Bayer 04 mourn the loss of Manfred Manglitz

Manfred Manglitz joined Leverkusen in 1961 at the age of 21 from SC West Köln and, in his very first season with Bayer 04, helped the team earn promotion to the Oberliga West, which was Germany’s top division at the time. With strong performances, the young keeper played a major role in this success, which sparked a new wave of enthusiasm for football in Leverkusen. In 1963, after two years at Bayer 04, Manglitz made the move to Meidericher SV (later MSV Duisburg), who were in the newly founded Bundesliga.

There, the Cologne-born player developed into one of the league’s best goalkeepers and became a member of the Germany team under head coach Helmut Schön. In 1967, he became the first goalkeeper in Bundesliga history to score a goal (with a penalty kick in MSV Duisburg’s 3-1 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach).

Germany player and 1970 world cup squad member 

Manglitz, who was never at a loss for a quip and was therefore nicknamed ‘Cassius’ (after world boxing champion Cassius Clay, also known as Muhammad Ali), finished third with Germany at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, though he did not play in that tournament. In total, he made four international appearances for Germany.

A year later, a dark chapter unfolded in his eventful career: As a player for FC Köln in 1971, Manglitz was deeply implicated in the Bundesliga bribery scandal; as a result, he was initially banned for life but was pardoned after two years. In his mid-30s, he made a brief return to the football pitch with FC Mülheim, then a second-division club. The now nearly 40-year-old ended his career in 1980 with his hometown club, SC West Köln. He then moved to Spain, where he lived for over four decades.

Manfred Manglitz passed away on Monday at the age of 86.