Berti Vogts: Borussia Mönchengladbach's defensive terrier
Berti Vogts put the bite into Borussia Mönchengladbach's legendary team of the 1970s and became a key pillar of the German game as a national team star and then coach.
He may be a legend of the German game, but Vogts was far from universally popular in his playing days. His hard-tackling and no-nonsense style of defending earned him plenty of enemies from opposing teams and critics. Vogts, in turn, made no secret of the disdain he had for the reputation that followed him. "If I was walking on water, all my critics would say: 'He can't even swim'" is a quote of Vogts that he is remembered fondly by.
There is a lot to like in Vogts's career looking back at it years later. That a player said to have so little natural talent made his way to the top of the game and even lifted the World Cup in 1974, for one. Hard work was the secret behind the rise of the tough defender known as the Terrier.
Hennes Weisweiler, legendary Gladbach coach, agreed that Vogts was "a hundred percent pro," recalling how Vogts used to beg him to put on extra sprint training if he was facing a fast opponent at the weekend.
All the hard work paid off in glorious style too, with Vogts helping Gladbach to five Bundesliga titles in his time there, one DFB Cup victory and two UEFA Cup wins.
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Those glittering successes at club level were matched on the international stage, with wins at the 1972 UEFA European Championship and 1974 FIFA World Cup on home soil. He had the great Johann Cruyff in his pocket in the World Cup final and said with great humility afterwards: "I can barely do three keepy-uppies in a row, but I'm a World Cup winner."
The muscular defender made a total of 491 Bundesliga appearances over 14 seasons for the Foals, also scoring 33 goals. He then became a coach specialising in international football, coaching the Germany national team between 1990 and 1998, a spell that included Euro 96 victory in England.
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