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Brief History Of | Matthias Sindelar: The footballer who defied the Nazi's

He is remembered as the man who defied the Nazis, who refused to succumb to their oppressive rule. He is remembered as a representative of the romantic, coffee house football that prevailed in Austria before the inexorable spread of fascism.

October 2, 2018

Written by Callum Rice-Coates Produced by Tifo Studios

On the 3^rd of April 1938, Matthias Sindelar scored the goal that might have ended his life. A few weeks earlier, Germany had annexed Austria, the country of Sindelar’s birth. At the Prater Stadium in Vienna, the two countries played a friendly, billed as a “reunification derby”.

Austria were not meant to win. The game was supposed to finish in a cordial 0-0 draw, but Sindelar had other ideas. In the 70^th minute, having already missed a number of chances, he fired a rebound into the net. Then he celebrated, dancing with a grin on his face, in front of a box of Nazi dignitaries. Nine months later, he was dead.