Robert Merz (25 November 1887 – 30 August 1914) was an
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 ...
n amateur
football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player. He died during
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 ...
, aged 26.
Club career
Born in
Zizkow, Merz began playing youth football with a predecessor to
Wiener Sport-Club
The Wiener Sport-Club, sometimes abbreviated as WSC, was established in 1883 in Vienna, Austria and is one of the country's oldest athletics clubs. Their traditional home is in the Dornbach quarter of the city ( 17th district).
History
At vari ...
(Wiener SV). He joined Wiener SV's senior side at age 16, before becoming a professional with
DFC Prag
The Deutscher Fußball-Club Prag, commonly known as DFC Prag, was a football club based in Prague. The club was founded on 25 May 1896 by a group of German Jews in Prague, which at the time of its founding was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohem ...
when he moved back to his hometown in 1907.
International career
He was a member of the Austrian Olympic squad at 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 ...
and played two matches in the
main tournament as well as two matches in the consolation tournament. He scored two goals against Germany in the first round of the main tournament.
For the
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team (german: Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußba ...
he played 13 games and scored 5 goals.
Military service
Merz was a reserve lieutenant in the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
during
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 ...
.
See also
*
List of Olympians killed in World War I
A total of 144 Olympians are known to have been killed during World War I.
See also
* List of international rugby union players killed in World War I
Notes
A.This includes Hermann von Bönninghausen and Paul Berger, who both died following th ...
References
External links
*
1887 births
1914 deaths
Austrian men's footballers
Austria men's international footballers
Olympic footballers for Austria
Footballers at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Austro-Hungarian military personnel killed in World War I
Men's association football forwards
DFC Prag players
Footballers from Vienna
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