Schalke legend Abramczik starred for BVB on his 70th birthday | OneFootball

Yesterday, a true Ruhrpott original turned 70 years old. Rüdiger Abramczik was born on February 18, 1956, in Gelsenkirchen-Erle, and developed into a professional at FC Schalke 04, where he made his debut in the top flight as the youngest player in Bundesliga history at the time. However, the game of his life was played by today’s birthday celebrant in the jersey of Borussia Dortmund, where he was under contract between 1980 and 1983.

He is by far not the only player to have switched from FC Schalke 04 to Borussia Dortmund or vice versa. And yet, in the case of Rüdiger Abramczik, it was particularly remarkable that he took this path, even though the rivalry between BVB and S04 was not as intense back then as it would become from the 1990s onwards.

But, as so often, FC Schalke 04 was in urgent need of money, and BVB was willing to transfer the funds to Gelsenkirchen for the services of Rüdiger Abramczik. After “Abi,” as he is called, played seven years for Schalke 04’s first team, he donned the BVB jersey from 1980 onwards when he went about his work in the Bundesliga.

In that role, the now 70-year-old Rüdiger Abramczik was so good that in 1978 he even went with Germany to the World Cup in Argentina. Three appearances at that tournament, including one goal, did not, however, lead to a long career in the German national team for the still young Abramczik. A falling out with DFB president Hermann Neuberger led to the end of his appearances for the national team, which thus remained at just 19 caps.

Photo by Bongarts/Getty Images

Abramczik under Lattek and Zebec at BVB

Rüdiger Abramczik was still fit and capable when he began his three-year stint at BVB. In the end, he made 90 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 30 goals and thus maintaining his previously achieved ratio. “Abi” finished seventh, sixth, and seventh with BVB, which meant qualification for the UEFA Cup in 1982. Otherwise, major successes were lacking, but were also not expected from BVB at that time.

His time at Borussia Dortmund also included a match in which Abramczik particularly shone. On May 7, 1983, BVB played at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, won 4:1, and Rüdiger Abramczik scored three of Dortmund’s four goals. He recounts exactly how it went in the following video, which also shows that he still has no reservations about BVB, even though he has remained especially close to his youth club FC Schalke 04 since the end of his career.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.