Reinhold Wosab

Reinhold Wosab
Personal information
Date of birth (1938-02-25)25 February 1938
Place of birth Marl, Gau Westphalia-North, Germany
Date of death 18 February 2026(2026-02-18) (aged 87)
Place of death Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1962 SpVgg Saxonia Marl
1962–1971 Borussia Dortmund 227 (74)
1971–1973 VfL Bochum 59 (9)
1973–1975 Rot-Weiss Lüdenscheid
1975–1979 SpVgg Marl
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Reinhold Wosab (25 February 1938 – 18 February 2026) was a German professional footballer. He spent ten seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum.

Career

In the 1965–66 Bundesliga season, Wosab scored both goals in an away win for Borussia Dortmund at Bayern Munich, the first meeting between the two teams. In total, he played four games and scored five goals against Bayern.[1][2]

In 1965, Wosab scored a "ghost goal" against Karlsruher SC, when his shot hit the outside of the goalpost but went through a hole in the net.[3]

Wosab scored 60 Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund, in addition to 14 in 1962–63, the last season before a unified national league. ESPN recognised him in 2020 as one of the highest scoring defenders in the history of major European leagues.[4]

Later life and death

After the end of his career, Wosab served in the management of Borussia Dortmund. From 1987 to 2018, Wosab and his wife Doris ran the company "Goly-Pokale" in Alzey-Heimersheim. The company manufactures trophies and honorary awards made of cast metal, glass and acrylic, as well as medals, pins and engravings; the customers include German and international football awards.[5][6]

Wosab died after a long illness on 18 February 2026, one week before his 88th birthday.[7]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe Other[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
SpVgg Saxonia Marl 1958–59 Verbandsliga Westfalen
1959–60
1960–61
1961–62
Borussia Dortmund 1962–63 Oberliga West 29 14 4 2 7 2 40 18
1963–64 Bundesliga 22 5 1 0 8 6 31 11
1964–65 22 10 5 3 3 0 30 13
1965–66 20 5 1 0 1 0 22 5
1966–67 25 15 2 0 0 0 27 15
1967–68 30 12 3 1 33 13
1968–69 28 2 0 0 28 2
1969–70 29 9 2 0 31 9
1970–71 22 2 2 0 24 2
VfL Bochum 1971–72 Bundesliga 34 5 3 0 37 5
1972–73 25 4 4 1 2 0 31 5
Rot-Weiss Lüdenscheid 1973–74 Regionalliga West 31 15 31 15
1974–75 Verbandsliga Westfalen 2 1
SpVgg Marl 1975–76 Bezirksliga
1976–77 Landesliga Westfalen
1977–78
1978–79 Verbandsliga Westfalen
Career total 29 8 2 0 12 6 7 2

Honours

Borussia Dortmund

References

  1. ^ "Thomas Müller, Paco Alcácer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: the very best Klassiker debuts". Bundesliga. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  2. ^ "The very best of Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund". Belfast Telegraph. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  3. ^ Sten-Ziemons, Andreas. "60 years of Bundesliga: The unforgettable moments". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  4. ^ Wright, Chris (23 June 2020). "Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos joins top-scoring defenders across Europe's top leagues and clubs". ESPN. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  5. ^ https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2026/2/18/Borussia-Dortmund-trauert-um-Reinhold-Wosab.html
  6. ^ https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/bvb/reinhold-wosab-feiert-seinen-85-geburtstag-meisterstuermer-verteidiger-und-bvb-retter-w698931-2000752332/
  7. ^ Borussia Dortmund trauert um Reinhold Wosab (in German)