Reinhold Münzenberg

Reinhold Münzenberg, nicknamed “Der Eiserne” (made of iron), was an institution in Aachen’s football scene. He started playing at the age of 10. Throughout his life he competed for the local football club Alemannia, even after World War II in the Western Division of the “Oberliga” (Upper League). He played for other clubs for only short periods, such as the FK Pirmasens in 1933 and, towards the end of the war, for the Air Force Club in Hamburg, VfL Neckarau and Werder Bremen. Münzenberg was the typical center-half, who had to stop the center forward. He and Paul Janes became regular defenders on the national team when Herberger took over as national coach after the Olympics in Berlin. He was an excellent header and had a very hard kick.

His first international match was in 1930 against Denmark. The second international match could well have been his last, when he shot an own goal in the first match against France in Paris. For the next few years he played sporadically for the national team, until he was called for the third-place match of the 1934 World Cup and had to postpone his wedding. With Münzenberg, Germany defeated Austria. For some years he competed regularly for Germany, until he got fierce competition from other players, notably from Austria after the annexation. He was part of the squad for the 1938 World Cup, but did not get a chance to play. His final international appearance was a defeat against England in May 1938 in Berlin. Münzenberg was a member of the famous “Breslau 11” and appeared in 41 international matches between 1930 and 1939, including 8 as captain.

After the war Münzenberg ran a contracting business. From 1974-76 he was president of his native club Alemannia Aachen. In 1986 he suffered a heart attack, just a few hours after he had been watching Germany’s dramatic World Cup semi-final against France on television.