The small goalkeeper with the great reflexes, who joined BVB from TSG Rheda in 1959 as the Westphalia Selection goalkeeper and played 20 Oberliga and 87 Bundesliga games for BVB up until 1968, and also played seven European Cup games, but was still in the shadow of Heinrich Kwiatkowski and later Hans Tilkowski, will celebrate his 80.birthday on the 20.August: we are talking about Bernhard Wessel, who has lived in Boppard for many years, but has always supported and loved Borussia.

The former office worker at Hoesch certainly did not have the physical build of a goalkeeper meauring only 1.75m in height. The man with the big hands and feet made up for this disadvantage by making great diving saves. Wessel, who stood between the posts for BVB in 1963 and celebrated winning the German Championship (3-1 v 1.FC Köln) and who was part of the 1965 and 1966 DFB Cup and European Cup Winner's squad, played his "match to beat all matches" on the 8.June 1963 in Hamburg. He absolutely frustrated HSV - and especially their German national centre forward Uwe Seeler - in this game. And Jürgen „Charly“ Schütz added the 1-0 later in the game with an audacious lob (over HSV Goalkeeper Helmut Schnoor) to seal victory against the team in the red shorts.

Wessel finished his active career after a long-term groin injury at the age of 32. He then continued to work successfully as a coach at respected amateur clubs such as SuS Beuenrade, TuS Iserlohn, VfB Westhofen, Hüsten 09 or VfL Schwerte. After his football coaching career he turned to coaching tennis. Borussia Dortmund send their best wishes for this special day!

Fritz Lünschermann