Hans Schäfer

In West Germany's first great football miracle, Hans Schäfer was not the headline scorer or the tactical symbol, but he was one of the men who gave the team its bite. A left winger and inside forward with strength, directness and a fierce competitive engine, he played the flank with more substance than decoration, driving forward, crossing, cutting inside and attacking the box like a second striker when the moment opened. At Köln he became a club monument, loyal, prolific and central to the rise of one of Germany's strongest post war sides. For West Germany, his importance stretched from the 1954 World Cup triumph to the 1958 and 1962 tournaments, proof of a player with both quality and durability. He was not a delicate artist in the pure winger tradition, but a powerful, intelligent and highly effective attacker. Schäfer was left sided authority with goals, work rate and the temperament of a man built for serious matches.