloff did not gain anymore caps up to 1970. After the 1970 FIFA World Cup
, with Willi Schulz
retiring from international play and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
not featuring regularly in the German lineups due to playing abroad, Sieloff revived his international career, which was also fostered by his success at club level with Borussia Mönchengladbach
.
In 1969, Sieloff had made the change from VfB Stuttgart
to Borussia Mönchengladbach
. Their coach Hennes Weisweiler
intended to strengthen the defense of his young team, which was already very strong offensively, but lacked the defensive thoroughness to succeed in a long league campaign. For the 1969-70 season, Mönchengladbach added Sieloff as sweeper as well as Ludwig Müller (footballer)
as the stopper. With the defense strengthened, Borussia Mönchengladbach
won the 1969-70 and the 1970-71 Bundesliga seasons.
With Sieloff being one of the celebrated stars of the team, he made his comeback for Germany
in April 1970 in a friendly against Romania
. After the 1970 World Cup, with Schulz retired, Sieloff once again became the starting sweeper of Germany
. However during 1971 it became apparent that Franz Beckenbauer
, who previously played in midfield, was the strongest option at the sweeper position, which meant the end of Sieloff's international career.
For Borussia Mönchengladbach
, Sieloff played until 1974 when he moved to Alemannia Aachen, where he remained until 1976. After his career, Sieloff became chief of the Mercedes Benz company-facilitated sports activities group.
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...
) is a former German football (soccer) player. He spent 11 seasons in 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...
with VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
and Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. He played in two World Cup Qualifying matches in 1966.
During his youth in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Sieloff aimed to become a boxer, having stood in the ring 25 times by the age of 14. When his family moved to Rottweil
Rottweil
Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants...
near Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and after visiting football games of VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
at Neckarstadion, Sieloff's interest however shifted from boxing to football. In October 1960, he played his first game for VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
in the Oberliga Süd. There he soon became a fixture in the stopper position in Stuttgart's team.
Physically strong yet technicall adept, Sieloff soon got the attention of German national team coach
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
Sepp Herberger
Sepp Herberger
Josef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...
, who first called him up for a 1964 friendly against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. During the next year, Sieloff became the standard sweeper of Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. As a player, Sieloff became known for surging forward from the sweeper position, often scoring with long range shots.
Unfortunately for Sieloff, he lost his starting place in the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
during the 1965-66 season and thus did not feature in the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
. During the next four years, the sweeper position was usually that of either Willi Schulz
Willi Schulz
Willi Schulz is a former German international football player.Schulz played his first of altogether 66 games for West Germany in 1959 at a time when he was still an amateur for lower league club Union Günnigfeld...
or Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a former German footballer. He was one of the world's best defenders for a decade in the 1960s. He was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in quantity and in quality...
and thus Sieloff did not gain anymore caps up to 1970. After the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, with Willi Schulz
Willi Schulz
Willi Schulz is a former German international football player.Schulz played his first of altogether 66 games for West Germany in 1959 at a time when he was still an amateur for lower league club Union Günnigfeld...
retiring from international play and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a former German footballer. He was one of the world's best defenders for a decade in the 1960s. He was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in quantity and in quality...
not featuring regularly in the German lineups due to playing abroad, Sieloff revived his international career, which was also fostered by his success at club level with Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
.
In 1969, Sieloff had made the change from VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
to Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. Their coach Hennes Weisweiler
Hennes Weisweiler
Hans "Hennes" Weisweiler was a German football player and coach....
intended to strengthen the defense of his young team, which was already very strong offensively, but lacked the defensive thoroughness to succeed in a long league campaign. For the 1969-70 season, Mönchengladbach added Sieloff as sweeper as well as Ludwig Müller (footballer)
Ludwig Müller (footballer)
Ludwig 'Luggi' Müller is a retired German football player. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Nuremberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hertha BSC...
as the stopper. With the defense strengthened, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
won the 1969-70 and the 1970-71 Bundesliga seasons.
With Sieloff being one of the celebrated stars of the team, he made his comeback for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in April 1970 in a friendly against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. After the 1970 World Cup, with Schulz retired, Sieloff once again became the starting sweeper of Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. However during 1971 it became apparent that Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
, who previously played in midfield, was the strongest option at the sweeper position, which meant the end of Sieloff's international career.
For Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
, Sieloff played until 1974 when he moved to Alemannia Aachen, where he remained until 1976. After his career, Sieloff became chief of the Mercedes Benz company-facilitated sports activities group.
Honours
- 1966 FIFA World Cup1966 FIFA World CupThe 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
runner-up - 1970 FIFA World Cup1970 FIFA World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
3rd place - UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
finalist: 1973 - BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe 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...
champion: 1970, 1971 - Bundesliga runner-up: 1974
- DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe 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...
winner: 1973