Alfred Bickel
Alfred " Fredy " Bickel ( born May 12, 1918 in Eppstein, † August 18, 1999 ) was a Swiss football player and football coach. From 1935 to 1956 he played for Grasshopper Club Zurich during 21 seasons in the first team. During this time he won with GC seven times the championship eight times the Cup ( 1956, not the final eleven belonged to ) and celebrated in the years 1937, 1942, 1943, 1952 and 1956 with the " Hoppers" the Double. In the national team of technical and playful outstanding offensive player graduated from 1936 to 1954 71 international matches and scored 15 goals. He took the "Nati " part in the Football World Cup 1938 in France and 1950 in Brazil. The Association of Swiss sports writers gave the scorer of the NLA with 202 hits in 1953 as the first footballer to award "merit Most valuable athlete in the country ."
Career
Association, 1935-1956
From the Zurich suburb Club Sports Club Seebach joined " Fredy " Bickel in November 1935, 17 years to Grasshopper Club Zurich. At the same time took over the Austrian instructor Karl Rappan the training line at the Blue-Whites. The successful joint work for the " Hoppers" lasted until 1948. Already in the second game year 1936/37, celebrated Rappan and the young national team - on 18 June 1936, the talent at international match in Oslo against Norway ( 2-1 win) to the team of " Redcoats " debuts - Bickel, the first double with GC. The young players benefited thereby, on the side of rounders as goalkeeper Willy Huber, the defender pair Severino Minelli / Walter Weiler, the runners Hermann Springer, Sirio Vernati, Sigmund Guttormsen and the attackers Fritz Wagner, Max " Xam " Abegglen, Eugen judder and Heinrich Vita be able to play in his early years in the NLA. The championship went in 1938 to FC Lugano, but achieved success with a 5-1 success in the playoff on June 19, 1938 against Servette Geneva the next Cup win. The series of successes with his club sat in cooperation with coach Rappan to round in 1946 continued. It came in 1939, 1942, 1943 and 1945 four more championships, as well as in the years 1940-1943 in a row and on April 22, 1946, a 3-0 win against Lausanne-Sports Cup five additional victories added.
With coach Willi Treml and the attack colleague Robert Ballaman and Roger Vonlanthen succeeded " Goldfuss " Bickel with the NLA returnees in the GC Series 1951/52, the new Double success. In 1954, when the World Cup was held in Switzerland, also known as " Rastelli of the lawn " dubbed veteran came again at GC 25 league operations, scoring 12 goals. In the league it was enough with a point adrift of FC La Chaux -de-Fonds with the Blue-Whites in the season 1953/54, the runner-up. In addition to success in league and cup, the inserts in the national team, took over for the GC record player and the world tour on December 26, 1954 to February 17, 1955 with stops in 21 different countries, a particularly significant role.
" Fredy " Bickel - he excelled especially in the square by edge and corner balls, subtle ball handling, amazing body illusions and also characterized by rare performance constancy and Club Loyalty -, was in his 21st season 1955/56, with 13 missions and two goals again on the side of the players Karl Elsener, Werner Hüssy, Branislav Vukosavljević and Robert Ballaman to re- double success of the " Hopper " on.
His brother Reinhard belonged as a left winger Cupsiegerelf of the Year 1946 - 3-0 victory in the final on April 22 against Lausanne -Sports - and son Thomas has brought it from 1986 to 1995 on 52 missions in the national team. In 1956, he ended his career after over 1000 games. Bickel had an excellent reputation as a team player and held despite many international deals Grasshoppers loyalty. Last lived " Fredy " Bickel at the Kalchbühlstrasse in the neighborhood Wollishofen in Zurich.
He repeatedly looked at GC as interim coach.
National Team, 1936-1954
Just turned 18 years old, debuted the young attacker from GC on June 18, 1936 at the international match in Oslo against Norway ( 2-1 win) on the right wing for the national team. His first goal in the "Nati " he scored three days later, on 21 June in Stockholm, the lost with 2:5 friendly against Sweden. The young players stormed it on the side of Paul Aebi, Numa Mounard, Max Abegglen and Vincenzo Ciseri. When his club coach Karl Rappan the first time the Swiss selection in Vienna supervised on September 19, 1937 in the game against Austria and Eugène Walaschek made his debut, he was also active in the 3:4 defeat. In the 2-2 draw on 31 October 1937 in Geneva against Italy, he was parted in the 28th minute by a clavicle fracture but returned and already back on February 6, 1938 at the remarkable 1-1 in Cologne against Germany in the selection back. Rappan relied on " blocking " and went on with the seven GC actors Willy Huber, Severino Minelli, August Lehmann, Hermann Springer, Sirio Vernati, Fritz Wagner and " Fredy " Bickel against the DFB - Elf kingdom of coach Sepp Herberger.
Just before the World Cup tournament in France, the "Nati " came on May 21 in his hometown of Zurich against the " football mother country" England. Rappan had ready next to the " Swiss - bar " even the tactical variant with the " hanging back Centre Forward " and Bickel brought it with his playful assets, the band led by Eddie Hapgood, Stanley Matthews and Cliff Bastin from the concept. Sensational brought the two goals of Georges Aeby and Andre Abegglen a 2-1 success of the " Redcoats " about. With 20 years Bickel played the World Cup 1938. 's 4-2 in the 63rd minute success in the replay on June 9 against Gross- Germany he managed the 2-2 equalizer. In all three World Cup matches against Germany (2 games) and the eventual finalists Hungary GC talent was in use. In 1939, he was with the two 3-1 success - each in Zurich - against runner- Hungary (April 2 ) and world champions Italy (November 12 ) there. Other notable games with the "Nati " were the matches on February 1, 1942 against Germany ( 2-1 win), July 21, 1945 against England ( 3-1 win), November 10, 1946 against Austria (1-0 win), May 18, 1947 against England (1-0 win), May 17, 1948 against Scotland ( 2-1 win) and the world Cup tournament in Brazil in 1950. In South America he was one in the group matches against Yugoslavia ( 0-3 defeat ) and on June 25 in Sao Paulo at the sensational 2-2 draw ( two goals from Jacques Fatton ) against host Brazil 's team coach Franco Andreoli on. After the World Cup in Brazil, he was also on November 22, 1950 in Stuttgart before 115,000 spectators at the first international match of the DFB after the Second World War in the Swiss Länderelf. He was the captain along with his German colleague Andreas Kupfer, the teams on the field.
With its use on 30 May in Zurich, it was the last international match of the preparation "Nati " before the 1954 World Cup to " Fredy " Bickel adopted after his 71st international game (15 goals) against the Netherlands ( 3-1 victory and three gates by Roger Vonlanthen ) after 18 years from the national team. The SFV nominated the attacker Charles Antenen, Robert Ballaman, Norbert Eschmann, Jacques Fatton, Josef Hügi, Eugen Meier, Marcel Mauron, Ferdinando Riva and Roger Vonlanthen for the tournament and renounced the 36-year veteran of Zurich.