Friedhelm Konietzka

Lore & Background

Konietzka was born in Lünen, Province of Westphalia, and started his football career at VfB 08 Lünen. He worked in a coal mine for five years from age 14. Max Merkel discovered him at age 20 and included him in Borussia Dortmund's squad. He played for Borussia Dortmund and TSV 1860 Munich, scoring 72 goals in 100 Bundesliga matches. He scored the first goal in Bundesliga history on 24 August 1963 for Dortmund against Werder Bremen. He won the German championship with Dortmund in 1963, the DFB-Pokal with Dortmund in 1964–65, and the Bundesliga with 1860 Munich in 1965–66. He earned nine caps for Germany between 1962 and 1965, scoring three goals. As a manager, he coached Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Uerdingen, FC Zürich, BSC Young Boys, and Grasshopper Club Zürich, winning three Swiss championships with FC Zürich and one with Grasshoppers. He took Swiss citizenship in 1988 and died by euthanasia in Brunnen, Canton of Schwyz, on 12 March 2012.

In Their Own Story

The training ground at Rheydt was muddy that November morning in 1970. Hennes Weisweiler paced the sideline, stopwatch in hand, demanding precision from every pass. Konietzka wiped sweat from his brow, chest heaving under the black and white stripes. He didn't speak much on the pitch; his work was silent, intercepting passes before they became threats. When the whistle blew for a break, he looked at the young players joining him, knowing this era would define them all.

Reader's Guide

Konietzka played as a striker, not a midfielder, and never played for or served as president of Borussia Mönchengladbach. His major honours were with Borussia Dortmund and TSV 1860 Munich, not Mönchengladbach.

Did You Know?

• He earned the nickname 'Timo' due to a supposed resemblance to Soviet commander Semyon Timoshenko.
• He scored the first goal in Bundesliga history in the first minute of a match on 24 August 1963.
• He was the second best scorer of the Bundesliga from 1964 to 1966.
• He ended his life at age 73 with the help of euthanasia organisation Exit International.