Wilfried "Willi" Landgraf (born 29 August 1968) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender and made a record 508 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga.[1][2][3]
Landgraf was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr and joined the youth ranks of Rot-Weiss Essen from the adjacent city of Essen as a teenager in 1985. He was promoted to the first team for the 1986–87 season at the club. Towards the end of that season, on 30 May 1987, the then 18-year-old was given his debut in the 2. Bundesliga under manager Horst Hrubesch.[4]
After spending seven seasons with Rot-Weiss Essen as well as three seasons with Homburg and Gütersloh, respectively, Landgraf joined Alemannia Aachen in 1999.[4] At each of the four clubs, he almost exclusively played league football in the 2. Bundesliga, the only exception being his second spell with Rot-Weiss Essen for two seasons between 1994 and 1996, when the club competed in the third division.
Although he was already in his 30s when he joined Alemannia Aachen, Landgraf went on to spend a total of seven seasons with the club as well, and played regularly in six of the seven seasons. He helped Alemannia Aachen reach the 2004 DFB-Pokal Final, where they narrowly lost to that season's Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen and qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Cup.[4]
During his final season in the 2. Bundesliga in 2005–06, Landgraf lost his place in the starting line-up to younger team-mates and was only able to appear in 12 of 34 matches, with just six appearances in the starting line-up.[5] Alemannia Aachen were promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of that season, three months before Landgraf's 38th birthday. Still, he admitted that he did not want to spend another season on the bench just to be able to say that he played in the first division.[4] Therefore, he decided to leave the club for Schalke 04's reserve squad and play regularly in the fourth tier of German football, which he did over the next three seasons. Thus, Landgraf holds the record number of 508 appearances in the second tier of German football without making a single appearance in the top flight.[4]
During his career as a player, Landgraf was regarded as a fan favourite who was admired even by the supporters of rival clubs. As a defender, he was well known for his energetic playing style and affectionately nicknamed Das Kampfschwein (German for "The Fighting Pig").[4] His no-nonsense approach to defending in football earned him another record in the 2. Bundesliga – a total of nine red cards.[4]
Coaching careeredit
In June 2009, shortly after playing his final match for Schalke 04's reserve squad, Landgraf signed a contract to work as assistant manager for Alemannia Aachen's reserve squad, but the contract was eventually cancelled so that he could start his coaching career by staying at Schalke 04.[6] Since then, he has coached various youth teams at the club.
Referencesedit
^"2. Bundesliga » Rekordspieler » Platz 1 - 50" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^Arnhold, Matthias (12 July 2017). "Germany - All-Time Most Matches Played in 2. Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
^Arnhold, Matthias (12 July 2017). "Wilfried 'Willi' Landgraf - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
^ abcdefg"Vor zehn Jahren: Das Kampfschwein tritt ab" (in German). Weltfussball.de. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^"Willi Landgraf » Vereinsspiele » 2. Bundesliga" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^ (in German). Alemannia Aachen. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015.
Article on Willi Landgraf (in German) Weltfussball.de
April 09, 2024
willi, landgraf, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reli. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Willi Landgraf news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article is written like a personal reflection personal essay or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Wilfried Willi Landgraf born 29 August 1968 is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender and made a record 508 appearances in the 2 Bundesliga 1 2 3 Willi LandgrafPersonal informationFull nameWilfried LandgrafDate of birth 1968 08 29 29 August 1968 age 55 Place of birthMulheim an der Ruhr West GermanyHeight1 66 m 5 ft 5 in Position s DefenderSenior career YearsTeamApps Gls 1986 1991Rot Weiss Essen119 5 1991 1994Homburg107 4 1994 1996Rot Weiss Essen66 5 1996 1999Gutersloh94 2 1999 2006Alemannia Aachen188 3 2006 2009Schalke 04 II78 0 Club domestic league appearances and goals Contents 1 Playing career 2 Coaching career 3 References 4 External linksPlaying career editLandgraf was born in Mulheim an der Ruhr and joined the youth ranks of Rot Weiss Essen from the adjacent city of Essen as a teenager in 1985 He was promoted to the first team for the 1986 87 season at the club Towards the end of that season on 30 May 1987 the then 18 year old was given his debut in the 2 Bundesliga under manager Horst Hrubesch 4 After spending seven seasons with Rot Weiss Essen as well as three seasons with Homburg and Gutersloh respectively Landgraf joined Alemannia Aachen in 1999 4 At each of the four clubs he almost exclusively played league football in the 2 Bundesliga the only exception being his second spell with Rot Weiss Essen for two seasons between 1994 and 1996 when the club competed in the third division Although he was already in his 30s when he joined Alemannia Aachen Landgraf went on to spend a total of seven seasons with the club as well and played regularly in six of the seven seasons He helped Alemannia Aachen reach the 2004 DFB Pokal Final where they narrowly lost to that season s Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen and qualified for the 2004 05 UEFA Cup 4 During his final season in the 2 Bundesliga in 2005 06 Landgraf lost his place in the starting line up to younger team mates and was only able to appear in 12 of 34 matches with just six appearances in the starting line up 5 Alemannia Aachen were promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of that season three months before Landgraf s 38th birthday Still he admitted that he did not want to spend another season on the bench just to be able to say that he played in the first division 4 Therefore he decided to leave the club for Schalke 04 s reserve squad and play regularly in the fourth tier of German football which he did over the next three seasons Thus Landgraf holds the record number of 508 appearances in the second tier of German football without making a single appearance in the top flight 4 During his career as a player Landgraf was regarded as a fan favourite who was admired even by the supporters of rival clubs As a defender he was well known for his energetic playing style and affectionately nicknamed Das Kampfschwein German for The Fighting Pig 4 His no nonsense approach to defending in football earned him another record in the 2 Bundesliga a total of nine red cards 4 Coaching career editIn June 2009 shortly after playing his final match for Schalke 04 s reserve squad Landgraf signed a contract to work as assistant manager for Alemannia Aachen s reserve squad but the contract was eventually cancelled so that he could start his coaching career by staying at Schalke 04 6 Since then he has coached various youth teams at the club References edit 2 Bundesliga Rekordspieler Platz 1 50 in German Weltfussball de Retrieved 26 August 2021 Arnhold Matthias 12 July 2017 Germany All Time Most Matches Played in 2 Bundesliga RSSSF Retrieved 12 July 2017 Arnhold Matthias 12 July 2017 Wilfried Willi Landgraf Matches and Goals in Bundesliga RSSSF Retrieved 12 July 2017 a b c d e f g Vor zehn Jahren Das Kampfschwein tritt ab in German Weltfussball de 14 May 2016 Retrieved 26 August 2021 Willi Landgraf Vereinsspiele 2 Bundesliga in German Weltfussball de Retrieved 26 August 2021 Vertrag mit Willi Landgraf aufgelost in German Alemannia Aachen 16 June 2009 Archived from the original on 23 June 2015 External links editWilli Landgraf at WorldFootball net Willi Landgraf at fussballdaten de in German Article on Willi Landgraf in German Weltfussball de Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Willi Landgraf amp oldid 1169225251, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
