Karl (Charly) Mai (27 July 1928 – 15 March 1993) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder.

Karl Mai
Personal information
Date of birth (1928-07-27)27 July 1928
Place of birth Fürth, Germany
Date of death 15 March 1993(1993-03-15) (aged 64)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942–1958 SpVgg Fürth 182 (17)
1958–1961 Bayern Munich 13 (1)
1961 FC Young Fellows Zürich
1962–1963 FC Dornbirn
International career
1953–1959 West Germany 21 (1)
Managerial career
1963 ESV Ingolstadt
Medal record
Representing  West Germany
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1954 Switzerland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mai was born in Fürth. He was part of the West Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. In total he earned 21 caps and scored one goal for West Germany.[1] During his club career he played for SpVgg Fürth and Bayern Munich.

Sepp Herberger compared Mai's playing style to that of 1930s player Andreas Kupfer but also appreciated his solidity and straightness. In the 1954 World Cup Final Mai faced Sandor Kocsis who had scored no less than 11 goals up to that game, yet he failed to score in the final as Mai performed a rigid marking job on Kocsis. Mai was an outspoken player who also did not shy away from stating his opinion towards Herberger.[2]

After his professional career he became a coach in the 1960s and then a school trainer. In the early 1990s, his right lung was removed. He died in 1993.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (23 February 2017). "Karl 'Charly' Mai - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b Bitter, Jürgen (1997). Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler (in German). Sportverlag. p. 296.
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