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Adolf Jäger

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Adolf Jäger (31 March 1889 – 21 November 1944) was a German amateur football player who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1]

Adolf Jäger
Personal information
Date of birth (1889-03-31)31 March 1889
Place of birth Altona/Elbe, Germany
Date of death 21 November 1944(1944-11-21) (aged 55)
Place of death Altona, Germany
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1903–1907 SC Union 03 Altona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1907–1927 FC Altona 93 119+ (196+)
International career
1908–1924 Germany 18 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Jäger was born in a corner house in Eimsbüttel as the son of a shoemaker and began his career with the youth team of SC Union 03 Altona, for which he was also active as a schlagball. He was signed by Hamburg's Altona 93 in 1907, making his debut on Christmas Day of 1907 against the Dutch club FC Dordrecht, and going on to score over 2000 goals in over 700 amateur matches. However, the only proof or evidence, of this claim, may lie within newspaper articles from the time he played.[2]

Two injuries further shortened his military career and saved him from the fate of his teammates, who would not return.[3] He became the son of our city, and as such, several attempts were made to poach him, but like Uwe Seeler later at Hamburger SV, Jäger also remained loyal to his club.[4] Jäger stayed loyal to the club for two decades (1907–1927), playing his last match on 6 February 1927, when he celebrated an acclaimed farewell, scoring twice for his North Germany team in a victory over West Germany.[4] He was awarded the highest award in German sport at the time, the Eagle Plaque.[4]

Jäger was an all-round athlete, as evidenced by a record long throw and running 100 meters in 11.4 seconds in a military championship.[2]

International career

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Within only a year of his club debut, Jäger was called by the German national team, making his debut in a friendly match against Austria on 7 June 1908, aged 19, and scoring a goal in a 3–2 loss.[5] He was a member of the German Olympic squad that participated in the football tournament of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, in which Germany only played in the first round as they were knocked out 1–5 by Austria, where Jäger scored Germany's only goal in the tournament.[1]

He played his last game as a national player on 14 December 1924 in Stuttgart in a 1–1 draw against Switzerland.[5] In total, Jäger scored eleven goals, three from penalties, in 18 international appearances for the senior national team, ten as captain, thus becoming the first player to lead the team onto the field as captain ten times[1][5] until Ludwig Leinberger beat him with eleven games on 1 January 1933.

Jäger also played 51 matches for the national team of the Northern German Football Association, including 26 appearances in the Bundespokal, where he scored 35 goals and won the title in 1914, 1917 and 1919.

Style of play

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Jäger was a tall striker with early baldness who shone with his delicate technique and understanding of the game.[2] Unlike his powerful HSV counterpart Otto Harder, with whom he stormed together in the North German selection and also in the national team, Jäger repeatedly convinced the critics with intelligent passes, especially in the wings. Today, he would be referred to as a "classic 10".[2]

A contemporary described his style of play in 1925 as follows: "Jäger's wing assists in colorful variety with a half-high ball pass or short pass template in midfield, used as needed and appropriate".[2] The later national team coach Otto Nerz called him "one of the greatest geniuses of German football and the creator of the modern combination game".[1][4]

Later life

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Shortly after World War I, from which he returned as a sergeant in the reserve, Jäger opened a tobacco shop, and soon after, with a fellow player, he opened a thriving men's clothing store: "Jäger & Koch".[1][3] His contacts through sport opened some doors for him, including being friends with boxing idol Max Schmeling.[3] At the end of his twenties, he was successful in the publishing business with an advertising agency alongside John Jahr.[3]

Shortly before the end of World War II, Jäger died while attempting to defuse a bomb at the Elbe riverside in Hamburg[6] right after an American air raid,[7] and is buried in Altona Main Cemetery.[1][6]

Legacy

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Shortly after he died in 1944, the football stadium of his club Altona 93 was renamed as Adolf Jäger fighting track [de] in tribute to Jäger.[1][4] The women's football team of Altona 93, which is made up of 150 women and girls, hence being the largest female football department in Germany, plays in this field.[4]

The German newspaper Taz nominated him for the All-Century Team in 1999.[1]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition. Only official games are included in this table.[8][9]
Club Season Regional Championship Northern Germany German Championship North German Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Altona 93
1908-09 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
1909-10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1910-11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1911-12 6+ 6+ 1+ 3+ 0 0 0 0 7+ 9+
1912-13 8+ 16+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 8+ 16+
1913-14 10+ 15+ 0 0 1 0 0 0 10+ 15+
1914-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1915-16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1916-17 1+ 2+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1+ 2+
1917-18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1918-19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1919-20 12+ 17+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 12+ 17+
1920-21 13+ 16+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 13+ 16+
1921-22 11+ 16+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 11+ 16+
1922-23 14 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 27
1923-24 9+ 11+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 9+ 11+
1924-25 14+ 36+ 5+ 5+ 2 2 0 0 21+ 43+
1925-26 8+ 14+ 0 0 0 0 2+ 1+ 10+ 15+
1926-27 2+ 8+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 2+ 8+
Total 108+ 184+ 6+ 8+ 5 4 2+ 1+ 121+ 197+

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Adolf Jäger". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Altonas Ausnahmefußballer: Adolf Jäger (Seite 1)" [Altona's exceptional footballer: Adolf Jäger (page 1)]. www.ndr.de (in German). 6 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Altonas Ausnahmefußballer: Adolf Jäger (Seite 2)" [Altona's exceptional footballer: Adolf Jäger (page 2)]. www.ndr.de (in German). 6 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Gesprächig wie ein Torpfosten" [Talkative as a goal post]. www.abendblatt.de (in German). 28 March 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Adolf Jäger, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Army Air Forces in World War II". permanent.access.gpo.gov. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Search". www.europeana.eu.
  9. ^ "Adolf Jäger - Spielerprofil". DFB Datencenter.
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