Horst Blankenburg: A tale lost in time

(Top Row L-R) Arie Haan, Horst Blankenburg, Sies Wever, Wim Suurbier, Heinz Stuy, Piet Keizer, Ruud Krol, Heinz Schilcher, Arnold Muhren, Johan Neeskens, Barry Hulshoff (Bottom Row L-R) Sjaak Swart, Johnny Rep, Coach Stefan Kovacs, Assistant Trainer Bobby Haarms, Gerrie Kleton, Jan Mulder, Johan Cruijff, Gerrie Muhren during the team presentation of Ajax Amsterdam in 1972 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)

The crown of German football down the years has been decorated with glittering jewels which have stood out as shining examples of greatness and quality. Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaus – one can only stretch their imagination that far to conjure up an endless list of flag bearers for “Die Manschaft”. But there are some who have quietly slipped beneath the radar of prominence and yet achieved what every footballer sets out to achieve – success.

The name of Horst Blankenburg would probably not feature in a discussion while listing down an exquisite collection of the finest Germans to have played the game, but when one casts a microscope on the 70′s, Blankenburg would be right up there, alongside the more glittering names of Gunter Netzer, Berti Vogts and the omnipresent Franz Beckenbauer.

The libero remains one of the brightest talents to have not received an international cap, despite his exploits at the club level. To many followers of German football and the history books, Horst Blankenburg’s story remains covered by a thick layer of dust.Blankenburg was snapped up by VFL Heidenhem in his youth, where he impressed people around him with an immense aptitude for learning the tricks of the trade. Max Merkel, then the manager of FC Nuremberg, took notice and wasted no time in securing the signature of the young defender.

The authorities at Nuremberg were aware of the special talent that Blankenburg possessed, and paved the way for him to make his first team bow at the tender age of 19. Unfortunately, things did not pan out as expected – a car accident kept Blankenburg confined to the treatment tables for three months; not the most ideal of starts for a young footballer looking to catch the eye.

The failure to kick-start his career from there onward led him to the unfamiliar territories of Austria – a country which enjoyed the privileges of being away from the spotlight.

The move to Wiener Sportclub helped Blankenburg re-establish his credentials as one of Germany’s prodigies. Keeping a close tab on his development were 1860 Munich, who head-hunted him as the answer to Bayern’s Franz Beckenbauer. And he did not disappoint this time around; though the club suffered the fate of relegation, Horst Blankenburg was finally living up to his billing of a potential superstar.

Off the field, the defender had his fair share of controversies with 1860 coach Hans Tilkowski, and despite his success on the pitch, Blankenburg was never really considered to be a part of the club, given his out-spoken and rebellious nature.

The feeling of dissatisfaction with the club and its authorities grew with each passing day, and Blankenburg yearned for a new environment where he could express himself, rather than suppress his feelings. Playing in the 2nd division was not the only issue; the failure to establish sync with the club’s hierarchy and accept their philosophy forced Blankenburg to assess his options once again.

After the league encounter against VFR Mannheim, Blankenburg was making his way back home when he was patted on his back by Bobby Harms, the fitness coach and assistant of Dutch powerhouse AFC Ajax. The club had recently lost one of its torch-bearers in Velibor Vasovic, and identified Blankenburg as the perfect heir after an extensive scouting program. The club’s officials followed up their interest with a formal bid.

1860 Munich were more than willing to sell, since it would free up a significant portion of the ego as well as wages. Besides, they would receive a world record fee back then, which could be invested in strengthening the squad to gain promotion back to the Bundesliga in the first attempt. The deal benefited both parties – Ajax got their player and Munich got some much needed monetary boost.

Bobby Harns recalls the fiery character’s first days at the club -

“He asked me when he came to Ajax how to present himself to the other players. I basically said: ‘They’re all typical Amsterdam arseholes. Full of themselves. ‘Blankenburg walked into the dressing room, said: ‘I’m Horst, I’m a Kraut and I’ve come to play football with you.’ And that was it. He was immediately accepted.”

Branded as a ‘sophisticated player’ by many, Blankenburg got the backing he needed to perform at his best, by Rinus Michels – then manager of Ajax. Just like Cantona was nurtured as Fergie’s son and Keegan as Shankly’s, Michels carefully bred the volatile defender to help him discover his true potential.

The following seasons saw Blankenburg go on to win everything there was with an Ajax side that featured Johan Cryuff – the Pythagoras in boots. In his pomp, the defender established himself as one of the best in the world, and excelled in line with the philosophy of total football.

In that same time period, Helmut Schön was building the German team without much notice of Blankenburg’s heroics in the Netherlands. The coach overlooked players who left the Bundesliga; even the enigmatic Gunter Netzer was not spared for moving to Real Madrid in 1972.

(L-R) Willem van Hanegem of Feyenoord, Horst Blankenburg of Ajax during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Feyenoord and Ajax on april 15, 1972 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)

Blankenburg though, puts it down to the sheer boldness in him that was too much for Schon to cope with -

“Maybe I was too inconvenient for the national coach; I always said what I thought,” “It is partially my fault. After I won the European Cup with Ajax for the third time in a row (in 1973), a journalist told me that Schön had said ‘I’ve never noticed Blankenburg. I don’t know why I should select him.’ Of course I was angry and said to the journalist ‘Schön can lick my arse!’ That didn’t go unpublished – and that was the end of my dreams of the national team.”

The retirement of Willi Schulz cleared the path for Franz Beckenbauer to take up the sweeper’s position in the national team. Der Kaiser went on to represent his country for 60 consecutive games between 1970 and 1977, dashing any hopes of Blankenburg to put on the white of his country in an international match.

Naturally, the thumping dished out to Bayern in the 1973 European Cup came as a sweetener for the defender. It would suffice to say that Blankenburg played like a man possessed with the aim of outshining his national team ‘counter-part.’ There was no question as to who the better libero was, and it wasn’t Beckenbauer.

He recollects his playing days at Ajax -

“The team was so strong that it made playing a lot of fun. We played five meters behind the halfway line. At Ajax they don’t just forget what you’ve done for the club.”

After 5 years of living his dream, Blankenburg moved back to Germany after signing for Hamburg. After that, he never really got going, and swapped clubs frequently before finally hanging up his boots at the age of 38. The defender reminisces that he “missed the relaxed attitudes of the Dutch and Johan Cruyff“, since moving away from Holland.

Fair to say, Horst Blankenburg never really achieved anything exceptional, leaving aside his Ajax days. Hennes Weisweller, the mastermind of the great Gladbach side of the early 70′s, describes him as the ideal libero any manager would love to have. The sturdy character was a unique combination of attacking flair and defensive solidity, and provided the backbone of solidity that the genius of Johan Cruyff necessitated.

Such was the talent of Blankenburg that he was asked to unanimously represent the Oranje in the 1974 World Cup by Cryuff himself, but he did not budge in to the temptation, hoping that Schon would eventually call him up for Die Mannschaft.

The bad blood between Germany and Netherlands during the 70′s had a common point of interest – Horst Blankenburg. The Dutch courted him, and the Germans did not need him. In the end, one cannot blame the Ajax legend for feeling more Dutch than German.

The disappointment of making it to the national team still lingers around Blankenburg. With a sense of regret, he says – “I am not happy. I am content.”

However, three European Cups and an eternal sense of affection in his adopted home, where a bridge is named after him, still brings a smile to Blankenburg’s face.