Adolf Jäger
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Adolf Jäger (31 March 1889 – 21 November 1944) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
amateur
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who competed in the
1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
.


Club career

Jäger was born in a corner house in Eimsbüttel as the son of a shoemaker and began his career with the youth team of
SC Union 03 Altona SC Union 03 Altona is a German association football club based in the Altona district of the city of Hamburg. The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offers handball and tennis. During the inter-war period (1906†...
, for which he was also active as a
schlagball Schlagball is a German bat-and-ball game that was popular up until the 1950s in Germany. Rules Two teams of 12 players contest the right to bat or field. The batting team tries to score by hitting the ball, which is thrown up by themselves, and ...
. He was signed by
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
's
Altona 93 Altonaer FC von 1893, commonly known as Altona 93 and abbreviated to AFC, is a German association football club based in the Altona district of the city of Hamburg. The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offers ha ...
in 1907, making his debut on
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
of 1907 against the Dutch club
FC Dordrecht Football Club Dordrecht, or simply FC Dordrecht () is a professional Dutch association football club based in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. They currently compete in the Eerste Divisie, ...
, and going on to score over 2000 goals in over 700 amateur matches. However, the only proof or evidence, of this claim, may lie within newspaper articles from the time he played. Two injuries further shortened his military career and saved him from the fate of his teammates who would not return. He became the son of our city, and as such, several attempts were made to poach him, but like
Uwe Seeler Uwe Seeler (; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of t ...
later at
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
, Jäger also remained loyal to his club. Jäger slayed loyal to the club for two decades (1907–1927), playing his last match on 6 February 1927, when he celebrated an acclaimed farewell, scoring twice for his North Germany team in a victory over West Germany. He was awarded the highest award in German sport at the time, the Eagle Plaque. Jäger was an all-round athlete, as evidenced by a record long throw and by running 100 meters in 11.4 seconds in a military championship.


International career

Within only a year of his club debut, Jäger was called by the German national team, making his debut in a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on 7 June 1908, aged 19, and scoring a goal in a 3–2 loss. He was a member of the German Olympic squad that participated in the football tournament of the
1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, in which Germany only played in the first round as they were knocked out 1–5 by Austria, where Jäger scored Germany's only goal in the tournament. He played his last game as a national player on 14 December 1924 in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
in a 1–1 draw against
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In total, Jäger scored eleven goals, three from
penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...
, in 18 international appearances for the senior national team, ten as
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, thus becoming the first player to lead the team onto the field as captain ten times until Ludwig Leinberger beat him with eleven games on 1 January 1933. Jäger also played 51 matches for the national team of the
Northern German Football Association The Northern German Football Association (german: Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband; ''NFV'') is one of the five regional associations of the German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; ''DFB'') and covers the four German states ...
, including 26 appearances in the Bundespokal, where he scored 35 goals and won the title in 1914, 1917 and 1919.


Style of play

Jäger was a tall striker with early baldness who shone with his delicate technique and understanding of the game. Unlike his powerful HSV counterpart
Otto Harder Otto Fritz Harder (Nickname: Tull Harder; 25 November 1892 – 4 March 1956) was a footballer who played for Eintracht Braunschweig, Hamburger SV, and Victoria Hamburg. He won two German football championships and played 15 times in the Germany ...
, with whom he stormed together in the North German selection and also in the national team, Jäger repeatedly convinced the critics with intelligent passes, especially in the wings. Today he would be referred to as a "classic 10". A contemporary described his style of play in 1925 as follows: "Jäger's wing assists in colorful variety with a half-high ball pass or short pass template in midfield, used as needed and appropriate". The later national team coach
Otto Nerz Otto Nerz (21 October 1892 – 18 April 1949) was a German footballer player and manager and the first head coach of the Germany national team between 1923 and 1936. Nerz was born in Hechingen, Province of Hohenzollern, son of a rope shopkeep ...
called him "one of the greatest geniuses of German football and the creator of the modern combination game".


Later life

Shortly after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, from which he returned as a sergeant in the reserve, Jäger opened a
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
shop, and soon after, with a fellow player, he opened a thriving men's clothing store: "Jäger & Koch". His contacts through sport opened some doors for him, including being friends with boxing idol
Max Schmeling Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxing, boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cul ...
. At the end of his twenties, he was successful in the publishing business with an advertising agency alongside John Jahr. Shortly before the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Jäger died while attempting to defuse a bomb at the Elbe riverside in Hamburg, and is buried in
Altona Main Cemetery Altona Main Cemetery (german: Hauptfriedhof or ''Friedhof Altona'') is located at Stadiongasse 5, Bahrenfeld, Altona, in north-western Hamburg, Germany and, with an area of 63 hectares, is the fourth largest burial ground in the city and surro ...
.


Legacy

Shortly after he died in 1944, the football stadium of his club
Altona 93 Altonaer FC von 1893, commonly known as Altona 93 and abbreviated to AFC, is a German association football club based in the Altona district of the city of Hamburg. The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offers ha ...
was renamed as in tribute to Jäger. The women's football team of Altona 93, which is made up of 150 women and girls, hence being the largest female football department in Germany, plays in this field. The German newspaper ''Taz'' nominated him for the All-Century Team in 1999.


Career statistics


References


External links

* 1889 births 1944 deaths Footballers at the 1912 Summer Olympics German men's footballers Germany men's international footballers German civilians killed in World War II Olympic footballers for Germany Footballers from Hamburg Deaths by explosive device Men's association football forwards People from Altona, Hamburg Deaths by American airstrikes during World War II {{Germany-footy-forward-stub