Bernd Franke
Encyclopedia
Bernd Franke is a former German
football player.
Also an outfield player in his youth, young Bernd Franke made his steps towards the professional game following his impressiveness in the ranks of Saar 05 Saarbrücken. Their manager, Otto Knefler
, remembered the young goalkeeper during his spell at Fortuna Düsseldorf
and took him to Düsseldorf then. It was in 1971 when Knefler had been employed by Bundesliga
side Eintracht Braunschweig
and signed Franke once again, this time considering decent backup's for Horst Wolter
, Braunschweig's regular goalkeeper. Instantly Franke ousted the former international goalkeeper, but couldn't stop his club from getting relegated in 1973. Poised to join 1. FC Kaiserslautern
from relegated Braunschweig that summer, Franke rejected the chance of staying a Bundesliga player in the year before the 1974 FIFA World Cup
. In 1974 he was back in the Bundesliga with Braunschweig, as reliable as usual, enjoying a third-place finish in 1977 that came quite out of the blue due to Braunschweig's regular role as a relegation battling outfit in the best German rank.
It was just days ahead of the 1978 FIFA World Cup
when Franke finally started to fall prey to injuries, failing to report for first-team fixtures due to injuries in the remaining years of his career from time to time. A loyal servant for Eintracht Braunschweig
, however, the respected keeper stayed on with the club for one more season outside the Bundesliga
during 1980–81 and was, when free of injury, a regular for them until Braunschweig's latest relegation from the top tier of German football in 1985. That was the summer Bernd Franke retired in order to promote his career outside the game. In total he showed up in 345 Bundesliga matches for his sole professional club in between 1971 and 1985.
Raising eyebrows due to his games for Eintracht Braunschweig, Bernd Franke established himself as a backup choice for Sepp Maier and Wolfgang Kleff
in the affairs of West Germany, debuting for his country on 28 March 1973, in a friendly. Friendlies remained his business, mainly in times when neither Maier nor Kleff were on show for Helmut Schön
. His decision to stay on with his club after relegation in 1973 ruined Franke's hopes of getting a spot in the 1974 FIFA World Cup
winning squad of West Germany. Schalke 04's Norbert Nigbur
was named third choice by the West Germans then. Even more tragic for Franke was an injury he sustained in May 1978 in a meaningless friendly of the 1978 FIFA World Cup
squad, for which he had been called up, against a local amateur selection in Frankfurt
. The injury forced him to withdraw from the squad, letting him miss out on a World Cup participation for a second time in a row. Therefore Franke was delighted after he had definitely made it into the final squad of his nation for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
, despite not showing up a single time in that competition. Weeks before that tournament he had enjoyed his final two of altogether seven caps, playing in friendly victories against Portugal and Norway. Already out of contention for Die Nationalmannschaft, Franke was given the chance to represent West Germany as starting keeper in all of their four matches in the football competition
at the 1984 Summer Olympics
. Throughout his Career Franke was considered by many to have been the equal of both Sepp Maier and Harald Schumacher but was never able to move that one step further up and make himself first choice for West Germany, had he not suffered unfortunate injuries at the worst possible moments he may have taken over from Sepp Maier towards the end of the 1970s.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football player.
Also an outfield player in his youth, young Bernd Franke made his steps towards the professional game following his impressiveness in the ranks of Saar 05 Saarbrücken. Their manager, Otto Knefler
Otto Knefler
Otto Knefler was a German football manager.-External links:...
, remembered the young goalkeeper during his spell at Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf
' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
and took him to Düsseldorf then. It was in 1971 when Knefler had been employed by Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
side Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...
and signed Franke once again, this time considering decent backup's for Horst Wolter
Horst Wolter
Horst Wolter is a former German international football player.A Bundesliga winner with Eintracht Braunschweig in 1967, Wolter was doing occasional jobs in the West Germany goal in between 1967 and 1970...
, Braunschweig's regular goalkeeper. Instantly Franke ousted the former international goalkeeper, but couldn't stop his club from getting relegated in 1973. Poised to join 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
from relegated Braunschweig that summer, Franke rejected the chance of staying a Bundesliga player in the year before the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. In 1974 he was back in the Bundesliga with Braunschweig, as reliable as usual, enjoying a third-place finish in 1977 that came quite out of the blue due to Braunschweig's regular role as a relegation battling outfit in the best German rank.
It was just days ahead of the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
when Franke finally started to fall prey to injuries, failing to report for first-team fixtures due to injuries in the remaining years of his career from time to time. A loyal servant for Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...
, however, the respected keeper stayed on with the club for one more season outside the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
during 1980–81 and was, when free of injury, a regular for them until Braunschweig's latest relegation from the top tier of German football in 1985. That was the summer Bernd Franke retired in order to promote his career outside the game. In total he showed up in 345 Bundesliga matches for his sole professional club in between 1971 and 1985.
Raising eyebrows due to his games for Eintracht Braunschweig, Bernd Franke established himself as a backup choice for Sepp Maier and Wolfgang Kleff
Wolfgang Kleff
Wolfgang Kleff is a former German football player whose resemblance to German actor and comedian Otto Waalkes allowed him to pick up minor roles in motion pictures and his referring nickname "Otto" as well....
in the affairs of West Germany, debuting for his country on 28 March 1973, in a friendly. Friendlies remained his business, mainly in times when neither Maier nor Kleff were on show for Helmut Schön
Helmut Schön
Helmut Schön was a German football player and manager. He is best remembered for his exceptional career as manager of West Germany....
. His decision to stay on with his club after relegation in 1973 ruined Franke's hopes of getting a spot in the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
winning squad of West Germany. Schalke 04's Norbert Nigbur
Norbert Nigbur
Norbert Nigbur is a former German international football player.The goalkeeper joined Gelsenkirchen's biggest club, FC Schalke 04, from tiny SV Gelsenkirchen 06 in 1966, playing 456 matches in the Bundesliga for Schalke and Hertha BSC in between 1966 and 1983, being the first first-team player...
was named third choice by the West Germans then. Even more tragic for Franke was an injury he sustained in May 1978 in a meaningless friendly of the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
squad, for which he had been called up, against a local amateur selection in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. The injury forced him to withdraw from the squad, letting him miss out on a World Cup participation for a second time in a row. Therefore Franke was delighted after he had definitely made it into the final squad of his nation for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, despite not showing up a single time in that competition. Weeks before that tournament he had enjoyed his final two of altogether seven caps, playing in friendly victories against Portugal and Norway. Already out of contention for Die Nationalmannschaft, Franke was given the chance to represent West Germany as starting keeper in all of their four matches in the football competition
Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics started on July 29 and ended on August 11. It featured only a men's tournament, as women's football had yet to become an Olympic event. It was the first Olympic football competition in which professionals were allowed...
at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. Throughout his Career Franke was considered by many to have been the equal of both Sepp Maier and Harald Schumacher but was never able to move that one step further up and make himself first choice for West Germany, had he not suffered unfortunate injuries at the worst possible moments he may have taken over from Sepp Maier towards the end of the 1970s.