Horst "Schimmi" Szymaniak (29 August 1934 – 9 October 2009) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder.

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Horst Szymaniak

Szymaniak in the 1960–61 season
Personal information
Date of birth	(1934-08-29)29 August 1934
Place of birth	Erkenschwick, Germany
Date of death	9 October 2009(2009-10-09) (aged 75)
Place of death	Melle, Germany
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1943–1952	SpVgg Erkenschwick
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1952–1955	SpVgg Erkenschwick	50	(11)
1955–1959	Wuppertaler SV	91	(12)
1959–1961	Karlsruher SC	53	(2)
1961–1963	Catania	62	(8)
1963–1964	Internazionale Milano	6	(0)
1964–1965	Varese	23	(0)
1965–1966	Tasmania 1900 Berlin	29	(1)
1966	FC Biel
1967	Chicago Spurs	12	(1)
International career
1956–1966	West Germany	43	(2)
1956–1965	West Germany B	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Close

Szymaniak was born in Oer-Erkenschwick. The clubs he played for include: SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsruher SC, Calcio Catania, F.C. Internazionale Milano, A.S. Varese 1910, and Tasmania 1900 Berlin^[1] for whom he played in the 1965–66 season, the side's only season in the Bundesliga.

Szymaniak was a defensive midfielder who usually played as a left half back and less frequently as an inside forward. He had very good ball skills, had good vision and was able to make unerringly accurate long passes to a teammate. He was renowned for his slide tackling ability, so much so this became his trademark ability.

He was renowned as one of the best players in German football during the late 1950s and early 1960s, with kicker (sports magazine) rating him world class five times between 1957 and 1961 in their biennial Rangliste des deutschen Fußballs (ranking list of German football).^[2]

Szymaniak played 43 times and scored two goals for the West Germany national team between 1956 and 1966,^[3] and was chosen to play in both the 1958 and the 1962 World Cups, but was omitted by Helmut Schön from his 1966 squad.

Szymaniak died after a long illness on 9 October 2009 in a nursing home in Melle near Osnabrück.^[4]