Ray Baartz

Ray Baartz ( born March 6, 1947 in Newcastle) is a former Australian football player.

Life

Ray Baartz played in his youth, first for the Australian club Adamstown Rosebuds. When he was 17 years old, his club took advantage of contacts with Manchester United to three months to send him and his teammates Doug Johns there. Both should collect playful experience in Manchester. While Johns after three months returned back to Australia Baartz was asked by coach Matt Busby, whether he wanted to stay at Manchester. The club was impressed by his football skills so that he received a two-year contract. After the expiry of his contract, he returned in 1966 surprisingly back to Australia to his old club Adamstown back, but changed a short time later for a then-record transfer fee of A $ 5600 for Sydney Hakoah. Until his retirement in late 1974 he scored 236 league games in a total of 211 goals. For the Australian national football team, he also played 48 games in which he scored 19 goals. After a life-threatening injury he had sustained in an international match, Baartz 1974 had to end his athletic career. At this time he was considered one of the best Australian players.

Following his playing career, he led a sports shop in Newcastle.

For his services to the Australian football Baartz Ray was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.

Premature End of career

The highlight of his international career should be participating in the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Australia had already qualified for participation in the final tournament. In two test matches, the team met with Uruguay. During the game he was brutally fouled twice. An attack hit him directly at her carotid artery, which then swelled.

The next day he came up with paralysis in his left arm in a hospital, where he lost consciousness for two days. The doctors later advised him indirectly depend on to continue his career as a re-injury of the artery could possibly lead to death.