Dieter Burdenski

Dieter Burdenski (26 November 1950 – 9 October 2024) was a

Dieter Burdenski
German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.[1]

Background
Burdenski was born in Bremen, Germany on 26 November
1950. He was the father of Fabian Burdenski (born 1991) and
the son of Herbert Burdenski (1922–2001), who was a German
international himself. An outfield player, unlike his son, Herbert
Burdenski was capped five times (two goals) by Sepp
Herberger, playing just two of these five games after World War
II. Converting a penalty in West Germany's first post-war
international (against Switzerland on 22 November 1950),
Dieter Burdenski's father became the first ever goalscorer for
the Federal Republic of Germany. Burdenski in 2015
Personal information
Burdenski died in Bremen on 9 October 2024, at the age of Date of birth 26 November 1950
73.[2] Place of birth Bremen, West Germany
Date of death 9 October 2024 (aged 73)
Place of death Bremen, Germany
Club career Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Early career
1962–1966 STV Horst-Emscher
Starting at STV Horst-Emscher, Burdenski joined Schalke 04 as 1966–1969 Schalke 04
a teenager to debut for the Gelsenkirchen outfit in three separate Senior career*
Bundesliga matches in the 1970–1971 season. One of those Years Team Apps (Gls)
three, the 1–0 home defeat against Arminia Bielefeld on 17
1969–1971 Schalke 04 3 (0)
April 1971, became later under scrutiny through the German
1971–1972 Arminia Bielefeld 31 (0)
Football Association in the match fixing Bundesligaskandal.
1972–1988 Werder Bremen 479 (1)
Although Burdenski conceded the goal Bielefeld had paid
1988 AIK 1 (0)
Schalke 04 players for, Burdenski was able to satisfy court and
1990–1991 Vitesse Arnhem 3 (0)
the German Football Association that he was not deliberately
2002 Werder Bremen II 1 (0)
involved in the fixing of matches. However the scandal had
Total 518 (1)
effects on his career. Seeking match practice, he joined scandal-
shaken Arminia Bielefeld in 1971, serving as their first choice International career
in goal until Arminia Bielefeld was punished for the clubs 1977–1984 West Germany 12 (0)
involvement in the scandal with relegation from the Bundesliga. *Club domestic league appearances and goals
Werder Bremen
Burdenski moved on, signing for Werder Bremen with the trouble to wait one more season behind their first-
choice Günter Bernard for his practice. From 1973 he succeeded Bernard, staying the regular in the goal of the
North German outfit until Otto Rehhagel preferred young Oliver Reck over the then veteran shot-stopper ahead of
the Bundesliga title winning campaign of Werder Bremen in 1987–88.

Making three final appearances for Werder in that season, Burdenski retired from the game in 1988 after 478
Bundesliga matches. His statistics, that also read 35 matches in the 2. Bundesliga Nord (1974–1981) in his
Bremen years, feature one goal which Burdenski scored with a penalty in Bremen's 2–3 Bundesliga defeat against
VfB Stuttgart in September 1979.

As Dieter Burdenski's father Herbert was also manager in the Bundesliga in the 1960s and 1970s, it came to
happen that Werder Bremen brought the two Burdenski's together for the season of 1975–76. Dieter Burdenski
played 22 of his 34 Bundesliga matches that season under the management of his father. In February 1976
Bremen, lying in a precarious position in the bottom-half of the Bundesliga then, sacked Herbert Burdenski to
replace him with Otto Rehhagel.

Later career
Initially retired, AIK of Sweden and Dutch club SBV Vitesse managed to lure the popular goalkeeper, who was
awarded the honorary captaincy of Werder Bremen in 2005, out of retirement.

At Vitesse, he replaced the suspended Raimond van der Gouw in goal for three matches. He played his first match
in the Eredivisie at age 39, in November 1990. This made him the oldest player to make his debut in that league, a
record Burdenski holds to this day.[3]

Burdenski played in one match for AIK in Allsvenskan (he had been in touch with the Swedish club due to him
knowing AIK's Sanny Åslund after Åslund had been his teammate at Bremen in the 1975–76) and three games for
Vitesse in the Dutch Eredivisie respectively.

On 23 February 2002, the then 51-year-old made a single appearance for SV Werder Bremen II in the third
German division after injuries had seen the reserves ending up short of goalkeepers. Burdenski conceded three that
afternoon with SV Werder Bremen II beaten 3–1 by league rivals Chemnitzer FC.

International career
Looking for decent goalkeepers to someday succeed ageing Sepp Maier in the West Germany goal, Helmut Schön
turned his attention to the Werder Bremen man in 1977, handing Burdenski his first of altogether 12 caps in a
friendly in Montevideo against Uruguay. He was taken with the squad to Argentina to be a benchwarmer at the
1978 FIFA World Cup, playing three times in the 1980 UEFA European Championship qualifiers (but missing out
on making the 1980 UEFA European Championship squad of the West Germans), and was doing the same job on
the substitution bench at the 1984 UEFA European Championship. Before that tournament he enjoyed his final
appearance for his country, coming on at half-time in a friendly against Italy in Zürich on 22 May 1984.

Style of play
Not the tallest for a goalkeeper at 1.81 m, Burdenski was exceptionally athletic and a superb shot stopper with
amazing reactions. Burdenski was also known for his leadership qualities, he was captain of Werder Bremen many
times during his long career.
Coaching career
In 1997, Burdenski was re-signed by Werder Bremen for their coaching staff, working with the goalkeepers of the
club until December 2005.
Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

League DFB-Pokal Continental Europe Total
Club Season
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

Schalke 1970–
Bundesliga 3 0 3 0 – – 6 0
04 71[4]

Arminia 1971–
Bundesliga 31 0 2 0 – – 33 0
Bielefeld 72[4]

1972–
4 0 2 0 – 3[a] 0 9 0
73[4]

1973–
34 0 3 0 – – 37 0
74[4]

1974–
34 0 6 0 – – 40 0
75[4]

1975–
34 0 1 0 – – 35 0
76[4]
Bundesliga
1976–
34 0 4 0 – – 38 0
77[4]
1977–
33 0 6 0 – – 39 0
78[4]
1978–
34 0 2 0 – – 36 0
79[4]
1979–
34 1 2 0 – – 36 1
70[4]
Werder 2.
1980–
Bremen Bundesliga 35 0 4 0 – – 39 0
81[4] Nord

1981–
33 0 5 0 – – 38 0
82[4]
1982–
34 0 2 0 6 0 – 42 0
83[4]
1983–
34 0 5 0 4 0 – 43 0
84[4]
1984–
Bundesliga 34 0 4 0 2 0 – 40 0
85[4]

1985–
31 0 3 0 2 0 – 36 0
86[4]

1986–
34 0 1 0 2 0 – 37 0
87[4]

1987–
3 0 0 0 – – 3 0
88[4]

Total 479 1 50 0 16 0 3 0 548 1

AIK 1988[5] Allsvenskan 1 0 0 0 – – 1 0

 Vitesse 1990–
Eredivisie 3 0 0 0 – – 3 0
Arnhem 91[4]

Werder
2001– Regionalliga
Bremen 1 0 – – – 1 0
02 Nord
II

Career total 518 1 55 0 16 0 3 0 592 1

a. Appearances in DFB-Ligapokal

References
1. "Burdenski, Dieter" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100526211820/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussbal
l/bundesliga/vereine/10397/vereinsspieler_dieter-burdenski.html) (in German). Kicker. Archived from
the original (http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/10397/vereinsspieler_dieter-burd
enski.html) on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
2. Werder trauert um Ehrenspielführer, Rekordspieler und Torwart-Legende Dieter Burdenski (https://w
ww.werder.de/aktuell/news/weitere-news/2024/2025/nachruf-dieter-burdenski-09102024?s=Nachruf
Burdenski) (in German)
3. VI.nl (https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/oudste-eredivisie-debutant-overleden)
4. "Dieter Burdenski » Club matches" (https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/dieter-burdenski/
2/). worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
5. Arnhold, Matthias (5 March 2015). "Dieter Burdenski - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga" (https://ww
w.rsssf.org/players/burdenskidata.html). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 3 July
2023.

External links
Official website (http://www.burdenski.de) (in German)
Dieter Burdenski (https://www.fussballdaten.de/person/burdenskidieter/) at fussballdaten.de (in
German)

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