Helmut Rahn

**Helmut Rahn**, kent as *Der Boss* (The Boss), (16 August 1929 in Essen – 14 August 2003) wis a German fitbaa player. He became a legend for haein scored the winnin goal in the feenal gemme o the 1954 FIFA Warld Cup (Wast Germany 3 – Hungary 2).

## Career
Rahn stairtit his career wi Altenessen 1912 whaur he played frae 1938 till 1946. Then he went tae SC Oelde 1919 wi a tot score o 52 goals for that team. In the 1950–51 saison, he played for Sportfreunde Katernberg.

He wis maist successfu when he played for Rot-Weiss Essen frae 1951–1959. The team wan the DFB-Pokal feenal in 1953 an wan the German Championship in 1955. For ane year, frae 1959 till 1960 he haed played at 1. FC Köln, 1960 he went tae Sportclub Enschede in the Netherlands.

In the Bundesliga 1963 he stairtit playin for MSV Duisburg. He feenished his career in 1965 acause o a knee problem an, alang wi Hans Schäfer wis ane o the last members o the 1954 Warld Cup winnin side tae retire. His poseetion wis that o a ootside richt.

His legend in German footbaa wis spairkit bi the heroic achievement o the German team in the feenal o the 1954 Warld Cup.
Germany, whose team members thairsels wur surprisit tae be in the feenal, wis playin Hungary, who hadna lost a single match for fower years runnin up tae the Warld Cup feenal. Germany laggit ahint 0–2 efter anerly aicht minutes, but then pulled it back tae 2–2 wi Rahn assistin the first German goal an scoring the seicont. Wi sax minutes remainin, Rahn received the ball juist ootside the penalty box afore goin past a Hungarian player an managin tae shuit at the lawer left corner wi his weaker left fuit juist afore bein tackled. The ball whistled intae the back o the net an Germany went on tae win the gemme 3–2 ower the apparently unbeatable Hungarian team. This match is kent in Germany as The Miracle o Bern (*Das Wunder von Bern*) acause o its "David versus Goliath"-lik settin, an it is generally seen as a instrumental pairt o the rebiggin o the German fowk's morale efter the Warld War II.

Rahn wis pairt o the German team that reached semifeenals at the 1958 Warld Cup an aw. Wi his goal against Yugoslavie, he became at the time the third maximum scorer in Warld Cups, wi 10 tot goals (ahint Just Fontaine an Sándor Kocsis), an the first player iver tae score at least fower goals in twa different Warld Cups an aw.

Rahn played 40 internaitional matches an scored a tot o 21 goals.

He wis kent as "Der Boss" (Inglis/Scots: "The Boss") acause o his on-field leadership an occasionally an aw as "The Cannon frae Essen".

## Later life

Efter reteerin frae fitbaa, Rahn stairtit his awn caur dealership in Essen-Altenessen, alang Altenessener Street. He wis kent for his guid sense o humour an his joy an ability at talkin wi ithers. Mony stories aboot him still circulate throuoot Essen. Ane sic story involves a discussion he ance haed wi a friend regardin his caur dealership:

Rahn wis ance asked bi a friend, hou his caur dealership wirkit. His vera direct answer: "A buy a caur for 1,000 DM an sell it for 4,000 DM. An A live aff the three percent profit."

He dee'd twa days shy o his 74t birthday, in Essen. The movie "Das Wunder von Bern" wis dedicatit tae him bi director Sönke Wortmann.

## Faimily
Rahn marriet in 1953 Gerti Seller, an the couple haed twa sons, Uwe (born 1954) an Klaus Rahn. Rahn is allegitly the cousin o the grandfaither o Kevin-Prince Boateng o the Ghana naitional fitbaa team.

## Helmut Rahn Memorial

On 11 Julie 2004, 50 years efter the Bern match, a lifesize statue o him wis put up near Georg-Melches-Stadium in Essen, on the square namit efter him.

## Statistics

* 40 Naitional team matches; 21 goals for Germany
* 1 B-Naitional team match; 2 goals
* Bundesliga
*: 19 matches; 7 goals, Meidericher SV
* Oberliga West
*: 201 matches; 88 goals, Rot-Weiss Essen
*: 29 matches; 11 goals, 1. FC Köln
* Final roond for the German Championship
*: 7 matches; 3 goals, 1. FC Köln
* Westpokal
*: 2 matches; 2 goals, 1. FC Köln

## Honors
* DFB-Pokal: 1952–53
* FIFA Warld Cup: 1954
* German champion: 1955
* Bundesliga runner-up: 1963–64

## Beuks
* Helmut Rahn: *Mein Hobby: Tore schießen.* 1959, ISBN 3-421-05836-9

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Helmut Rahn – The Telegraph
* Helmut Rahn – Miracle Men – The Guardian