Ernst Poertgen

Ernst Poertgen was born in Altenessen. He took his first steps in football at BV Altenessen 06 before moving to Schwarz-Weiß Essen at the age of 19. Two years later, the trained painter moved to the south of Germany, to 1. FC Nürnberg. But as early as 1934, he was drawn back to the Ruhr region, but this time to the miners. From 1935, he became FC Schalke 04's goal machine and scored the Knappen to the German championship in 1935 and 1937 and also won the cup in 1937.

After the Second World War, Poertgen settled in Bonn and worked as an innkeeper. After he died in 1986, he was buried in a cemetery in Bonn. In 2021, he was brought back home on the initiative of the Schalker Markt Foundation and now rests on the Schalke FanFeld.