Matthias Sindelar
Matthias Sindelar (10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) is a former Austrian football player. His nicknames were "Mozart of football" and "Der Papierene-the Paperman" due to his slight figure. He has played for Austria national team. Sindelar was elected for Austria's "Team of the century".
 Matthias Sindelar in the jersey of Austria's team | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthias Sindelar | ||
| Date of birth | 10 February 1903 | ||
| Place of birth | Jihlava, Austria-Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 23 January 1939 (aged 35) | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker (retired) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1918–1922 | Hertha Vienna | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1921–1924 | Hertha Vienna | 23 | (4) |
| 1924–1939 | Austria Wien | 312 | (240) |
| National team | |||
| 1926–1937 | Austria | 43[1] | (26) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Club career
changeMatthias Sindelar was of Czech origin. He and his family came to Vienna in 1905. They lived in Favoriten where Matthias started playing football with Hertha Vienna from 1918 to 1924. Then he went to FK Austria Wien (which was called Wiener Amateur-SV until 1926). For this club he played from 1924 until his death in 1939.
International career
changeHe was an important part of the Austrian team in the early 1930s. This team is called "Wunderteam" and had won lot of matches against leading European nations. The following is a list of Sindelar's international appearances and goals with the Austria national football team.
| Cap # | Date | Location | Type of match | Result | Opponent | Minutes played | Goals | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sep 28, 1926 | Prague | Friendly | 2-1 |  Czechoslovakia | 90 | 1 | |
| 2. | Oct 10, 1926 | Vienna | Friendly | 7-1 |  Switzerland | 90 | 2 | |
| 3. | Nov 7, 1926 | Vienna | Friendly | 3-1 |  Sweden | 90 | 1 | |
| 4. | Mar 20, 1927 | Vienna | Friendly | 1-2 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 0 | |
| 5. | Apr 10, 1927 | Vienna | Friendly | 6-0 |  Hungary | 48 | 0 | [2] |
| 6. | May 6, 1928 | Vienna | Friendly | 3-0 | Yugoslavia | 90 | 0 | |
| 7. | Oct 28, 1928 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 2-0 | Switzerland | 90 | 0 | |
| 8. | Mar 23, 1930 | Prague | Friendly | 2-2 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 0 | |
| 9. | May 16, 1931 | Vienna | Friendly | 5-0 |  Scotland | 90 | 1 | |
| 10. | May 24, 1931 | Berlin | Friendly | 6-0 |  Germany | 90 | 0 | |
| 11. | Sep 14, 1931 | Vienna | Friendly | 5-0 | Germany | 90 | 3 | |
| 12. | Oct 4, 1931 | Budapest | Dr. Gerö Cup | 2-2 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 13. | Nov 29, 1931 | Basel | Dr. Gerö Cup | 8-1 | Switzerland | 90 | 1 | |
| 14. | Mar 20, 1932 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 2-1 |  Italy | 90 | 2 | |
| 15. | Apr 24, 1932 | Vienna | Friendly | 8-2 | Hungary | 90 | 3 | [3] |
| 16. | May 22, 1932 | Prague | Dr. Gerö Cup | 1-1 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 1 | |
| 17. | Jul 17, 1932 | Stockholm | Friendly | 4-3 | Sweden | 90 | 1 | |
| 18. | Oct 2, 1932 | Budapest | Friendly | 3-2 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 19. | Oct 23, 1932 | Vienna | Dr.GeröCup | 3-1 | Switzerland | 90 | 0 | |
| 20. | Dec 7, 1932 | London | Friendly | 3-4 |  England | 90 | 1 | |
| 21. | Feb 12, 1933 | Paris | Friendly | 4-0 |  France | 90 | 1 | |
| 22. | April 9, 1933 | Vienna | Friendly | 1-2 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 0 | |
| 23. | Apr 30, 1933 | Budapest | Friendly | 1-1 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 24. | Jun 11, 1933 | Vienna | Friendly | 4-1 |  Belgium | 90 | 1 | |
| 25. | Sep 17, 1933 | Prague | Friendly | 3-3 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 2 | |
| 26. | Oct 1, 1933 | Vienna | Friendly | 2-2 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 27. | Nov 29, 1933 | Glasgow | Friendly | 2-2 | Scotland | 90 | 0 | |
| 28. | Dec 10, 1933 | Amsterdam | Friendly | 1-0 |  Netherlands | 90 | 0 | |
| 29. | Apr 15, 1934 | Vienna | Friendly | 5-2 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 30. | Apr 25, 1934 | Vienna | World Cup qualification | 6-1 |  Bulgaria | 90 | 1 | |
| 31. | May 27, 1934 | Turin | World Cup | 3-2 | France | 120 | 1 | |
| 32. | May 31, 1934 | Bologna | World Cup | 2-1 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 33. | Jun 3, 1934 | Milan | World Cup | 0-1 | Italy | 90 | 0 | |
| 34. | Sep 23, 1934 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 2-2 | Czechoslovakia | 90 | 0 | |
| 35. | Oct 7, 1934 | Budapest | Dr.Gerö Cup | 1-3 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 36. | Mar 24, 1935 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 0-2 | Italy | 90 | 0 | |
| 37. | May 6, 1936 | Vienna | Friendly | 2-1 | England | 90 | 0 | |
| 38. | May 17, 1936 | Rome | Friendly | 2-2 | Italy | 90 | 0 | |
| 39. | Sep 27, 1936 | Budapest | Dr. Gerö Cup | 3-5 | Hungary | 90 | 2 | |
| 40. | Mar 21, 1937 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 2-0 | Italy | 73 | 0 | [4] |
| 41. | May 9, 1937 | Vienna | Friendly | 1-1 | Scotland | 90 | 0 | |
| 42. | May 23, 1937 | Budapest | Friendly | 2-2 | Hungary | 90 | 0 | |
| 43. | Sep 19, 1937 | Vienna | Dr. Gerö Cup | 4-3 | Switzerland | 90 | 1 | |
| Totals | 3841 | 26 | [5] |
Honours
changeSindelar was ranked as Austria's best footballer of the twentieth century by the IFFHS, also ranking as the world's 22nd best. His career titles include:
Club
change- 1. Liga
- Winner: 1926
- Runner Up: (2) 1925, 1937
- Austrian Cup
- Winner: (5) 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, 1936
- Mitropa Cup
- Winner: (2) 1933, 1936
International
change- FIFA World Cup
- Semi-finals: 1934
- Central European International Cup
Individual
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1934
- Central European International Cup : best player: 1927-30,1933-35
- Mitropa Cup : top scorer:1932,1933
- IFFHS : Austrian player of the century
- Austrian Football Bundesliga : top soccer : 1926-27,1931-32,1932-33
- European leagues : Top Soccer :1932-33
International career statistics
change| Austria national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1926 | 3 | 4 |
| 1927 | 2 | 0 |
| 1928 | 2 | 0 |
| 1929 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | 5 | 5 |
| 1932 | 7 | 8 |
| 1933 | 8 | 4 |
| 1934 | 7 | 2 |
| 1935 | 1 | 0 |
| 1936 | 3 | 2 |
| 1937 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 43 | 26 |
Death
change
Matthias Sindelar was found dead in his home in Viennas Annengasse on 23 January 1939. The official reason was carbon monoxide poisoning. But soon after his death myths arose that it was because he said he wouldn't play for Germany, which occupied Austria, and therefore he was murdered. But the rumours were never verified.
References
change- ↑ Some sources, including the RSSSF (Austria – Record International Players), list 26 goals in 43 matches. Other sources say he appeared in 44 matches or scored 27 goals.
- ↑ Entered game as substitute (42')
- ↑ Scored the first 3 of Austria's goals; second international hat-trick in eight months.
- ↑ Match suspended at the 73rd minute. Not considered official by the Italian Football Federation. Sources: http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/unb-italy-19.html (see note [5]); http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ital-recintlp.html (see NB); http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/1930_39/1937/s1937_02.htm
- ↑ Some sources, including the RSSSF (Austria - Record International Players) list 27 goals in 43 matches. Other sources say he appeared in 44 matches.
- ↑ "Matthias Sindelar - International Goals". www.rsssf.com.
Other websites
change- Profile at the official web site of FK Austria Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Tribute web page
- Channel 4 News: Matthias Sindelar Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Career stats – National Football Teams
- Player profile – Austria Archive
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