# Dieter Erler

Dieter Erler (28 May 1939 in Glauchau – 10 April 1998 in Chemnitz) was a German footballer.
He began his footballing career with BSG Chemie Glauchau in 1953. He was transferred to BSG Wismut Gera for the 1957 season and then after two seasons moved to sports club SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt in January 1959. Erler was both a playmaker and a goalscoring midfielder.
In 1963, Erler moved to SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he played alongside the player described by Pelé as the best left-winger in the world at the time: Eberhard Vogel. In 1966–67 the team was crowned DDR-Oberliga champion.
Between 1959 and 1972 he played for SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt and then FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. During his career he gained between 1959 and 1968 47 international caps and scored 12 goals for East Germany.
He was voted GDR footballer of the year in 1967.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of 20 May 1972
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| BSG Wismut Gera | 1958 | DDR-Oberliga | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| BSG Wismut Gera | Total | Total | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1959 | DDR-Oberliga | 26 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 8 |
| SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1960 | DDR-Oberliga | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 6 |
| SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1961–62 | DDR-Oberliga | 39 | 16 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 41 | 17 |
| SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1962–63 | DDR-Oberliga | 25 | 8 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 28 | 9 |
| SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt | Total | Total | 112 | 36 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 132 | 40 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1963–64 | DDR-Oberliga | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 4 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1964–65 | DDR-Oberliga | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 3 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1965–66 | DDR-Oberliga | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 2 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1966–67 | DDR-Oberliga | 21 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 15 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1967–68 | DDR-Oberliga | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1968–69 | DDR-Oberliga | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 3 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1969–70 | DDR-Oberliga | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 27 | 1 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1970–71 | DDR-Oberliga | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1971–72 | DDR-Oberliga | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 |
| FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | Total | Total | 179 | 18 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 201 | 19 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 291 | 54 | 34 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 333 | 59 |
* ↑ Includes FDGB-Pokal
* ↑ Includes European Cup

### International

    As of 6 November 2015
East Germany national team :
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1959 | 2 | 0 |
| 1960 | 6 | 1 |
| 1961 | 7 | 3 |
| 1962 | 8 | 4 |
| 1963 | 4 | 1 |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965 | 6 | 0 |
| 1966 | 6 | 3 |
| 1967 | 6 | 0 |
| 1968 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 47 | 12 |

### International goals

    Scores and results list East Germany's goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 30 October 1960 | Ostseestadion, Rostock, East Germany | Finland | 2–0 | 5–1 | Exhibition game |
| 2. | 14 May 1961 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany | Netherlands | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 10 September 1961 | Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion, East Berlin, East Germany | Hungary | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 22 October 1961 | Olimpijski, Wrocław, Poland | Poland | 1–1 | 1–3 | Exhibition game |
| 5. | 3 May 1962 | Lenin, Moscow, Soviet Union | Soviet Union | 1–2 | 1–2 | Exhibition game |
| 6. | 9 December 1962 | Stade Mamadou Konaté, Bamako, Mali | Mali | 1–0 | 1–2 | Exhibition game |
| 7. | 9 December 1962 | Stade Mamadou Konaté, Bamako, Mali | Mali | 2–0 | 1–2 | Exhibition game |
| 8. | 21 November 1962 | Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion, East Berlin, East Germany | Czechoslovakia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying |
| 9. | 3 November 1963 | Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying |
| 10. | 4 September 1966 | Dr.-Kurt-Fischer-Stadion, Chemnitz, East Germany | Egypt | 2–0 | 6–0 | Exhibition game |
| 11. | 4 September 1966 | Dr.-Kurt-Fischer-Stadion, Chemnitz, East Germany | Egypt | 3–0 | 6–0 | Exhibition game |
| 12. | 11 September 1966 | Georgi-Dimitroff-Stadion, Erfurt, East Germany | Poland | 1–0 | 2–0 | Exhibition game |

## Honours
### Club
#### SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt

* DDR-Oberliga: 1959

### Individual

* GDR Player of the Year: 1967