Matthias Sindelar

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Matthias Sindelar
Sindelar-aut.jpg
Personal information
Full name Matthias Sindelar
Date of birth (1903-02-10)10 February 1903
Place of birth Kozlov, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
Date of death 23 January 1939(1939-01-23) (aged 35)
Place of death Vienna, Germany
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Centre-forward
Youth career
1918–1924
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
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

Matthias Sindelar (German: [maˈtiːas ˈʃɪndəlaːɐ̯]; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an Austrian professional footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, Sindelar played for Austria Wien and the Austrian national team.

He played as a centre-forward for the celebrated Austrian national side of the early 1930s that became known as the Wunderteam, which he captained at the 1934 World Cup. Known as "The Mozart of football" or Der Papierene ("The Paper Man")[2] for his slight build, he was renowned as one of the finest pre-war footballers, known for his fantastic dribbling ability and creativity. He was voted the best Austrian footballer of the 20th Century in a 1999 poll by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS)[3] and was named Austria's sportsman of the century a year before.[4][5]

Matthias Sindelar was a forward. With the Wunderteam , he showed himself as one of the key elements of this formation, evolving in 2-3-5 . It gave, according to specialists like Paul Dietschy , "such fluidity to the Austrian system" that it was nicknamed the "Viennese whirlpool" . Although the Wunderteam regularly lacks efficiency, this lack is compensated by Sindelar, his technical skill and his vision of the game. Sindelar is nicknamed " der Papierene " (the "paper man" ), because of his physique, at first glance extremely puny, but also his ease to play on football fields as well as on paper . In the 1930s , he was nicknamed "Mozart of football" by the press, because Sindelar and his team "did not make a false note".

Early years[]

Of Czech descent, Sindelar was born Matěj Šindelář (Czech: [ˈmacɛj ˈʃɪndɛlaːr̝̊]) in Kozlov, Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Jan Šindelář, a blacksmith, and his wife Marie (née Švengrová). Despite occasional claims that Sindelar was of Jewish origin, the family was Catholic.[6][7] They moved to Vienna in 1905 and settled in the district of Favoriten, which had a large Czech-speaking community. Young Matěj/Matthias began playing football in the streets of Vienna.

The family of the young Matěj, who saw his first name Germanized in Matthias, moved to Vienna , the capital of Austria-Hungary , in the working-class district of Favoriten . With his friends, mostly emigrants from Bohemia and Moravia. He grew up on the same streets as Austrian teammate Josef Bican

In 1917, Jan (his father) was killed on the Italian front, during the First World War , leaving a widow and four orphans, Matthias and his three sisters . The latter continues to grow with football in disadvantaged districts of Vienna .

Still a football fan, Matthias Sindelar became an apprentice mechanic after the death of his father , or a locksmith according to sources . He had several small jobs, including a seller of sporting goods .

Club career (1918–1939)[]

Sindelar made his career start at Hertha Vienna, which he lasted from 1918-1924.

At the age of fifteen, already considered "an excellent dribbler and finisher", he was spotted by a recruiter from ASV Hertha Vienne, who hired him in 1918 from his youth teams . Gradually, football and training took a greater place in the life of Sindelar, who joined the first team in the early 1920s.

Playing in the blue and white jersey of Hertha, Sindelar managed to compensate for his rather frail physique, resembling that of a child (then at 60 kg ), by his high-level technique, allowing him, according to experts, "to dodge and dribble at will his opponents, and to squeeze with disconcerting ease within the opposing defenses ” .

It is these characteristics which make him obtain the nickname of “ der Papierene ” (“the man of paper”)

Sindelar quickly materialized the hopes placed by the leaders of Hertha Vienna , scoring his first goals in the national championship in particular thanks to his skills with his feet, and becoming an important part in the Viennese formation. While he had to provide for himself only through football, the Viennese suffered a serious knee injury in May 1923, making him unavailable for an indefinite period. His club also went through a great economic crisis during this same period, and Sindelar, as well as some of his teammates, were made redundant. In his time at Hertha Vienna, Sindelar played 23 matches scoring 4 goals.


Revelation in Austria Vienna (1924-1938). Free from any contract and still injured, Sindelar consulted the doctor of the Wiener Amateure , who suggests that he should undergo meniscus surgery, an operation considered risky, because it could mark the end of his career, but necessary. Cured of his injury, the Viennese decided to join the club of the doctor who advised him, that of Wiener Amateure , then Austrian champion and winner of the Austrian Cup in title.

In 1924 was brought to FK Austria Vienna, whose name at the time was Wiener Amateur-SV, up to 1926. He helped the team win the Austrian Cup in 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935 and 1936, a league title in 1926, and the Mitropa Cup in 1933 and 1936. Despite his toddler face and extremely puny physique, Sindelar was a center forward and according to the concept of the time, he was very technically gifted, with a good finish, a true leader and endowed with effective dribbling skills. Gifted with an agility to break the ankles of his vis-à-vis, his ability to erase the defender one on one was exceptional. In 703 matches for Vienna matches, he scored 600 goals.


In 2001, Sindelar was chosen in Austria's Team of the Century.

Sindelar was arguably one of Europe's best and, in scope, most influential footballers of his generation, recognized for his ball control, passing and dribbling, and especially his creativity. Anecdote has it that some Viennese football fans went to Sindelar's games not only to see him play but to get a better understanding of how football should be played.

In 1938 he appeared as himself in the Austrian film Roxy and the Wonderteam.

International career[]

Austria national team[]

From 1926 to 1937, Sindelar was capped 43 times for his country, scoring 26 goals.[8] He scored four goals in his first three international matches, including one in his debut match, a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia on 28 September 1926. Sindelar became an essential part of the Austrian Wunderteam that was coached by Hugo Meisl, after a falling-out caused by his individualism. David Goldblatt described the events:

He made his international debut in 1926 and played well before falling out of favour with the disciplinarian Meisl. Four years in the international wilderness followed until Meisl was cornered by a gathering of the city's leading football commentators as he sat in the Ring Café in 1931. Everyone was arguing for Sindelar's recall and Meisl changed his mind. Sindelar played. Scotland were beaten and the Wunderteam - already disciplined, organized, hardworking and professional - acquired their playmaker and inspiration, that vital spark of unpredictability.[9]

1934 World Cup[]

Sindelar and Austria were especially prominent at the 1934 World Cup. The high point was their defeat of Hungary in quarterfinals, when Sindelar was matched up against centre-half György Sárosi, who would go on to claim a runners-up medal at the following World Cup in France. In a bruising encounter, one Hungarian was sent-off, and Johann Horvath, the Austrian midfielder, was injured and missed the semi-final against Italy. Austria then suffered a controversial defeat to the host nation, with Sindelar affected by the harsh marking of Luis Monti.

Austria v Germany 1938[]

On 3 April 1938, the Austrian team played Germany in the Prater Stadium in Vienna its last match as an independent Austrian team, as some weeks earlier, Germany had annexed Austria (Anschluss) and the Nazis ordered the dissolution of the Austrian team into a common team with Germany, even though it had qualified for the 1938 FIFA World Cup.

The match (German: "Anschlussspiel") was dubbed as a game for celebrating the Anschluss and Austria's "coming home to the Reich". The Austrians played on the wish of Sindelar in red-white-red kits (the national flag's colours) instead of their traditional white and black. Austria missed out many sitters in a way that looked deliberate. However, in the last 20 minutes, Sindelar and teammate Karl Sesta both scored as the game finished 2–0.[10] Sindelar is reported[by whom?] to have celebrated extravagantly in front of senior Nazi dignitaries.

International caps and goals[]

The following is a list of Sindelar's international appearances and goals with the Austria national football team.[11][12][13][14]

Cap # Date Location Type of
match		 Result Opponent Minutes
played		 Goals Notes
1 28 Sep 1926 Prague Friendly 2–1  Czechoslovakia 90 1
2 10 Oct 1926 Vienna Friendly 7–1   Switzerland 90 2
3 7 Nov 1926 Vienna Friendly 3–1  Sweden 90 1
4 20 Mar 1927 Vienna Friendly 1–2  Czechoslovakia 90 0
5 10 Apr 1927 Vienna Friendly 6–0  Hungary 48 0 [15]
6 6 May 1928 Vienna Friendly 3–0  Yugoslavia 90 0 [16]
7 28 Oct 1928 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 2–0   Switzerland 90 0
8 23 Mar 1930 Prague Friendly 2–2  Czechoslovakia 90 0
9 16 May 1931 Vienna Friendly 5–0  Scotland 90 1
10 24 May 1931 Berlin Friendly 6–0  Germany 90 0
11 14 Sep 1931 Vienna Friendly 5-0  Germany 90 3
12 4 Oct 1931 Budapest Dr. Gerö Cup 2–2  Hungary 90 0
13 29 Nov 1931 Basel Dr. Gerö Cup 8–1   Switzerland 90 1
14 20 Mar 1932 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 2–1  Italy 90 2
15 24 Apr 1932 Vienna Friendly 8–2  Hungary 90 3 [17]
16 22 May 1932 Prague Dr. Gerö Cup 1–1  Czechoslovakia 90 1
17 17 Jul 1932 Stockholm Friendly 4–3  Sweden 90 1
18 2 Oct 1932 Budapest Friendly 3–2  Hungary 90 0
19 23 Oct 1932 Vienna Dr.GeröCup 3–1   Switzerland 90 0
20 7 Dec 1932 London Friendly 3–4  England 90 1
21 12 Feb 1933 Paris Friendly 4–0  France 90 1
22. 9 April 1933 Vienna Friendly 1–2  Czechoslovakia 90 0
23 30 Apr 1933 Budapest Friendly 1–1  Hungary 90 0
24 11 Jun 1933 Vienna Friendly 4–1  Belgium 90 1
25 17 Sep 1933 Prague Friendly 3–3  Czechoslovakia 90 2
26 1 Oct 1933 Vienna Friendly 2–2  Hungary 90 0
27 29 Nov 1933 Glasgow Friendly 2–2  Scotland 90 0
28 10 Dec 1933 Amsterdam Friendly 1–0  Netherlands 90 0
29 15 Apr 1934 Vienna Friendly 5–2  Hungary 90 0
30 25 Apr 1934 Vienna World Cup qualification 6–1  Bulgaria 90 1
31 27 May 1934 Turin World Cup 3–2  France 120 1
32 31 May 1934 Bologna World Cup 2–1  Hungary 90 0
33 3 Jun 1934 Milan World Cup 0–1  Italy 90 0
34 23 Sep 1934 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 2–2  Czechoslovakia 90 0
35 7 Oct, 1934 Budapest Dr.Gerö Cup 1–3  Hungary 90 0
36 24 Mar 1935 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 0–2  Italy 90 0
37 6 May 1936 Vienna Friendly 2–1  England 90 0
38 17 May 1936 Rome Friendly 2–2  Italy 90 0
39 27 Sep 1936 Budapest Dr. Gerö Cup 3–5  Hungary 90 2
40 21 Mar 1937 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 2–0  Italy 73 0 [18]
41 9 May 1937 Vienna Friendly 1–1  Scotland 90 0
42 23 May 1937 Budapest Friendly 2–2  Hungary 90 0
43 19 Sep 1937 Vienna Dr. Gerö Cup 4–3   Switzerland 90 1
Totals 3841 26
== 3 Apr 1938 Vienna Friendly 2–0  Germany 90 1 [19]

Team record[]

In the 43 matches that Sindelar played, Austria had a total record of 25 victories, 11 draws, and 7 losses.

Death and myth[]

Always refusing to leave his home country, Sindelar refused to play for Germany after Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 (Anschluss), citing old age (by then 35 years) or injury as his excuse.

Sindelar's grave at Vienna's Zentralfriedhof

On 23 January 1939 both Sindelar and his girlfriend Camilla Castagnola were found dead at the apartment they shared in Vienna; the official verdict cited carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause.[20] Different theories speculated that his death was an accident, suicide or murder.[21]

Austrian writer Friedrich Torberg later dedicated the poem "Auf den Tod eines Fußballspielers" ("On the death of a footballer") to Sindelar. The poem suggested that he had committed suicide as a result of the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938. On the other hand, it has been thought and reported that his death was accidental, caused by a defective chimney.[22] A neighbour had reported a defective chimney in the block a few days before Sindelar's death.[21] However, in a 2000s documentary screened on the BBC, Egon Ulbrich, a lifelong friend of Sindelar, stated that a local official was bribed to record his death as an accident, which ensured that he would receive a state funeral. "According to the Nazi rules, a person who had been murdered or who has committed suicide cannot be given a grave of honour. So we had to do something to ensure that the criminal element involved in his death was removed," he stated.[23] It has also been suggested that Sindelar was killed for his opposition for the Anschluss. The Nazi secret police force, the notorious Gestapo, had a file on him and had kept his café under surveillance.[24]

Honours[]

Sindelar 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:

References[]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ The Paper Man: life and death of a footballer The Guardian
  3. ^ Stokkermans, Karel / RSSSF. "IFFHS' Century Elections". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  4. ^ Bardelli, Gino / trivela.com. "Sindelar: O craque que não se curvou ao Nazismo" (in Portuguese). Trivela.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
  5. ^ "Austria's greatest". The Football Association. 2 September 2004. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  6. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (3 April 2007). "Sindelar: the ballad of the tragic hero". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2014. There have been suggestions that Sindelar and/or Castignola were Jewish. It is true that Sindelar played for Austria Vienna, the club of the Jewish bourgeoisie, and came from Moravia, from where several Jews had migrated to Vienna, but his family was Catholic.
  7. ^ Hesse-Lichtenberger, Ulrich (2003). Tor!: The Story of German Football. London: WSC Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-0954013455. Despite reports to the contrary, neither Sindelar nor the woman he would soon begin a fatal affair with were of Jewish heritage.
  8. ^ According to http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/Datenbank/lstat9.htm, http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/Datenbank/lstat7.htm (data matches the statistical archives of the Austrian Football Association: Länderspiele von September 1923 – April 1934 Archived 4 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine and Länderspiele von April 1934 – Mai 1952 Archived 13 July 2012 at WebCite) and the RSSSF page Austria – Record International Players. Other sources say he appeared in 44 matches or scored 27 goals.
  9. ^ David Goldblatt, The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer (Penguin, 2008; ISBN 1101097671), p. 257.
  10. ^ Der Papierene
  11. ^ Matthias Sindelar - International Goals. RSSSF
  12. ^ Austrian Football Association. "Statistics of matches of the Austria national team (September 1923 – April 1934)" (PDF). www.oefb.at. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  13. ^ Austrian Football Association. "Statistics of matches of the Austria national team (April 1934 – May 1952)" (PDF). www.oefb.at. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  14. ^ Kutschera, Ambrosius. "Statistik Österreichischer länderspiele". austriasoccer.at. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  15. ^ Entered game as substitute (42')
  16. ^ Austria played two matches on 6- 5-1928, vs. Hungary and vs. Yugoslavia: both matches are considered official for Austria but Yugoslavia did not recognise its match vs. Austria as official.
  17. ^ Scored the first 3 of Austria's goals; second international hat-trick in eight months.
  18. ^ 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
  19. ^ The celebratory match played between Austria (as Ostmark) and Germany (as Altreich) in the Praterstadion after the Anschluß is not official match for either team.
  20. ^ The 'Paper Man' mystery. ESPNFC.com
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Jonathan (3 April 2007). "Football: Jonathan Wilson on the mysterious death of Matthias Sindelar, probably Austria's greatest-ever player". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  22. ^ Hesse-Lichtenberger, Uli / ESPNsoccernet.com. "The 'Paper Man' mystery". ESPN. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  23. ^ news.bbc.co.uk (22 September 2003). "Football, fascism and England's Nazi salute". BBC. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  24. ^ John Ashdown (22 April 2014). "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No11: Austria's Wunderteam go close". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 April 2014.

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