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''Wunderteam'' (; ''Wonder Team'') was the name given to the
Austria national football team The Austria national football team () represents Austria in men's international Association football, football competitions, and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association. The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) was founded on 18 Mar ...
of the 1930s. Led by manager
Hugo Meisl Hugo Meisl (16 November 1881 – 17 February 1937), brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian ' Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee. Background Meisl was born to a Jewi ...
, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team focused on quick passing introduced by Englishman
Jimmy Hogan James Hogan (16 October 1882 – 30 January 1974) was an English football player and coach. He enjoyed some success as a footballer, reaching an FA Cup semi-final with Fulham in 1907–08, but his primary legacy is as a pioneer of the game ...
. The forward line was complemented by wide half-backs and an attacking centre-half.
Matthias Sindelar Matthias Sindelar (, ; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an Austrian professional association football, footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, Sindelar notably played for FK Austria Wien, Austria Vienna ...
,
Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican (25 September 1913 – 12 December 2001) was an Austrians, Austrian-Czechs, Czech professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is regarded by some to be the ...
, Anton Schall, Josef Smistik and Walter Nausch were the referents of the team that would dominate European football during that era.
Matthias Sindelar Matthias Sindelar (, ; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an Austrian professional association football, footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, Sindelar notably played for FK Austria Wien, Austria Vienna ...
, known as '' Der Papierene'' (''The Paper-thin Man'') due to his slight build, was the star and captain of the team.


Profile and history


Rise to fame and success

In the early 1930s, Austria became a very celebrated team in Europe. Before the
1934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the 2nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for List of men's national association football teams, senior men's national teams. It took place in Kin ...
, they routed many of their opponents, including a 5-0 and a 6-0 victory over
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, a 6-0 victory over
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and an 8-2 victory over
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. They also won the
Central European International Cup The European International Cup of Nations was an international football competition held by certain national teams from Central Europe & South Europe between 1927 and 1960.Leo Schidrowitz "Internationaler Cup", Vienna 1954 There were competitions ...
, predecessor of the
European Championship A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
, by beating
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
4-2 in 1932. The cup was to be Wunderteam's only championship win.


1934 World Cup

Austria entered the
1934 World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the 2nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934. The 1934 World Cup was the first in whi ...
as one of the favorites. In the quarter-final they eliminated
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, which was to be the runner-up in the 1938 edition. Like the
Golden Team The Golden Team (, ) refers to the Hungary national football team of the 1950s. It is associated with several notable matches, including the quarter-final (" Battle of Berne") against Brazil, semi-final (against Uruguay) and final of the 1954 F ...
of Hungary 20 years later, Austria failed to lift the World Cup trophy, despite playing beautiful football. They were eliminated by the eventual champion Italy in the semi-final, a match under poor weather conditions that limited their movement of the ball. The only score came when the Austrian goalkeeper was pushed over the line. Referee
Ivan Eklind Ivan Henning Hjalmar Eklind (15 October 1905 – 23 July 1981) was a referee (association football), football referee from Sweden best known for officiating the 1934 FIFA World Cup final between Italy national football team, Italy and Czechoslova ...
was criticized for partiality toward the host nation, especially after he also refereed the final, which Italy also won. Austria finished fourth after losing 2-3 to Germany in the third place match.


World War II and the end of the team

The death of
Hugo Meisl Hugo Meisl (16 November 1881 – 17 February 1937), brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian ' Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee. Background Meisl was born to a Jewi ...
in 1937 marked the beginning of the end. Austria qualified for the
1938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the 3rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in France from 4 to 19 June 1938. Italy national ...
finals, but they withdrew less than three months before the start of the tournament, after the March 1938
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. The Austrian Soccer Federation dissolved and voluntarily integrated itself into the "Deutschen Reichsbund für Leibesübungen" that coordinated all sports in
Nazi-Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictator ...
. For political reasons, German officials demanded that players from "Hitler's home state" play in the Germany national team, ordering coach Herberger to change the lineup on short notice. Several Austrian players were capped for the combined team failed to live up to expectations, as they were eliminated in the first round. That World Cup campaign was Germany's worst ever World Cup finals performance until 2018.
Matthias Sindelar Matthias Sindelar (, ; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an Austrian professional association football, footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, Sindelar notably played for FK Austria Wien, Austria Vienna ...
, who did not play for Germany, was found dead in his home in 1939, under circumstances that have been debated since.


Influence on Total Football

The ill-fated Austrian Wunderteam is also credited in some circles as being the first national team to play
Total Football Total Football () is a tactical system in association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. A player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining the ...
. It is no coincidence that
Ernst Happel Ernst Franz Hermann Happel (29 November 1925 – 14 November 1992) was an Austrian football player and manager. Happel is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, winning both league and domestic cup titles in the Netherlands, Bel ...
, a talented Austrian player in the 1940s and 1950s, was coach in the Netherlands in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He introduced a tougher style of play at the clubs ADO and
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
, and managed the Netherlands national team in the
1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It wa ...
, where they finished as runners-up for the second time in a row.


See also

* Austria national alpine ski team


References


External links


Rough Guide
{{Austria national football team Austria national football team Nicknamed groups of association football players 1931–32 in Austrian football 1932–33 in Austrian football 1933–34 in Austrian football 1934–35 in Austrian football 1935–36 in Austrian football 1936–37 in Austrian football 1937–38 in Austrian football German words and phrases