Edmund Conen

Edmund Conen (10 November 1914 – 5 March 1990[1]) was a German football player. He was born in Ürzig, Germany.

Edmund Conen

Personal information
Full name	Edmund Conen
Date of birth	(1914-11-10)10 November 1914
Place of birth	Ürzig, Germany
Date of death	5 March 1990(1990-03-05) (aged 75)
Place of death	Leverkusen, West Germany
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1924–1928	SV Ürzig
1928–1932	FV 03 Saarbrücken
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1932–1935	FV 03 Saarbrücken
1938–1944	Stuttgarter Kickers
1943–1944	→ Mulhouse (guest player)
1943–1944	→ HSV Groß Born (guest player)
1945–1950	Stuttgarter Kickers	129	(57)
1950–1952	Young Fellows Zürich
National team
1934–1942	Germany	28	(27)
Teams managed
1950–1952	Young Fellows Zürich (player manager)
1952–1956	Eintracht Braunschweig
1956–1957	Wuppertaler SV
1957–1959	Bayer Leverkusen
	SV Schlebusch
1970–1973	BV Opladen
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany FIFA World Cup 1934 Italy
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Conen played with FV 03 Saarbrücken, Stuttgarter Kickers,[2] Mülhausen 93, HSV Groß Born (Pommern) and a couple of smaller clubs. In 1934, he was approached by Werder Bremen but, instead of joining them, told the DFB that Werder were dishing out financial offers to players. At that time football was still strictly amateur in Germany (officially) and payments to players were not permitted. The affair ended in the club and some of their officials, players and the team manager being fined and suspended.

With four goals in the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy, Conen was the joint second top scorer with Angelo Schiavio of Italy, behind Oldřich Nejedlý of Czechoslovakia who had five goals.[3]

He played from 1934 to 1942 in 28 international matches for Germany and scored 27 goals.

Just 19, Germany youngster Conen made quite an impact at the second FIFA World Cup with his three goals in his first match of the tournament against Belgium on 27 May. The game was tied at 2–2 before the powerful forward netted three times in the final 17 minutes to hand the Germans a 5–2 win in Florence, Italy. This achievement could only be equalized by Gerd Müller in 1970 against Peru. He managed to hit the winner when the Germans took the bronze medal with a 3–2 win in the play-off for third place against Austria.

Two years later as a 21-year-old, Conen's career was halted due to illness. This kept him away from football for three and a half years. Conen was courageous and battled through to return to the national team on 25 June 1939. On this date in Copenhagen against Denmark Conen made the perfect comeback, with a goal in the 2:0 victory. During World War II in 1942, he played his last international match. The German national team won this final match 5:3 Budapest against Hungary. Conen and a young Fritz Walter were on fire for Sepp Herberger's crew.

After end of war Conen worked as a coach, in the middle of the 1950s, with Eintracht Braunschweig in the North and Wuppertaler SV in the West. He later coached Bayer Leverkusen,[4] SV Schlebusch and BV Opladen. Conen died in the spring of 1990 in Leverkusen,[5] only months before West Germany were to win their 3rd World Cup championship.