Vasilis Xatzipanagis: The “Greek Maradona”
Born in exile, excelled in football and played for two national teams.
Otto Fritz ‘Tull’ Harder: From German hero to Nazi war criminal
Player who commanded Hannover-Ahlem, a Nazi concentration camp.
Eduard Streltsov: Seeking a place in History
A “Russian Pele”, but his career was ruined by years in the Gulag.
Jörg Berger: Forced out by the Stasi
An East German who escaped to West Germany.
Ferenc Puskas: Legend in two Worlds
Hungarian captain who took refuge and became a superstar in Spain.
Bruno Neri: Partisan Commander
Football player in resistance to fascism.
Eusebio: The Black Pearl
Eusebio came from a poor background in Mozambique and became a superstar.
Gyula Grosics: The Rebel who stayed
Gyula Grosics was a national sporting hero who tried to defect from Communist Hungary in 1949.
Vsevolod Bobrov: Soviet Olympic Hero
Playing football and ice hockey at high levels, one of his teams was disbanded by Josef Stalin.
Otto Nerz: Germany’s coach who died in a Soviet camp
Football Makes History gathers life stories of unique individuals that help us connect the history of football to diversity and inclusion. The story of Otto Nerz is one of them.
