Josef Posipal

Josef "Jupp" Posipal (20 June 1927 – 21 February 1997) was a German footballer. Born in Romania, he was part of the Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. During his club career he played for SV Linden 07, SV Arminia Hannover, and Hamburger SV.

Career Posipal was born in Lugoj, Romania, to a father of German descent and a mother of Hungarian origin. When he was 16, Posipal's family relocated to Germany. In his youth his sportive activities focused on swimming and track-and-field as well as handball. In 1949 he joined Hamburger SV as then coach Georg Knöpfle was looking for a forward. However Knöpfle soon discovered that Posipal was a strong defender and withdrew him from attack to a half back position. Already a year later in 1950, West Germany national team coach Sepp Herberger intended to invite Posipal to join the squad for Germany's first international game after World War II, but officials found out that Posipal had a Romanian citizenship and not German. His grandson Patrick Posipal is also a professional footballer.