Paul Matzkowski

Paul Matzkowksi was born in Poland. When he was two years old, his Masurian family moved to Dinslaken in search of work in the mining industry. Matzkowski learnt to play football there at VfB Lohberg. He made his senior debut at the age of 17. Matzkowski was regarded as a great talent. At the age of 18, he was already playing for a select team from the Lower Rhine. At the end of the 1930s, he moved to the Ruhr region. His father suffered from pneumoconiosis as a result of working underground. The club got him a light job above ground and Matzkowski an apprenticeship. However, he continued to find his vocation on the pitch. In the 1939/40 season, he became the top scorer in Germany. After the war, Matzkowski returned to Herne.

Schalke had become aware of his talent and began to court the dynamic centre-forward. He finally gave in for the 1948/49 season and moved to Schalke. He played 212 games for the Knappen in the Oberliga, but was retrained as a centre-forward. His greatest moment came in March 1950 at the Glückauf Stadium: in front of 60,000 spectators, he converted a penalty against Borussia Dortmund in the 80th minute to secure victory for Schalke.

After the 1958 championship, Matzkowski ended his career at the age of 38. From then on, he worked as a coach at various clubs. But no matter where he was, he remained loyal to FC Schalke 04 and the city of Gelsenkirchen until his death. He followed the matches of the miners in the Parkstadion and finally in the Arena until he was very old. Paul Matzkowski died two days after seeing the premiere of the Schalke musical "Nullvier - Keiner kommt an Gott vorbei" - the lyrics for the musical were written by his son.