{{short description|German former international footballer (born 1938)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Willi Schulz | image = Willi Schulz (1968).jpg | caption = Schulz in 1968 | fullname = | height = 1.81 m | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|10|4|df=y}} | birth_place = Wattenscheid, Germany | position = Centre back, sweeper | youthyears1 = 1950–1960 | youthclubs1 = Union Günnigfeld | years1 = 1960–1965 | clubs1 = Schalke 04 | caps1 = 134 | goals1 = 8 | years2 = 1965–1973 | clubs2 = Hamburger SV | caps2 = 211 | goals2 = 3 | totalcaps = 345 | totalgoals = 11 | nationalyears1 = 1959 | nationalteam1 = West Germany B | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 1959–1960 | nationalteam2 = West Germany Amateur | nationalcaps2 = 8 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalyears3 = 1959–1970 | nationalteam3 = West Germany | nationalcaps3 = 66 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's football}} {{Medal|Country|{{fb|FRG}}}} {{Medal|Comp|FIFA World Cup}} {{Medal|RU|1966 England|}} {{Medal|3rd|1970 Mexico|}} }}
'''Willi Schulz''' (born 4 October 1938) is a German former footballer who played as a defender for Schalke 04 and Hamburger SV.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kicker.de/willi-schulz/spieler/bundesliga/1970-71/hamburger-sv | title = Willi Schulz | publisher = kicker.de | language = de | access-date = 31 August 2016}}</ref> At international level, he made 66 appearances for the West Germany national team. He is now the last surviving player from the Germany team in the 1962 World Cup.
== Career == Schulz was born in Wattenscheid, Germany. He played his first of altogether 66 games for West Germany in 1959 at a time when he was still an amateur for lower league club Union Günnigfeld. In 1960 he joined FC Schalke 04, spending the first three years in the Oberliga West, and in 1963 the Bundesliga was officially created. In 1965 he changed outfit joining Hamburger SV.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/wschulzdata.html | title = Willi Schulz – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 25 August 2016 | access-date = 31 August 2016 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref>
Schulz started out as a right half back in the late 1950s. With the change from the WM system to the 4–2–4, Schulz was converted from half back to stopper by the mid-1960s. During the 1966 World Cup, Schulz acted as the sweeper of the West Germany national team, a role he had taken over from Klaus-Dieter Sieloff only shortly before the tournament. At that tournament, Schulz was rated as one of the best defenders. During the next four years, Schulz remained the standard sweeper of West Germany. During this time, Schulz was acknowledged as one of the best central defenders in global football. In November 1968, he was part of the FIFA XI that faced Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.<ref name="Bitter p.444">{{cite book | last = Bitter | first = Jürgen | title = Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler | language = de | publisher = Sportverlag | year = 1997 | page = 444}}</ref>
Schulz would have been the standard sweeper of West Germany during the 1970 World Cup, but an injury of the meniscus as well as a calf bruise meant that he only started in two of the six World Cup games in Mexico.<ref name="Havekost, Stahl, Vinke p.111">{{cite book | last1 = Havekost | first1 = Folke | last2 = Stahl | first2 = Volker | last3 = Vinke | first3 = Hans | title = Fußballweltmeisterschaft 1970 Mexiko | publisher = Agon Sportverlag| year = 2005 | page = 111 | language = de}}</ref> In his place, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger played as sweeper. After the 1970 World Cup, Schulz retired from international activities.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/wschulz-intl.html | title = Willi Schulz – International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 25 August 2016 | access-date = 31 August 2016 | publisher = RSSSF}}</ref> He continued to play for Hamburger SV until 1973.
== Playing style == Being a conservative sweeper with no urge to join the attack of his teams, Schulz focused on marshalling his defense. He was noted for his calmness even under pressure, his positional play, his strength at man-to-man duels, his solid passing game, aerial ability and a special expertise at sliding tackling. For these traits as well as his consistency at the top level, Schulz was revered by West Germany national team coach Helmut Schön, who preferred Schulz at the sweeper position to the younger and more adventurous Franz Beckenbauer, who had to play in midfield instead.
== Career after football == After his retirement, Schulz established an insurance agency in Hamburg and also engaged in the slot machine business.<ref name="Bitter p.444"/> During the 1970s and 1980s, Schulz was also known for his critical sport columns for Hamburg newspapers. After the 1982 FIFA World Cup match between West Germany and Austria, in which the two sides colluded to allow West Germany to win 1–0 enabling both sides to progress at the expense of Algeria, Schulz famously called the West Germany players "gangsters".<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/13/1982-world-cup-algeria | title = The day in 1982 when the world wept for Algeria | work=The Guardian | access-date = 13 June 2010 | first=Paul | last=Doyle | date = 13 June 2010}}</ref>
==Honours== * 1966 FIFA World Cup runner-up * 1970 FIFA World Cup 3rd place * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finalist: 1967–68 * DFB-Pokal finalist: 1966–67
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Fussballdaten|schulzwilli}} * {{WorldFootball.net|willi-schulz}} * {{NFT player|id=16681}}
{{1966–67 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}} {{West Germany squad 1962 FIFA World Cup}} {{West Germany squad 1966 FIFA World Cup}} {{West Germany squad 1970 FIFA World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulz, Willi}} Category:German men's footballers Category:Germany men's international footballers Category:Germany men's B international footballers Category:FC Schalke 04 players Category:Hamburger SV players Category:Bundesliga players Category:1962 FIFA World Cup players Category:1966 FIFA World Cup players Category:1970 FIFA World Cup players Category:1938 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Bochum Category:Men's association football central defenders Category:Men's association football sweepers Category:West German men's footballers Category:People from Wattenscheid