Hall of Fame of German sports: indivuduell; personalized stamp.
Josef "Sepp" Herberger
(March 28, 1897 in Mannheim, Germany — April 28, 1977 in Weinheim-Hohensachsen, Germany) was a German football player and manager. He is most famous for being the manager of the West German national team which won the 1954 FIFA World Cup – The Miracle of Bern.
Herberger played three times for the German football team between 1921 and 1925 before becoming assistant to Dr. Otto Nerz in 1932. Herberger succeeded him as national coach after Germany´s uninspired loss to Norway at the 1936 Olympics. After the war he had a short club spell with Eintracht Frankfurt. He remained national coach until 1964, when he was succ
Herberger was noted for his ability to sum up the essence of the game in short phrases, many of which survive to this day, such as:
The game lasts for 90 minutes (Das Spiel dauert 90 Minuten)
After the game is before the game (Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel)
If one doesn´t know where to pass the ball, one must just put it in the goal! (Wenn man nicht weiß wohin mit dem Ball, dann muss man ihn einfach in´s Tor schießen!)
The next game/opponent is always the toughest one (Das nächste Spiel/Der nächste Gegner ist immer das/der schwerste)
The ball is always in better shape than anyone (Der Ball hat immer die beste Kondition)
Probably his most famous quote is
The ball is round (Der Ball ist rund)
While this is the most-often cited version, the full quotation is actually
The ball is round so that the game can change directioneeded by Helmut Schön. He died of pneumonia in Mannheim aged 80.
