''Kicker'' (stylized in
all lowercase
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
) is Germany's leading sports magazine, focused primarily on
football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer
Walther Bensemann
Walther Bensemann (13 January 1873 – 12 November 1934) was a German pioneer of football and founder of the country's major sports publication, ''Kicker''.
Bensemann was born in Berlin, Brandenburg, as the son of a Jewish banker. During his time ...
and is published twice weekly, usually Monday and Thursday. Each edition sells around 80,000 copies. ''Kicker'' is a founding member of
European Sports Media
The European Sports Media (ESM), formerly European Sports Magazines, is an association of football-related publications in Europe.
Members
European Sports Media was established in 1989 as an international body for football journalism. Its nine fo ...
, an association of football publications.
''Kicker'' annually awards the most prolific scorer of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
with the ''Kicker Torjägerkanone'' () award. It is equivalent to the
Pichichi Trophy
In Spanish football, the Trofeo Pichichi is awarded by the sports newspaper '' Marca'' to the top goalscorer of each La Liga season. Named after the Athletic Bilbao striker Rafael "Pichichi" Moreno, the trophy has been awarded annually since the ...
in Spanish football.
The magazine also publishes an
almanac
An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and othe ...
, the ''Kicker Fußball-Almanach''. It was first published from 1937 to 1942, and then continuously from 1959 to date. They also publish a yearbook (''Kicker Fußball-Jahrbuch'').
History
''Kicker'' was first issued in July 1920 in
Konstanz
Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was th ...
, Germany. The magazine's headquarters were originally 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 ...
before relocating to
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
in 1926. During World War II, the magazine merged with the publication ''Fußball'', and was eventually discontinued in fall 1944. After the war, the magazine was again published (under the name ''Sport'') by the newly incorporated Olympia-Verlag publishing company. Former chief editor Friedebert Becker again began publishing ''Kicker'' in 1951, and for a number of years, both ''Kicker'' and ''Sport'' appeared at the same time. In 1966, ''Kicker'' was sold to
Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer SE () is a German digital and popular periodical publishing house which is the largest in Europe, with numerous multimedia news brands, such as ''Bild'', ''Die Welt'', and '' Fakt'' and more than 15,000 employees. It generated tot ...
. In 1968, Olympia-Verlag in Nuremberg acquired ''Kicker'' and merged it with ''Sportmagazin'', which had been published twice weekly since 1952. The first issue of the newly founded ''Kicker-Sportmagazin'' was released on 7 October 1968. Beside the two weekly publications, ''Kicker'' provides a ''digital edition'' since 2012. The ''online version'' of kicker.de offers a broad live ticker for over 80 different international leagues. The magazine has three
apps in the
iTunes store.
Magazine
The modern version of ''Kicker'' covers a number of sporting competitions and events, including:
* The German
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
,
2. Bundesliga,
3. Liga, and
Regionalliga
* The German
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
* The
German national (football) team and
women's national (football) team
* The
German Women's Bundesliga
* Various European leagues and competitions, including the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
,
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
,
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
, and
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
* Various international football leagues
*
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
racing
* The
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
*
eSports and competitive
video gaming
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback ...
* Various other sporting events, depending on on-going competitions
''Kicker Sportmagazin'' Club of the Century
![Escudo real madrid 1941b](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Escudo_real_madrid_1941b.png)
In 1998, ''Kicker'' published a list of the best football clubs of the 20th century. The list was based on the opinions of former players and managers (
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football. A former defensive midfielder, as a p ...
,
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
,
Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek (16 January 1935 – 31 January 2015) was a German professional football player and coach.
Lattek is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the game, having won 15 major titles, most famously with Bayern Munich. He also ...
,
Just Fontaine
Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
etc.). Each of them could name their choice for the five greatest teams and provide arguments in support thereof. Not all them stuck to the allotted number of picks. For example,
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
picked three teams instead -
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
and
Dynamo Kyiv
Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society, the club as a separate business entity was officia ...
.
:''Each club's trophies and Ballon d'Or winners are shown up until 1999''
''Greatest Clubs'' (1863–2014)
In 2014, the magazine created a new list of the best clubs in history. This time it was formed based on the opinions of the magazine's editors. The list was based on criteria as the clubs' history, achievements at international stage, titles won and the career of its own players. In the Top 10, three teams represented Germany.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kicker
Association football magazines
Sports magazines published in Germany
Football mass media in Germany
Magazines established in 1920
Mass media in Nuremberg
Magazines published in Stuttgart
Biweekly magazines published in Germany
German-language magazines
German news websites
1920 establishments in Germany