60 years ago: Borussia Neunkirchen shone in the kicker ranking!

60 years ago: Borussia Neunkirchen shone in the kicker ranking!

Ranking is a very special matter in football - the editors at Kicker, who evaluate the best players, coaches and managers in Germany every six months, are also aware of this. The current issue of the “kicker sports magazine” focuses on the German football rankings and looks back on the beginnings. The first such rankings were published on January 2, 1956 and have continued to evolve over the years. The goal of the kicker rankings? An objective assessment – ​​and that is easier said than done.

One wonders how these rankings are created! According to Borussia Neunkirchen's informants, Kicker editors discuss and vote to classify the best talents in the categories "World Class", "International Class", "National Class" and "New on the Radar". The prerequisite for this is the minimum number of competitive appearances in the league, so that only the fitter and more capable can be promoted to their strongest categories.

The successful ones from Neunkirchen

A look at Borussia Neunkirchen shows that the results in the rankings for the summer of 1965 were also quite impressive. After being promoted to the Bundesliga, Borussia declared what they could do as promoted teams: in the second half of the 1964/65 season they made it to 10th place. A reason to be happy for all fans, because six players also acted as figureheads for the team and found their place in the “kicker rankings”. Erich Leist, Hans Schreier, Achim Melcher, Paul Pidancet, Günter Schröder and Elmar May were represented.

Among the defenders, Günter Schröder and Hans Schreier were ranked “In the wider circle,” while Erich Leist, Achim Melcher and Paul Pidancet were even placed “In the field of vision.” These ratings not only show individual abilities, but also reflect the development of football. This becomes particularly clear when you consider that the first comprehensive reform of the rankings took place just ten years after its debut, to introduce positions such as central defender and midfielder.

A look into the history of the DFB

The rankings have their origins in a time that means much more than just rating players. The German Football Association (DFB) has changed significantly since it was founded in 1900. Interestingly, women in football were only officially included in the DFB statutes in 1970, after the sport had previously been completely banned. There have been numerous successes since then, be it the first women's football championship in 1974 or the impressive eight European and two World Cup titles.

In 2025, strengthening women's football and adapting to modern developments will be among the central goals of the DFB, which is always striving to do justice to the wave of new football experiences. Although Germany hosted a World Cup for the first time in 1974 and the men's national team won at the first attempt, the changes in football from then to now have been enormous.

Overall, the Kicker rankings reflect not only the individual successes of the players, but also the ongoing development of football itself. Looking from 1965 to the current formats and categorizations gives fans hope that the next few years will be as exciting as the past decades.

For more details and information about the current player rankings, visit the page at Kicker or take a look at the past Borussia Neunkirchen. If you want to find out more about the history of the DFB, take a look Deutschland.de over.