Albert Brülls

The West German soccer team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics was part of the mixed German team that was defeated 2-1 by the Soviet Union in the first round and immediately eliminated. Forward Albert Brülls was a substitute and did not play. Domestically, Brülls played for VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach from 1954-62, before becoming one of the first Germans to move Italy where he played for FC Modena (1962-65) and Brescia Calcio (1965-68). During his time at Mönchengladbach he led the side to their first major triumph in 1960, when they won the DFB Cup by defeating Karlsruher SC 3–2. Brülls scored the deciding goal. After Italy he moved to Switzerland and played for Young Boys Bern from 1968-70, before he returned to Germany.

Brülls won 25 international caps between 1959-66, scoring nine goals. He appeared in two World Cups, in Chile in 1962 and England 1966. In England he played in the group matches against Switzerland, in what was Franz Beckenbauer’s World Cup debút, and Argentina, but was seriously injured in the second match, and could not take any further part in the competition. Brülls later ran the “Jägerhof” restaurant in Mönchengladbach, and coached some amateur clubs around Mönchengladbach. He was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf in 1966 and died after a short illness from bone cancer in 2004.