Robert Schlienz

The German football legend Robert Schlienz was born 3 February, 1924 in Zuffenhausen, Germany. In the beginning of his career, Schlienz played in the forward’s position, later being switched to a midfielder’s role. He was a one-club-man, playing all his professional career with VfB Stuttgart (1945-1959).

Schlienz had a very unusual career, playing the majority of his career with an amputated forearm, caused by the car crash he was involved in 1948. Prior to that, Schlienz was drafted into Wermacht during the World War II. He was sent to the Eastern Front, where the future Stuttgart legend suffered an injury – he was shot in a jaw, and was later discharged from military service.

After the WWII ended, Schlienz joined VfB Stuttgart and in his first season prior to amputation of his forearm, the German forward twice won the Top Scorer award (1946, 1948), scoring an astonishing 46 goals in 1945/46 season and leading Stuttgart to the league title. Eventually, Schlienz a cornerstone of Stuttgart for more than a decade, also being its captain. However, the car crash in 1948 almost put the end to his career. The German was seriously considering retirement, but Stuttgart’s head coach Georg Wurzer convinced him to give a try, and train with team.

They spent endless hours working individually so Schlienz could learn how to run, dribble, and fall with his disability. Defenders in that era were rough, and nobody would give the German any discounts. He had to learn how to land after tackles and survive the tough hits from the opposing defenders. After his comeback, Wurzer gradually moved Schlienz into a midfield position, and the once unstoppable striker was now turned into a playmaker and the heart of Stuttgart’s attacks.

Gradually, he earned a strong reputation among the Bundesliga, also getting compliments from some of the greatest football players ever. After Stuttgart played a friendly game against Real Madrid, its biggest star Alfredo Di Stefano was in awe about Schlienz’s performance: “He was the best player on the pitch. I would never imagine I would see what I saw today”.

Schlienz was a key man in Stuttgart’s success during his era. Three league titles, two German Cup trophies and the eventual title of Stuttgart’s all-time leading goalscorer with 147 goals in 391 league games. His career, however, ended very unexpectedly. The same coach who believed in his comeback, declared in 1959 that Schlienz will never play for Stuttgart again. The reasons behind such shocking statement remain unknown. Schlienz decided to remain faithful to his hometown team, and instead of looking for a new team, he retired at the age of 35.

His career will always remain a big what-if story. Schlienz was an excellent striker, and if not for the car crash, he definitely would have earned more than 3 caps for the German national team. He could have been a part of the German squad that won the 1954 World Cup. Those would still have been prime years for a fully healthy Schlienz. Nevertheless, in spite of all the odds, Robert Schlienz became the icon of Stuttgart and its greatest captain ever.

Schlienz died on 18 June 1995, at the age of 71. To honor their legendary captain, Stuttgart renamed their reserve stadium in his name.

ACCOLADES

Bundesliga Top Scorer (1946, 1948)
Bundesliga champion (1946, 1950, 1952)
DBF Pokal (1954, 1958)
Bundesliga (1953)
Bundesliga (1954)
VfB Stuttgart’s all-time leading goalscorer (147 goals)