Gerhard Hanappi
Gerhard Hanappi ( born February 16, 1929 in Vienna, † August 23, 1980 ) was an Austrian football player and an architect.
He was considered an all-rounder with a fine technique and the ability to record the game situation quickly, which - as Walter Nausch put it - " can play anywhere ." The former Austrian capped player was left-back of the key players in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, placed 3rd in Austria. He was called, among other things, 1953 in the World XI. After ending his football career " Gschropp " was, like Gerhard Hanappi was called due to its size ( it was relatively small 1.69 m), architect and built, among others, the West Stadium, which bears his name today.
Career
Star at Wacker and " the case Hanappi "
Gerhard Hanappi began his career as a footballer at small Viennese suburbs club Wacker. Even at age 17 he was playing regularly in the first team Meidlinger and could surprise party with them in 1947 his first championship title. In the same year, the Vienna Austria was defeated in the Cup 4-3. Gerhard Hanappi played in the finals still in the middle of Meidlinger, later, he was used mostly as a defender. He was soon regarded as the greatest talent in the Viennese football, so that some clubs tried to ensure that changes to himself.
At age 19, Gerhard Hanappi debuted on 14 November 1948 as a defense lawyer for the Austrian national team in a 2-1 victory over Sweden. From then on he came in 55 consecutive internationals of the Austrian national team for use, before retiring six years later sidelined due to injury in a game against Yugoslavia. With 21 years of Wacker player was elected as the first non - Rapidler Footballer of the Year.
In the year 1950, pointed the "case Hanappi " as his departure was called by Wacker, too. Gerhard Hanappi should switch to Rapid, but Wacker wanted their star release at any price. Rapids section leader Franz Binder decided summarily, " kidnap " the football players and hid it. The final exchange of Meidling to Hütteldorf was not completed until after six months clubless. Wacker fans swore the Green-Whites " eternal vengeance ," which led to spicy duels of these two clubs in the following years. During his club loose time, the national team coach and former Dream Team player Walter Nausch adopted by Gerhard Hanappi and set the all-rounder continues to be a team.
Success with Rapid and at the World Championships
In his first season playing for SK Rapid Gerhard Hanappi has already won his first international title. In the final of Zentropacups, a rematch of Mitropapokals, the all-rounder scored on a 5-0 semi-final victory over Lazio in the purely Austrian duel on Wacker. The hard -run game finally ended 3-2 in favor of the Green-Whites.
At the national level Gerhard Hanappi could usually determine the championship event with his new club - a total of seven league titles and once the Cup he won in Hütteldorf. Also in the discharged since 1955 Europe Champions Cup he could come up with the Rapid Learning 1961 to the semi-finals. Overall, a full 14 years (until his retirement in late 1964 ) played Hanappi at Rapid, seven years of which ( 1957-1964 ) as captain. During this time Hanappi, who played on almost all positions at Rapid denied, 333 Cup matches and scored 114 goals. In 1999 Hanappi was chosen through a readers' poll in Rapid magazine with the third most votes in the Jahrhundertelf of Rapid.
His biggest success in the National Dress celebrated the 93 -fold team players at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, having previously been defeated 9-1 in qualifying Portugal. At the World Cup Hanappi moved left-back alongside club colleague Ernst Happel with the national team after a 1-0 win against Scotland and a 5-0 victory over Czechoslovakia in the quarter-finals, where they met the hosts. Austria has this match in the famous Battle of heat Lausanne 7:5 decide for themselves, but bowed out against Germany. However, Austria won the small final for third place against the reigning champions Uruguay 3-1.
After the World Cup defenders in 1955 was appointed captain of the national team and won in the same year as Austria's sportsman of the year. At the World Championship 1958 in Sweden, however, he could not repeat the success of 1954 and failed with the Austrian team after Lospech already in the group stage to Brazil, England and the Soviet Union.
Architects career
After ending his football career in 1965 Gerhard Hanappi began his architectural career. In the same year he was honored as the first football player with the Golden Order of Merit of the Republic of Austria. Already at the player times he had spent his breaks with numerous architectural study books. When his " magnum opus " means the design and construction of the Vienna West Stadium, now home of Rapid, which opened on May 10, 1977, a 1-0 win against Austria Vienna. He had already gained experience with sports facilities, planned, among other things ÖMV plant in the Stadlau. Gerhard Hanappi died at the age of 51 years in lymphoma and was in an honorary dedicated grave in the cemetery Hietzinger (Group 63, number 3, number 7) buried.
Today will be - now named after him - West Stadium, which was initially ( during his lifetime ) rejected by a large part of the Rapid fans because of its sterile atmosphere, now highly valued, much visited and according to the motto " Rapid is uns're religion" referred to as "Santa Hanappi ". In April 2013 Rapid club president Rudolf Edlinger moved however considering to sell the name of Gerhard Hanappi stadium to a sponsor.