Aki Schmidt – one of the greatest Borussia players turns “80”

When you think about it, the filigree technician who came from Dortmund-Berghofen had a more than difficult start to his career. He started with BVB at a time when BVB was the benchmark club in German football. They had just won the Championship in 1956. But the Virgo Westphalia player was not awestruck in front of his idols like Preiβler, Michallek and Kwiatkowski, instead he showed confidence and got stuck in right from the start.

He did not have to wait long until he was rewarded for his hard work coupled with a real technical ability that not many players had. Sepp Herberger, the Head Coach of the German national team back then, soon noticed the versatile young man. Within his first season of wearing the Black Yellow jersey, the “lad from Berghofen” was also wearing the jersey with the national emblem, the black eagle. On the 3.April 1957 he was one of three players making their debut in Amsterdam and he played a great game crowned by scoring the 2-1 winning goal against Holland. From then on he played with all the big names of his time: Fritz Walter, Helmut Rahn or Uwe Seeler, just to name a few.

Aki Schnidt, who helped Borussia win the German Championship in 1957 with his important goal in the final round against the Offenbacher Kickers, became the brains of the team in the next decade right up to winning the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1966. He lead the striker duo Timo Konietzka and Jürgen “Charly” Schütz, known as “Max and Moritz” to the finals in 1961 (runners up in the German Championship after losing to 1.FC Nürnberg 0-3 in Hannover), 1963 (after winning the German Championship 3-1 against 1.FC Köln in Stuttgart) and also 1963 (runners up in the German Cup after losing to Hamburger SV 0-3 in Hanover).

Everything went through Aki Schmidt in the BVB midfield

He ran the show in the legendary European Cup 1963/1964. The 4.December 1964 was the highlight of his Dortmund career. In the 2^nd leg of the round of the last 16 BVB beat the reigning European Cup holders Benfica Lisbon by believe it or not 5-0 with Schmidt running the show from midfield. The football world had eleven new heroes, who took apart the Czech army club Dukla Prag 4-0 in the “Golden City” in the quarter finals. Borussia also gained huge respect in the semi-final against Inter Milan, who went on to win the competition (2-2 in Dortmund, 0-2 in the San Siro).

Aki and his team still had their biggest success of any German team to date ahead of them. After the 2-0 win in the DFB Cup Final against Alemannia Aachen in Hanover they qualified for the European Cup season 1965/66.

Aki Schmidt said about the changes back then: „Fischken Multhaup took over as Head Coach from my friend Hermann Eppenhoff and two great strikers joined us. Stan Libuda and Sigi Held.” One of them came from Schalke, the other came from the Bieberer Berg in Offenbach. Aki reminisced: “Emma and I used to make jokes about ‘Sigi’ back then. He had such high football boots and we quickly had our little joke that ‘here he comes again with his little Romika shoes.”

However both of them would soon discover what kind of energy and explosive speed were in these ‘little shoes’ – and they both profited more than anyone from this. Aki Schmidt remembers: “you could always play a long ball to Sigi, he would always get the ball, and Emma would wait in the middle for the crosses and smashed the ball into the goal like there was no tomorrow.”

„We were the complete outsider in the final against Liverpool“

Then it all happened as it had to happen. Borussia got to the semi-final via Floriana La Valetta from Malta (5-1 away, 8-0 at home), the Bulgarian army club CSKA Sofia (3:0 at home and 2:4) und Spain’s pride and joy Atletico Madrid (1:1 away and 1:0). The opponent was the current Cup holder West Ham United. Aki winked when he told us of the high prestige of this game; „they had a few in their team who would win the World Cup in their own country a few weeks later.”

After this dramatic game they had a new nickname for the striker-duo Lothar Emmerich and Siegfried Held in England: “the terrible twins”, who ripped apart all the English dreams within the last four minutes of the game and turned a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 victory for Borussia. In the 2^nd leg BVB even managed to win 3-1. They had reached the final on the 5.May at Hamden Park in Glasgow. The opponent was none other than the English Champions FC Liverpool.

Schmidt said: “we were the complete outsiders. Fischken Multhaup told us that we would probably lose nine out of ten games against Liverpool, but the one time when we do beat them it would have to be in the final.”

The rest is history. Aki lead his troops to a 2-1 a.e.t European Cup victory – the silver laurel handed over by the then German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard is only one of many honours bestowed on a team that really deserved these honours.

Schmidt always kept his feet on the ground

Aki Schmidt, who withstood many tempting offers, for example from FC Bayern Munich, Hertha BSC Berlin and FC Sevilla, retired from football in 1968. He was successful as a Head Coach and started by winning the Cup with Offenbach (2-1 win over 1.FC Köln) and he also won promotion several times, amongst others with Jahn Regensburg.

He finally settled nearby in Burglengenfeld with his since deceased wife Linde and his sons Ralf and Frank. He worked as a PE teacher. In 1997 he re-joined Dortmund as a Fan Representative and numerous appearances as a “good ambassador” for his club were to follow. Stadium tours seem to be right down his street. Aki is an institution in this traditional club, the trendy 80 year old is still right in the middle of the action.

He has been living in his house in Brackel for years – the same as his son Ralf – and he adds his presence to many events. He shares his love of music with his partner, the artist Karin Lucas. And this shall stay so for many years to come…all the best and congratulations!

 (Fritz Lünschermann)