Hans Schäfer

Hans Schäfer

Schäfer (left), 1957
Personal information
Date of birth	(1927-10-19) 19 October 1927 (age 89)
Place of birth	Köln-Zollstock, Germany
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Left winger
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1948–1965	1. FC Köln	394	(254)
National team
1952–1962	West Germany	39	(15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Hans Schäfer (born 19 October 1927 in Zollstock, Cologne) is a German former footballer who played as a left winger. He played for 1. FC Köln between 1948 and 1965. He also played for the West-Germany national football team, earning 39 caps and scoring 15 goals. He played in three World Cups, in 1954, 1958, and 1962, earning a winner's medal in 1954 and scoring a total of seven goals. Between 1957 and 1962, Schäfer captained Germany 16 times. He is normally considered one of Germany's greatest wingers and was particularly known for his long shots.

Schäfer's position was that of an outside left. In the latter stages of his career, he became an inside left forward. He debuted for Germany on 9 November 1952, in the international friendly against Switzerland, scoring a goal. During the 1954 FIFA World Cup, Schäfer scored four goals and throughout the tournament was one of Germany's best forwards.

Schäfer won the German football championship with 1. FC Köln in 1962 and 1964 and was voted German Footballer of the Year in 1963, at the age of 35. He played in the first two seasons of the newly founded Bundesliga 39 matches (20 goals) before retiring from professional football.