Not to be confused with the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Burger.
Rudolf Bürger
Birth date31 October 1908
Birth placeTemesvár, Austria-Hungary
Death date20 January 1980 (aged 71)
PositionDefender
Youthyears 11920–1923
Youthclubs 1ESE Timișoara
Youthyears 21923
Youthclubs 2CS Tricolor Timișoara
Youthyears 31924
Youthclubs 3ETC Timișoara
Youthyears 41924–1926
Youthclubs 4Chinezul Timișoara
Years 11926–1930
Clubs 1Chinezul Timișoara[a]
Caps 11
Goals 10
Years 21930–1941
Clubs 2Ripensia Timișoara
Caps 2122
Goals 20
Totalcaps123
Totalgoals0
Nationalyears 11929–1939
Nationalteam 1Romania
Nationalcaps 134
Nationalgoals 10
Manageryears 11939–1940
Managerclubs 1Ripensia Timișoara
Manageryears 21942–1946
Managerclubs 2Politehnica Timișoara
Manageryears 31946–1948
Managerclubs 3CAM Timișoara
Manageryears 41948–1950
Managerclubs 4ASA Timișoara
Manageryears 51950
Managerclubs 5Politehnica Timișoara
Manageryears 61951–1952
Managerclubs 6Electroputere Craiova
Managerclubs 7CFR Timișoara

Rudolf Bürger (31 October 1908 – 20 January 1980) was a Romanian international footballer and coach of German ethnicity.

He is one of a few men who participated in each of the three pre-World War II FIFA World Cups.[1][2] At club level, he played mostly for Ripensia Timișoara with whom he won several trophies.[3]

Club career

Bürger was born on 31 October 1908 in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (now Romania), growing up and starting to play football as a child in the Elisabetin neighborhood.[3][4] In 1920 he started to play junior-level football at local club, ESE.[3] Afterwards he moved to CS Tricolor, then he went to ETC, arriving in 1924 at Chinezul Timișoara.[3][4] In the 1926–27 season he played one league game for Chinezul as the team won the title.[3][4][5]

In 1931, Bürger joined Ripensia Timișoara where he made his Divizia A debut on 11 September 1932 in a 3–2 away loss to CFR București.[3] He won the title in his first season, with coach Jenő Konrád using him in 12 games, including playing in the final against Universitatea Cluj.[3][4][5][6] In the following season he helped the team reach the 1934 Cupa României final, playing in both victories over "U" Cluj, winning the cup.[3][7] In the 1934–35 season he won another title, coaches Josef Uridil and Rudolf Wetzer giving him 17 appearances, also the team reached the Cupa României final where he played the entire match in the 6–5 loss to CFR București.[3][5][8][9][10] Next season, Bürger helped Ripensia win The Double, being given 18 appearances by coaches Wetzer and Konrád, and he played in the 5–1 win over Unirea Tricolor București in the Cupa României final.[3][5][8][9][11] In the following Cupa României edition, the team reached another final in which he played all the minutes in the 5–1 loss to Rapid București.[12] In the 1937–38 season, Ripensia won another title, with coach Sepp Pojar using him in 17 matches.[3][5][8] Afterwards he played in Ripensia's 3–0 win over AC Milan in the first leg of the first round of the 1938 Mitropa Cup, helping the team get past the Italians.[13] He made his last Divizia A appearance in a 0–0 draw against Rapid.[3]

International career

Bürger played 34 games for Romania, making his debut on 15 September 1929 under coach Constantin Rădulescu in a friendly that ended in a 3–2 away victory against Bulgaria.[1][14][15] He made three appearances in the successful 1929–31 Balkan Cup, consisting of two victories against Yugoslavia and Greece, and a loss to Bulgaria.[14][16]

Bürger was selected by coach Rădulescu to be part of the squad for the 1930 World Cup where he played in both Group 3 matches, a 3–1 win over Peru and a 4–0 loss to hosts and eventual world champions, Uruguay.[1][2][4][14][17] Four years later he was selected by coaches Rădulescu and Josef Uridil to be part of Romania's squad that went to the 1934 World Cup in Italy, but remained on the bench in the 2–1 defeat to eventual finalists, Czechoslovakia in the first round.[1][2][4][18]

He helped his national team win another Balkan Cup in 1936, playing in two victories against Greece and Bulgaria.[14][19] Bürger was selected by coaches Alexandru Săvulescu and Rădulescu to be part of the squad that participated in the 1938 World Cup in France.[1][2][14][20] He played for the entirety of both games against Cuba, the first one being a 3–3 draw, followed by a surprising 2–1 loss in the replay.[14][20][21]

His last appearance for The Tricolours was in a friendly that took place on 24 May 1939 and ended in a 2–0 loss to England in which Bürger injured his knee.[4][14]

Managerial career

Bürger coached Politehnica Timișoara from 1942 until 1946.[4] Afterwards he moved to CAM Timișoara for the next two years.[4] His next spell was at ASA Timișoara from 1948 to 1951, then he went to Electroputere Craiova for one year from 1951 to 1952 and later worked at CFR Timișoara.[4]

Death

Bürger died on 19 January 1980 at the age of 71.[3][4][14]

Honours

Player

Chinezul Timișoara

Ripensia Timișoara

Romania

Notes

  1. ^ Only statistics for the 1926–27 Divizia A season are available.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Rudolf Bürger – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Romanian National Team Players' Appearances in the World Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Născut să fie campion. Fotbalistul timișorean Rudolf Bürger a câștigat de patru ori titlul național și a participat la trei campionate mondiale" [Born to be a champion. Timisoara footballer Rudolf Bürger won the national title four times and participated in three world championships] (in Romanian). Pressalert.ro. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  6. ^ "RETRO GSP. 87 de ani de când finala campionatului de fotbal a fost eclipsată de un derby de trap" [RETRO GSP. 87 years since the football championship final was overshadowed by a trot derby] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Romanian Cup - 1933-1934". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  8. ^ "FOTBAL. Noua CAMPIOANA a ROMANIEI. Ce mai vuiet, ce mai larma..." [FOOTBALL. The new CHAMPION of ROMANIA. What a noise, what a noise ...] (in Romanian). Vechi.timisoaraexpress.ro. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  9. ^ "CFR Cluj, ca Rapidul pe vremea lui "Il Luce"! Un record vechi de 20 de ani a fost egalat! Performanţa imposibilă realizată de clujeni" [CFR Cluj, like Rapid in the time of "Il Luce"! A 20-year-old record has been matched! The impossible performance achieved by the people from Cluj] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Romanian Cup - 1934-1935". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Romanian Cup - 1935-1936". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Romanian Cup - 1936-1937". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  13. ^ ""Strămoșii" lui Poli au demonstrat că se poate: Ripensia a eliminat pe AC Milan!" [Poli's "ancestors" proved that it is possible: Ripensia eliminated AC Milan!] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
    "Roș-galbenii, adversarii de seamă ai granzilor din Vest. Cum și-a câștigat Ripensia respectul în Europa" [The red-yellows, the main opponents of the giants from the West. How Ripensia gained respect in Europe] (in Romanian). Pressalert.ro. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
    "Când Ripensia era peste AC Milan" [When Ripensia was over AC Milan] (in Romanian). Ripensia-sport-magazin.ro. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
    "Ripensia – AC Milan 3-0 (Cupa Mitropa, 26 iunie 1938)" [Ripensia – AC Milan 3-0 (Mitropa Cup, June 26, 1938)] (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Rudolf Bürger player profile". European Football. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Bulgaria 2-3 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Romania 8-1 Greece". European Football. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  17. ^ "România la CM 1930 "Și noi am fost pe Conte Verde"" [Romania at the World Cup 1930 "We were on Conte Verde too"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  18. ^ "România la CM 1934. La un pas să ratăm Italia" [Romania at the 1934 World Cup. One step away from missing out on Italy] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Balkan Cup 1936". European Football. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  20. ^ "România – Cuba: povestea eliminării ruşinoase de la Cupa Mondială a primei generații de excepţie din istoria "tricolorilor"" [Romania – Cuba: the story of the shameful elimination from the World Cup of the first exceptional generation in the history of the "tricolors"] (in Romanian). Theplaymaker.ro. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Cuba 3-3 România, 5 iunie 1938 (Campionatul Mondial din Franța '38)" [Cuba 3-3 Romania, June 5, 1938 (World Cup in France '38)] (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
    "Campionatul Mondial din Franța '38: Cuba 2-1 România, 9 iunie 1938" [World Championship in France '38: Cuba 2-1 Romania, June 9, 1938] (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 13 May 2025.