"We will miss him!" declared Wolfgang Paul, Chairman of the Borussia Dortmund Council of Seniors. "I can hardly believe it. Aki believed until the very end that he would get better." It was not to be, however: Alfred Schmidt, one of the greatest Black and Yellows of all time, lost his final battle today, passing away aged 81 following a short but severe illness.

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The "Berghofener Junge" (Berghofen Boy), as he was known, made 25 appearances for Germany, played in the 1958 World Cup and became the first Dortmund player to captain a DFB side. In the Black and Yellow of BVB he became a German champion in 1957 and 1963, lifted the DFB Cup in 1965 and steered the club to European Cup Winners' Cup success in 1966.

"Aki Schmidt was a Black and Yellow icon," said president Dr. Reinhard Rauball of a sportsman who helped to usher in a golden era at BVB and played an active role in club life until recently. "This is an immensely sad day for the entire BVB family," said BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke. "I have fond memories of the numerous sporting highlights that this incredible footballer provided and of the wonderful moments that we spent together in more recent years." Wolfgang Paul, who won the European Cup Winners' Cup alongside Schmidt in 1966, recalled "the many wonderful years we spent together, on and off the pitch," before adding: "With his accordion and Dortmund humour, he was always an entertaining character."

From Berghofen to the Borsigplatz

Aki Schmidt could look back on a fulfilling but eventful life, starting with a childhood shaped by suffering and hardship in the bombed-out suburb of Berghofen where he grew up. "I'm a street footballer. There was nothing else for us. We always had to hurry down into the air-raid shelter when the sirens sounded," he recalled. Upon seeing the family home reduced to a pile of rubble, he "made a decision: we needed a way out. My parents couldn't help. I could play football. A great many dreamt of playing for Borussia one day, but I knew that if I worked hard, I could one day represent this club I dreamt of, idolised and worshipped."

However, it was to be a disappointing start for Schmidt – but one that perhaps helped him grow. When coach Helmut Schneider named his starting XI for the final of the German championship in 1957, he named exactly the same team that had won the title the previous year. It meant the name of Aki Schmidt, by then a full Germany international and an instrumental figure in helping the club reaching the '57 showpiece, was not on the team sheet. "After the war, that was the worst experience that I went through because I just didn't know why. Surely the football world couldn't be that unfair! Without wanting to sound arrogant, I was one of the best players in that team – and I wasn't selected to play."

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Horst Szymaniak, Aki Schmidt, Hans Schäfer, Germany coach Sepp Herberger and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger deep in discussion on the training ground at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

The news was not only a setback for the young Schmidt, but for the Germany coach too. "Sepp Herberger called me on the phone and said: We'll get through it. He actually said we. Then he said: We've got a game in Berlin next week and I need you, Aki! Herberger was like a father figure for me." A few weeks earlier, on 3 April 1957, Schmidt had made a memorable start to his international career, scoring the winning goal as the reigning world champions defeated the Dutch 2-1 in Amsterdam.

Schmidt defined a golden era

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A Borussia Dortmund side led by Aki Schmidt became the first German team to win a European trophy in 1966.

From that point on, Aki was a key figure in a golden era for the club. He led Borussia Dortmund to the 1961 championship final, where they finished runners-up following a 3-0 defeat against 1. FC Nürnberg; then in 1963 he became a German champion as BVB beat 1. FC Köln 3-1 but missed out on DFB Cup success after a 3-0 final loss against HSV. In the club's 1963/64 European Cup campaign he was the man pulling the strings as Borussia knocked out reigning champions Benfica with a stunning 5-0 victory in the quarter-final second leg on 4 December 1963. In 1965 Schmidt finally captained Dortmund to DFB Cup success, the Black and Yellows defeating Alemannia Aachen 2-0 in the final.

At the start of the 1965/66 season there was a change of coach – and a change of captain too. "Fischken Multhaup und Heinz Stork" – at that point a kind of team manager – "wanted to make Wolfgang Paul captain so that another player would take on greater responsibility, just like the national team, where Hans Schäfer und Fritz Walter were the standard-bearers. "I didn't have a problem with that. Wolfgang grew into the role and was an exemplary captain."

Having overcome Floriana La Valetta, CSKA Sofia, Atlético Madrid and reigning champions West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup, where they faced the mighty Liverpool on 5 May. After lunch that day, coach Willi Multhaup had a few choice words for his charges ahead of the final. "For every ten games you play against them, you'll only win one. But that one game is going to be tonight!" recalled Aki Schmidt. "He held a meeting with the players, the like of which I never experienced before or after that day." Just as Multhaup predicted, Borussia beat the favourites 2-1 after extra-time to steal the title.

Once a Black and Yellow, always a Black and Yellow

Schmidt always remained loyal to BVB, representing the club on the pitch between 1956 and 1968 before becoming a fan coordinator and stadium guide in 1997. "When I was left out of the 1957 final the offers came pouring in as many thought I would leave. I didn't do that because I have close ties to Dortmund and because Borussia was always my club."

His club will always honour his memory. Borussia have asked the DFL for a minute's silence prior to their upcoming home game against Bayern Munich.
Boris Rupert