Reinhard "Stan" Libuda

Reinhard Libuda was not yet ten years old when his father enrolled him in the youth programme of FC Schalke 04 in 1952. He developed into a dribbling artist: his team-mates soon called him "Stan", in reference to the English ball wizard Stanley Matthews. Football is everything in Libuda's life. He abandoned his training as a fitter at the Consolidation Colliery to devote himself entirely to football.

In 1963, he was promoted to the Schalke first team. When Schalke were threatened with relegation after a poor 1964/65 season, Libuda moved to their neighbours in Dortmund. Fortunately for the Royal Blues, the Bundesliga was expanded by two teams and relegation was suspended. Nevertheless, Libuda stayed in Dortmund for three years. In 1966, he made himself immortal there in extra time of the European Cup Winners' Cup final: with a dream goal, he scored BVB to victory against Liverpool FC.

In 1968, he returned to his sporting roots and played his opponents into knots at the Glückauf Stadium. In 1972, he led Schalke to cup victory as team captain. In 1974, perhaps the best German right winger of all time played his last Bundesliga match. He was unable to gain a foothold after his career. He took over Ernst Kuzorra's tobacco shop, but soon gave it up again. Other career attempts also failed. Libuda withdrew more and more from the public eye. In 1996, he died far too early of heart failure at the age of 52. He was initially buried at the Ostfriedhof. In 2021, he found his final resting place here on the Schalke FanFeld.