Mourning for Karl-Heinz Schnellinger: The former national soccer player died at the age of 85 in his adopted home of Italy.
Former German national soccer player Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is dead. According to media reports, he died at the age of 85 after a long illness in a hospital in his adopted home of Italy. of the death of the 47-time national player, which was then reported by his .
Accordingly, he succumbed to his unspecified illness in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. On March 31st, he celebrated his 85th birthday in the metropolis and in the presence of his family.
Pioneers with wanderlust
Schnellinger was one of the first German football professionals to seek their fortune abroad. In 1963 he moved from 1. FC Köln to the Italian club AC Mantua. Via a stopover at AS Roma, Schnellinger finally ended up at AC Milan, where he became a legend in 222 games.
He also caused a sensation in the German national team: Just two days after his 19th birthday, Schnellinger made his debut in the senior national team and was part of the squad for the World Cup. Until 2022, when the then 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko (19) finally replaced him, he was the youngest World Cup driver in German football history.
A special moment in his career was the semi-final game between Germany and Italy at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. In what is still called the “game of the century,” the defender scored his first and only goal for the national team and saved his team in extra time with the late equalizer. There, however, the team of coach Helmut Schön (1915-1996) had to admit defeat 4:3, and Brazil ultimately became world champions.
After a short stint back in Germany (at Tennis Borussia Berlin), Karl-Heinz Schnellinger ended his career in 1975 and lived in Italy from then on.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
