Walter Glechner

Walter Glechner
Personal information
Date of birth	12 February 1939
Place of birth	Vienna, Nazi Germany
Date of death	29 January 2015 (aged 75)
Place of death	Vienna, Austria
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1949–1958	SK Rapid Wien
Senior career*
Years	Team
1958–1971	SK Rapid Wien
1971–1974	Admira Wiener Neustadt
1974–?	Hütte Krems
International career
1960–1968	Austria
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Glechner (12 February 1939 – 29 January 2015) was an Austrian footballer. He played as a defender for SK Rapid Vienna, where he won four league titles. He also capped 35 times for the Austrian national team.^[2]

Career

Glechner began playing for Rapid's youth academy at the age of ten. He made his league debut for the first team in April 1959. He came in for the injured Ernst Happel . He replaced him as center-back. In his first full season, 1959/60, Rapid won the league title. The following season the club reached the semi-finals of the Champions-Cup. Another league title followed in 1964.

A broken shinbone in April 1965 interrupted the career. After his return, Rapid won two more league titles and two cup victories. The team also reached the quarterfinals of the European Cup in 1968/69. In 1970, Rapid Vienna had Gerd Springer named as their new coach. Springer relegated the former captain to the reserve team. After a year Glechner left his boyhood club and signed with second-division team SV Admira Wiener Neustadt. In his first season, the club achieved promotion to the top league. Wiener Neustadt finished last. Glechner remained with the club for another year after relegation. He ended his career at Hütte Krems.

International

Glechner made his debut for Austria on 29 May 1960, in a 4–1 win against Scotland. His last match for Austria was in a 3–1 loss against the Soviet Union on 16 July 1968.^[3] In total, he was capped 35 times for Austria, and scored 1 goal.^[2]