A pillar for the Mannschaft

Gunter Netzer proved Borussia Monchengladbach's lucky charm for the best part of ten years until 1973, playing a total of 230 matches for the club and scoring 82 goals.

Having proved himself in his homeland, Netzer later went to Spain in where he won more trophies at Real Madrid, (including two league titles) and banked a salary which allowed him to live a life of luxury.

A powerfully-built player who put his size and huge feet to good use, Netzer was also gifted with superb dead-ball skills.

His ability allowed him to control the trajectory of the ball perfectly every time so that defences and goalkeepers never knew what was coming.

He was able to spray long, hard passes all over the pitch with devastating accuracy, causing panic in the opposition.

In the colours of Monchengladbach, Netzer made an unforgettable impression in the German Cup final when his team beat Cologne 2-1 in 1973.

Sitting miserably on the subs bench throughout the match, trying to absorb the recent death of his mother, Netzer suddenly decided it was time to play a part in his team's performance, and he promptly scored the winning goal four minutes after going on.

The Karajan of European football

Clearly not slow in coming forward, Netzer once said "I have the ability to pull off something extraordinary during a match in extraordinary circumstances."

The German picked up the nickname of the "Karajan of European football", in reference to the great Austrian conductor.

A player who had a true passion for football, always exploring new ways to control, shoot and pass, Netzer played a decisive role in the German national side's European title conquest in 1972.

Indeed, his character was such that he became one of the first players whose opinion on the tactical state of the game was taken into account by the team coach.

Just too late

After spending three seasons at Real, Netzer moved closer to home for a spell with Zurich Grasshoppers, where success, compared to his Spanish sojourn, was in relatively short supply.

At international level his career continued, although the arrival of a player who would go on to dethrone him, Rainer Bonhof, denied him an active role in the 1974 World Cup.

Netzer was getting older, and it must have hurt him to play just 21 minutes of World Cup football in his country's triumphant march to the world title.

After a 13-year playing career, Netzer moved into coaching and led Hamburg to three Bundesliga titles between 1979 and 1983.

Like many of the great West German players of his era, he recently played a considerable role in Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.