He was among the great protagonists of the ‘match of the century’ in Mexico against the Azzurri ROME (ITALPRESS) – Farewell to one of the legends of world football. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, former defender of the German national team and of Roma and Milan, with whom he won practically everything, has died in Milan at the age of 85. A grim left-back, with a robust physique, nicknamed ‘Volkswagen’ for his continuity of performance, both in terms of quantity and quality, he could play various roles, from that of midfielder to that of stopper or libero. After his debut in his hometown club, Duren 99, in 1958 he moved to Cologne, where he played for four seasons, among the most glorious in the history of the ‘goats’, who won their first national title in the 1961-1962 season. and they reach the Oberliga final twice more. In 1963, after the championship final lost against Borussia Dortmund, he moved to Italy, bought by Roma, who loaned him to Mantua. With the red and white he made his debut in Serie A on 15 September 1963, in a 4-1 home defeat against Milan, in which the German played an excellent match showing excellent defensive interventions.
The following season saw Schnellinger return to the capital from his loan and then move to Milan in 1965, with whom he played for nine seasons in one of the Rossoneri’s golden periods, so much so that his name is present in the Hall of Fame of the Milanese club . The first trophy won in the shadow of the Madonnina was the Italian Cup in 1967, followed the following year by the double Scudetto-Cup Winners’ Cup; in 1969 another “double”, the one consisting of the Champions Cup and the Intercontinental. Schnellinger continued to wear the Rossoneri shirt in the first part of the seventies, winning two more national cups (1972 and 1973) and the 1973 Cup Winners’ Cup. Precisely in that year he came close to the “star scudetto” with the unexpected defeat at The last round against Verona, which went down in history as “Fatal” as the Milanese lost a title that was almost certain, collecting the third consecutive place of honor. The following year, 1974, he was the last one at Milan before leaving Italian football, in which he made 284 appearances in 11 championships. It should be noted that Schnellinger, in 222 Serie A matches with the Rossoneri shirt, did not score any goals. Overall with the Milanese he boasts 334 appearances and 3 goals. In 1974 he returned to his homeland, making his debut in the Bundesliga at the age of 35 in the ranks of Tennis Borussia Berlin, also making its debut in the top flight, without however managing to avoid immediate relegation, retiring from competitive activity at the end of the season. With the German national team, after making his debut at just 19 years old, Schnellinger took part in four consecutive editions of the World Cup, from Sweden 1958 to Mexico 1970. In the latter he was among the protagonists of the semi-final won 4-3 by Italy at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City and went down in history as ‘the match of the century’. In the last minute, when the Azzurri were leading thanks to a goal from Roberto Boninsegna, it was Schnellinger who equalized the score with a split, thus making possible one of the most beautiful half-hours in the history of football: the famous extra time in which 5 goals followed for the final 4-3 in favor of the Azzurri. Schnellinger’s goal in the 90th minute was the only goal scored by the full-back in his 47 appearances for Germany, with whom he won silver at the 1966 World Cup in England and bronze at Mexico 1970. After retiring Schnellinger settled in Milan, where he died at San Raffaele hospital. – Photo Ipa Agency – (ITALPRESS). mc/red 21-May-24 09:07 .
