View source for Ernst Wilimowski

{{Short description|German-Polish footballer (1916–1997)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Fringe theories|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ernest Wilimowski
| image = Mecz Warta Ruch 1937.jpg
| upright = 1.1
| caption = Wilimowski (''front, with ball'') in a 1937 match for [[Ruch Chorzów]] against [[Warta Poznań]].
| full_name = Ernest Otton Wilimowski
| birth_name = Ernst Otto Prandella
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|6|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Katowice|Kattowitz]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], German Empire
| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|8|30|1916|6|23|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Karlsruhe]], Germany
| height = 
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| years1 = 1932–1933
| clubs1 = [[1. FC Kattowitz]]
| caps1 = 25
| goals1 = 15
| years2 = 1934–1939
| clubs2 = [[Ruch Chorzów]]
| caps2 = 86
| goals2 = 113
| years3 = 1939–1940
| clubs3 = 1. FC Kattowitz
| caps3 = 
| goals3 = 
| years4 = 1940–1942
| clubs4 = [[PSV Chemnitz]]
| caps4 = 29+
| goals4 = 68
| years5 = 1942–1944
| clubs5 = [[TSV 1860 Munich|1860 Munich]]
| caps5 = 5
| goals5 = 8
| years6 = 1944
| clubs6 = 1. FC Kattowitz
| caps6 = 1
| goals6 = 2
| years7 = 1944
| clubs7 = [[Karlsruher SC]]
| caps7 = 4
| goals7 = 6
| years8 = 1944–1945
| clubs8 = PSV Chemnitz
| caps8 = 3+
| goals8 = 14
| years9 = 1946
| clubs9 = SC Zwiesel
| caps9 = 4+
| goals9 = 4+
| years10 = 1946–1948
| clubs10 = SG Chemnitz-West
| caps10 = 27
| goals10 = 65
| years11 = 1948
| clubs11 = [[BC Augsburg]]
| caps11 = 6
| goals11 = 3
| years12 = 1949–1950
| clubs12 = [[Offenburger FV]]
| caps12 = 18
| goals12 = 18
| years13 = 1950–1951
| clubs13 = [[FC Singen 04]]
| caps13 = 30
| goals13 = 16
| years14 = 1951–1955
| clubs14 = VfR Kaiserslautern
| caps14 = 75+
| goals14 = 73
| years15 = 1955–1956
| clubs15 = [[Kehler FV]]
| caps15 = 7
| goals15 = 8
| totalcaps = 328+
| totalgoals = 413+
| nationalyears1 = 1934–1939
| nationalteam1 = [[Poland national football team|Poland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 22
| nationalgoals1 = 21
| nationalyears2 = 1934–1939
| nationalteam2 = [[Silesia national football team|Silesia]]
| nationalcaps2 = 6
| nationalgoals2 = 7
| medaltemplates = 
| nationalyears3 = 1941–1942
| nationalteam3 = [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
| nationalcaps3 = 8
| nationalgoals3 = 13
}}

'''Ernest Otton Wilimowski''' ({{Langx|de|Ernst Otto Wilimowski}}, born '''Ernst Otto Prandella'''; 23 June 1916 – 30 August 1997), nicknamed "Ezi", was a [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. He ranks among the best goalscorers in the history of both the [[Poland national football team|Poland national team]] and Polish club football. After re-taking German citizenship following the [[invasion of Poland]], he also played for the [[Germany national football team|Germany national team]].

Wilimowski was the first player to score four goals in a single [[FIFA World Cup]] game. According to [[RSSSF]], Wilimowski scored over 1077 total goals in at least 688 total matches, making him the 14th greatest goalscorer of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/prolific.html|title=Prolific Scorers Data}}</ref> He is the most prolific goalscorer in official matches in one season in recorded history according to RSSSF, with 107 goals scored in 45 matches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/prolific.html|title=One season (official matches)|website=[[RSSSF]]}}</ref>

Wilimowski also occasionally played [[ice hockey]] for the team Pogoń Katowice.

==Early life==
Born in [[Kattowitz]] (Katowice), [[Prussian Silesia]], [[German Empire]], Wilimowski was raised in a Silesian family, typical of the [[Upper Silesia]]n Polish-German borderland. After eastern Upper Silesia became part of Poland in 1922, he became a citizen of the [[Second Polish Republic]].

His parents, Ernst-Roman and Paulina, were German. His father, a soldier for the [[German Empire]], died on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in the [[World War I|First World War]]. His mother sent him to a German kindergarten, a German primary school<ref>Thomas Urban: Schwarze Adler, weiße Adler. Deutsche und polnische Fußballer im Räderwerk der Politik. Göttingen 2011, p. 30.</ref> and, when he was nine years old, to the German football team [[1. FC Kattowitz]]. At the age of 13, he was legally adopted by his stepfather, who was Polish,<ref>Urban, op.cit., p. 31.</ref> and took on the surname Wilimowski. At home, he spoke German for the most part, while in public he often spoke a Silesian dialect of the Polish language. Officially a citizen of Poland, he referred to himself as an [[Silesians|Upper Silesian]] ("Górnoślązak" - ''Oberschlesier'').

==Early career==

===Ruch Chorzów===
Wilimowski, who had six toes on his right foot, played on the left side as a forward and showed himself to be a very skilled dribbler as well as a natural goalscorer. He began his career with the ethnically German club [[1. FC Kattowitz]], then in 1933 at the age of 17, moved to Polish side [[Ruch Wielkie Hajduki]], today known as [[Ruch Chorzów]]. "Ezi" quickly established himself as the team's best player: in his first season he scored 33 goals to lead the league. His first [[Ekstraklasa]] game took place on 8 April 1934, a few weeks later, he capped for the Poland national team. With a number of excellent footballers besides Wilimowski (for example [[Teodor Peterek]] and [[Gerard Wodarz]]), Ruch dominated the Polish soccer and was the league champion in 1933–1936 and 1938.

Wilimowski played 86 games for ''Ruch'', scoring 112 goals, and was the league's top scorer in 1934 and 1936. He also led the league in scoring in 1939 until the German invasion of Poland. On 21 May 1939, he scored 10 goals in a single match against [[Union Touring Łódź]] as his club won 12–1. That performance still stands as a league record.

===Poland national team===
Soon after beginning his club football career, "Ezi" earned his first cap for Poland when he debuted against [[Denmark]] in [[Copenhagen]] on 21 May 1934 in a 2:4 loss: he was just 17 years and 332 days old. In a total of 22 appearances for Poland, Wilimowski netted 21 goals, nearly a goal per game. However, his off field conduct was less than ideal and in 1936 the young man's penchant for drinking and partying led to a one-year suspension imposed by the Polish football association just before the [[Olympic Games]] in [[Berlin]]. Without his goal scoring touch the Poles managed only a fourth-place finish in the Olympic tournament. Many felt that his presence could have brought the team a gold medal.

Wilimowski's appearances for Poland include two performances that were both historic and memorable.

In a [[Brazil v Poland (1938 FIFA World Cup)|match]] against [[Brazil]] played in [[Strasbourg]], [[France]] during the [[1938 FIFA World Cup]], "Ezi" put on a stunning display by becoming the first player ever to score four goals in a single World Cup match. His continued attacks on the opposition net also drew a penalty as he was fouled to the ground by Brazilian keeper [[Algisto Lorenzato|Batatais]], which led to Poland's fifth goal scored from the spot by German-born [[Friedrich Scherfke|Fritz Scherfke]], from [[Poznań]]. However, it was not enough - Poland lost the match 6–5 and was eliminated from the tournament. Wilimowski's record was later equalled by other players, but was bettered only 56 years later, when [[Oleg Salenko]] scored five goals against Cameroon during the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]]. It still remains the only World Cup match when a player from the losing side scored four goals.

Wilimowski put on another memorable display on 27 August 1939 in [[Warsaw]] in an international friendly against what was then one of the best teams in the world - [[Hungary]], the 1938 World Cup runner-up. After 33 minutes of play the Hungarians were ahead 2:0. Wilimowski scored three goals and again drew a penalty through his attacking play which was converted by teammate [[Leonard Piątek]], giving Poland a 4:2 win. The match was [[Poland v Hungary (1939)|the last game]] played before the start of [[World War II]] just four days later.

==War years==
After the invasion and occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany, Wilimowski as ''[[Volksdeutscher]]'' re-took German citizenship, like the majority of the inhabitants of the Eastern part of Upper Silesia, among them all the players of the Poland national team coming from this region. It allowed them to continue their football careers as Poles were not permitted to participate in sports under the [[Nazi]] occupation. In the early days of the war Wilimowski had to hide from the Nazis because of the enmity of a local [[Kreisleiter]] (county leader) of the [[NSDAP]] named [[Georg Joschke]] who held against Wilimowski the 1933 transfer from the ethnically-German club [[1. FC Kattowitz]] to the Polish [[Ruch Chorzów]].<ref name="wprost.pl">{{cite web |url=http://www.wprost.pl/ar/159651/Dwie-ojczyzny-Wilimowskiego/?O=159651&pg=1 |publisher=Wprost weekly |title=Dwie ojczyzny Wilimowskiego |trans-title=The two fatherlands of Wilimowski |year=2009 |access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref> Allegedly, Joschke threatened that Wilimowski would have to wear the letter "P" (for Pole) on his clothes. This never happened, as Wilimowski was too good a player and well appreciated by other German football officials. However, his mother Paulina, was placed in [[Auschwitz concentration camp]], which she survived. Wilimowski's mother was incarcerated because she got engaged in an intimate relationship with a Russian Jew, which was regarded as [[Rassenschande]] in Nazi Germany. Ernst, who in later stages of the war became friends with legendary pilot [[Hermann Graf]], managed to save her, with Graf's help.<ref name="wprost.pl"/>

For propaganda purposes, Nazi sports officials made 1. FC Kattowitz a model side representative of the German Upper Silesia. The region's best players were assigned to the team and besides Wilimowski included [[Erwin Nyc]], [[Ewald Dytko]] and [[Paweł Cyganek]]. "Ezi" played there until February 1940, before moving on to [[Chemnitz]], where he took up a job as a policeman while playing for the local team [[PSV Chemnitz|Polizei-Sportverein Chemnitz]] (1940–1942).

Through the course of the war, he also played for [[TSV 1860 Munich]] (1942–1944), where he was a member of the Tschammerpokal ([[German Cup]]) winning side of 1942. In the final game of the 1942 German Cup, at the Olympic Stadium in [[Berlin]], the Munich side won 2–0, with the first goal scored by Wilimowski. In the final years of the war, Wilimowski became a soldier of the Wehrmacht, but he was allowed to play in army football teams, f.e. [[LSV Mölders]] in German-occupied [[Kraków]].<ref>Urban, op.cit., p. 43.</ref>

===Germany national team===
Like other officials, [[Sepp Herberger]], manager of the Germany national team, developed an immediate appreciation for Wilimowski's talent. He debuted for Germany against Romania on 1 June 1941, in [[Bucharest]] scoring twice in a 4–1 victory. He followed that performance with three goals against [[Finland]] in [[Helsinki]] on 5 October 1941 as the Germans scored an easy 6–0 win.

The only international match Wilimowski ever played in his native Upper Silesia (in [[Beuthen]], now [[Bytom]], Poland), whether wearing a Polish or German jersey, was on 16 August 1942 versus the Romanian side. He contributed one goal in a 7–0 win (another German star, [[Fritz Walter]], netted three goals in the contest). The match was the biggest sporting event staged there during the war as 55,000 fans came to cheer on their native son.

Wilimowski's most memorable performance for the Germany national side came on 18 October 1942 in [[Bern]], [[Switzerland]] as the Germans defeated a well-respected Swiss national team by a score of 5-3. "Ezi" scored four<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=500014&no_cache=1&tx_dfbnews_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=2294&tx_dfbnews_pi1%5Bsword%5D=Willimowski&cHash=940eee6f4e |title=Michael Ballack elfter Spieler mit vier oder mehr Treffern |language=de |publisher=[[German Football Association|DFB]] |date=28 May 2004 |access-date=16 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908210728/http://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=500014 |archive-date=8 September 2009}}</ref> of five goals with the other being netted by Fritz Walter.

Wilimowski was capped a total of eight times for Germany, scoring 13 goals (1.63 per match). His last appearance for Germany was in a 5–2 victory over [[Slovakia]] in [[Bratislava]] on 22 November 1942. After this match, Germany no longer played international friendlies because of the war.

==Postwar career==
After the war, Wilimowski, who was regarded by the Polish government as a traitor, was not allowed to visit his Silesian homeland during the Communist regime.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/here-we-go-as-poland-heads-to-qatar-fans-will-be-hoping-they-recapture-the-spirit-of-1974-34558 |title=Here we go! As Poland heads to Qatar, fans will be hoping they recapture the spirit of 1974 |website=thefistnews |author=Alex Webber |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref> He was with [[Chemnitz|SG Chemnitz-West]] in 1946-47 and had a short spell with [[RC Strasbourg]] in 1949.<ref>''Sport-Magazin'' No. 31 of 1949, p. 4</ref> After that, he settled in the [[Karlsruhe]] area, opening a restaurant there. Even though he was already in his 30s when organized playing resumed, he continued a career that lasted until 1959 and age 43. During this period he played for, or had talks with, several German club teams including TSV Detmold (in between seasons, no league appearances), FV Offenburg (as a player-coach), [[FC Augsburg|BC Augsburg]] for a short spell in the autumn of 1948, Singen 04, where he had a good comeback scoring 16 [[Oberliga (football)|Oberliga]] goals in 1950-51, and [[VfR Kaiserslautern]] (including 70 goals in 89 Oberliga Südwest appearances for the latter, all scored when he was over 35 years old). After retiring, together with wife, Wilimowski for a while ran a restaurant, then worked in a [[Pfaff]] sewing machine factory, to retire in 1978.<ref name="wprost.pl"/>

At the [[1974 FIFA World Cup]] in Germany, Wilimowski allegedly wanted to pay a visit to the Poland national team that stayed in [[Murrhardt]] near Stuttgart, but was refused permission by [[PZPN]] officials. In 1995, he was invited by Ruch Chorzów to come to Upper Silesia and celebrate club's 75th anniversary. Wilimowski, according to his oldest daughter, Sylvia Haarke, wanted to come to Poland, saying that had it not been for the war, he would never have left Katowice. However, his wife Klara (née Mehne) was sick then and he had to stay with her. Wilimowski died in Karlsruhe, Germany, leaving behind four children - three daughters (''Sylvia'', ''Sigrid'' and ''Ulle'') and a son, ''Rainer''.

Sylvia Haarke who lives in [[Hamburg]], and in May 2007 visited [[Tarnowskie Góry]] with her husband ''Karl-Heinz Haarke'' (author of Wilimowski's biography), presented some interesting facts about her father. She said that Wilimowski was a devout [[Roman Catholic]], always emphasizing the role of religion in his life. After the famous [[Poland v Brazil (1938)]] game, Brazilian officials wanted to acquire his services. Wilimowski had signed a preliminary contract, but it did not work out. According to Haarke, one of her father's biggest disappointments was not having been a member of the German team which won the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]].

Legendary coach of the Poland national team, [[Kazimierz Górski]], met Wilimowski at a hotel in [[Murrhardt]] during the World Championship in Germany in 1974. Gorski immediately recognized ''Ezi'', because in the interbellum period, Wilimowski was one of his idols. Whenever Ruch Chorzow came to play in [[Lviv|Lwów]] (now ''Lviv''), Gorski always attended the games, watching Wilimowski. However, being observed by an agent of the Polish secret police [[Służba Bezpieczeństwa|SB]], the Polish coach greeted his idol very coldly: ''Mr Wilimowski, if you had not done anything wrong, perhaps you should have come back to Poland, and explain your behavior, cleanse yourself of all charges'' - said Górski. ''I was afraid'' - answered Wilimowski.<ref>Urban, op.cit., p.&nbsp;46.</ref>

== Career statistics ==

=== Club ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition.
Only official games are included in this table.<ref name="docs.ufpr.br">{{Cite web |title=willimowski |url=https://docs.ufpr.br/~mmsabino/sstatistics/willimowski.html |access-date=6 April 2022 |website=docs.ufpr.br}}</ref><ref name="rsssf_profile_willimowski">{{Cite web |title=Prolific Scorers Data - Ernst Willimowski - Additional Data |url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/pwillimowskidata.html |access-date=6 April 2022 |website=[[RSSSF]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Strikers |url=https://www.historical-lineups.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Strikers-1.pdf |website=www.historical-lineups.com}}</ref>
|+
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|National cup
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[1. FC Kattowitz]]
|1932–33
|Liga Oberschlesien
|25||15||colspan="2"|–||1||2||26||17
|-
|1944
|Gauliga Oberschlesien
|1||2||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||1||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!26!!17!!colspan="2"|–!!1!!2!!27!!19
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[Ruch Chorzów]]
|[[1934 Ekstraklasa|1934]]
|rowspan="6"|[[Ekstraklasa]]
|15+||33||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||15+||33
|-
|[[1935 Ekstraklasa|1935]]
|5+||8||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||5+||8
|-
|[[1936 Ekstraklasa|1936]]
|10+||19||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||10+||19
|-
|[[1937 Ekstraklasa|1937]]
|7+||8||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||7+||8
|-
|[[1938 Ekstraklasa|1938]]
|10+||19||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||10+||19
|-
|[[1939 Ekstraklasa|1939]]
|9+||26||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||9+||26
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!56+!!113!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!56+!!113
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[PSV Chemnitz]]
|[[:de:Gauliga Sachsen 1940/41|1940–41]]
|rowspan="4"|[[Gauliga Sachsen]]
| 21||35||2||2{{efn|Appearances in the [[1940 Tschammerpokal]], from August 1940 to December 1940.<ref name="wilimowski_dfbpokal">{{cite web |title=Ernst Willimowski » Club matches |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/ernst-willimowski/dfb-pokal/2/ |website=WorldFootball.net | access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="germancup_1940">{{cite web |title=German Cup 1940 |url=https://www.historical-lineups.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/19402.pdf |website=historical-lineups.com |publisher=Historical Lineups| access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="dfbpokal_1940_topscorer">{{cite web |title=DFB-Pokal 1940 » Top Scorers |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/goalgetter/dfb-pokal-1940/ |website=WorldFootball.net | access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref>}}||13{{efn|Appearances in Chemnitz District summer war tournament}}||41||36||78
|-
|[[:de:Gauliga Sachsen 1941/42|1941–42]]
| 14+||32||1+||1||colspan="2"|–|| 15+||33
|-
|1943–44
| 2+||9||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||2+||9
|-
|1944–45
|1+||5||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||1+||5
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!38!!82!!3!!3!!13!!41!!54!!126
|-
|[[TSV 1860 Munich|1860 Munich]]
|[[1942–43 Gauliga Bayern|1942–43]]
|[[Gauliga Bayern]]
| 5||8||4
|14{{efn|Appearances in the [[1942 Tschammerpokal]], from July 1942 to November 1942.<ref name="wilimowski_dfbpokal" /><ref name="dfb_factfile">{{cite web |title=DFB Cup factfile - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. |url=https://www.dfb.de/dfb-pokal-der-maenner/news-detail/dfb-cup-factfile-5-debutants-and-the-record-champions-148632/full/1/ |website=dfb.de |publisher=[[German Football Association]] (DFB) | access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="germancup_1942">{{cite web |title=German Cup 1942 |url=https://www.historical-lineups.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/19421.pdf|website=historical-lineups.com |publisher=Historical Lineups| access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="dfbpokal_1942_topscorer">{{cite web |title=DFB-Pokal 1942 » Top Scorers |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/goalgetter/dfb-pokal-1942/ |website=WorldFootball.net | access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref>}}||colspan="2"|–|| 9||22
|-
|[[Karlsruher SC]]
|1943–44
|[[Gauliga Baden]]
|4||6||0
|0||colspan="2"|–||4||6
|-
|SC Zwiesel
|1946–47
|1.Liga Niederbayern
|4+||4+||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||4+||4+
|-
|Chemnitz-West
|1946–48
|Bezirkliga Chemnitz
|27||65||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||27||65
|-
|[[BC Augsburg]]
|[[1948–49 Oberliga#Oberliga Süd|1948–49]]
|[[Oberliga Süd (1945–1963)|Oberliga Süd]]
|6||3||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||6||3
|-
|[[Offenburger FV]]
|[[1949–50 Oberliga#Southern group|1949–50]]
|[[Oberliga Südwest (1945–1963)|Oberliga Südwest]]
|18||18||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||18||18
|-
|[[FC Singen 04]]
|[[1950–51 Oberliga#Oberliga Süd|1950–51]]
|Oberliga Süd
|30||16||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||30||16
|-
|rowspan="5"|VfR Kaiserslautern
|[[1951–52 Oberliga#Oberliga Süd|1951–52]]
|rowspan="4"|[[Oberliga Südwest (1945–1963)|Oberliga Südwest]]
|16+||23||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||16+||23
|-
|[[1952–53 Oberliga#Oberliga Südwest|1952–53]]
|29||34||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||29||34
|-
|[[1953–54 Oberliga#Oberliga Südwest|1953–54]]
|24||14||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||24||14
|-
|[[1954–55 Oberliga#Oberliga Südwest|1954–55]]
|6||2||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||6||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!75+!!73!!colspan="2"|–!!colspan="2"|–!!75+!!73
|-
|[[Kehler FV]]
|1955–56
|2 Amat. Liga Südbaden
|7||8||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||7||8
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!296+!! 413+!! 7+!! 17{{efn|Only seven appearances and 17 goals are recognized as official matches and goals by the [[German Football Association|DFB]] for the [[German Cup]],<ref name="wilimowski_dfbpokal" /><ref>{{cite web |title=DFB-Pokal » All-time Topscorers » rank 51 - 100 |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/alltime_goalgetter/dfb-pokal/tore/2/ |website=WorldFootball.net | access-date=18 May 2024}}</ref> the remaining matches and goals being from regional preliminary qualifying tournaments for this competition.}}!! 14!!43!!317+!!473+
|}
{{notelist}}

=== International ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ernest Wilimowski, international footballer |url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=22865 |access-date=5 December 2022 |website=eu-football.info |language=en}}</ref>
!National team
!Year
!Apps
!Goals
|-
| rowspan="6" |[[Poland national football team|Poland]]
|1934
|5
|3
|-
|1935
|0
|0
|-
|1936
|1
|0
|-
|1937
|4
|3
|-
|1938
|8
|10
|-
|1939
|4
|5
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|1941
|4
|6
|-
|1942
|4
|7
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
!30
!34
|}

* ''Wilimowski's team's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Wilimowski goal.''

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+'''International goals by Ernst Wiimowski'''
!{{Abbr|No.|Number}}
!Date
!Venue
!Opponent
!Score
!Result
!Competition
|-
! colspan="7" |For {{Fb|POL|variant=1928}}
|-
| align="center" |1
|{{DTS|1934|5|23}}
|[[Stockholm Olympic Stadium]], Stockholm, Sweden
|{{Fb|SWE}}
| align="center" |2–2
| align="center" |2–4
|[[Exhibition game#Association football|Friendly]]
|-
| align="center" |2
|{{DTS|1934|8|26}}
|[[Red Star Stadium|Stadion SK Jugoslavija]], Belgrade, Yugoslavia
|{{Fb|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}
| align="center" |1–3
| align="center" |1–4
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |3
|{{DTS|1934|9|9}}
|[[Stadion Wojska Polskiego]], Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|Germany|variant=1933}}
| align="center" |1–1
| align="center" |2–5
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |4
|{{DTS|1937|6|23}}
|Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|SWE}}
| align="center" |3–0
| align="center" |3–1
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |5
|{{DTS|1937|9|12}}
|Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|DEN}}
| align="center" |1–0
| align="center" |3–1
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |6
|{{DTS|1937|10|10}}
|Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}
| align="center" |4–0
| align="center" |4–0
|[[1938 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| align="center" |7
|{{DTS|1938|3|13}}
|[[Hardturm]], Zurich, Switzerland
|{{Fb|SUI}}
| align="center" |1–0
| align="center" |3–3
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |8
|{{DTS|1938|5|22}}
|Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|IRL}}
| align="center" |5–0
| style="text-align:center" |6–0
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |9
| rowspan="4" |{{DTS|1938|6|5}}
| rowspan="4" |[[Stade de la Meinau]], Strasbourg, France
| rowspan="4" |{{Fb|BRA|variant=1889}}
| align="center" |2–3
| rowspan="4" align="center" |[[Brazil v Poland (1938 FIFA World Cup)|5–6]]
| rowspan="4" |[[1938 FIFA World Cup]]
|-
| align="center" |10
| align="center" |3–3
|-
| align="center" |11
| align="center" |4–4
|-
| align="center" |12
| align="center" |5–6
|-
| align="center" |13
| rowspan="2" |{{DTS|1938|9|25}}
| rowspan="2" |Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
| rowspan="2" |{{Fb|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}
| align="center" |2–0
| rowspan="2" align="center" |4–4
| rowspan="2" |1938 King Peter II Cup
|-
| align="center" |14
| align="center" |4–4
|-
| align="center" |15
|{{DTS|1938|10|23}}
|Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
|{{Fb|NOR}}
| align="center" |2–2
| align="center" |2–2
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |16
|{{DTS|1938|11|13}}
|[[Dalymount Park]], Dublin, Republic of Ireland
|{{Fb|IRL}}
| align="center" |1–2
| style="text-align:center" |2–3
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |17
| rowspan="2" |{{DTS|1939|5|27}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Stadion Miejski im. Władysława Króla|Stadion Miejski ŁKS]], Łódź, Poland
| rowspan="2" |{{Fb|BEL}}
| align="center" |1–0
| rowspan="2" align="center" |3–3
| rowspan="2" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |18
| align="center" |2–0
|-
| align="center" |19
| rowspan="3" |{{DTS|1939|8|27}}
| rowspan="3" |Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland
| rowspan="3" |{{Fb|HUN|variant=1920}}
| align="center" |1–2
| rowspan="3" align="center" |4–2
| rowspan="3" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |20
| align="center" |2–2
|-
| align="center" |21
| align="center" |4–2
|-
! colspan="7" |For {{Fb|GER|variant=1935}}
|-
| align="center" |22
| rowspan="2" |{{DTS|1941|6|1}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Stadionul Republicii|Stadionul ONEF]], Bucharest, Romania
| rowspan="2" |{{Fb|ROM}}
| align="center" |1–0
| rowspan="2" align="center" |4–1
| rowspan="2" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |23
| align="center" |4–0
|-
| align="center" |24
|{{DTS|1941|6|15}}
|[[Ernst-Happel-Stadion|Praterstadion]], Vienna, Germany
|{{Fb|NDH}}
| align="center" |4–1
| align="center" |5–1
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |25
| rowspan="3" |{{DTS|1941|10|5}}
| rowspan="3" |[[Helsinki Olympic Stadium]], Helsinki, Finland
| rowspan="3" |{{Fb|FIN}}
| align="center" |2–0
| rowspan="3" align="center" |6–0
| rowspan="3" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |26
| align="center" |5–0
|-
| align="center" |27
| align="center" |6–0
|-
| align="center" |28
|{{DTS|1942|8|16}}
|[[Stadion im. Edwarda Szymkowiaka|Hinderburg Stadium]], Beuthen, Germany
|{{Fb|ROM}}
| align="center" |7–0
| align="center" |7–0
|Friendly
|-
| align="center" |29
| rowspan="4" |{{DTS|1942|10|18}}
| rowspan="4" |[[Wankdorf Stadium]], Bern, Switzerland
| rowspan="4" |{{Fb|SUI}}
| align="center" |1–0
| rowspan="4" align="center" |5–3
| rowspan="4" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |30
| align="center" |2–1
|-
| align="center" |31
| align="center" |3–2
|-
| align="center" |32
| align="center" |4–2
|-
| align="center" |33
| rowspan="2" |{{DTS|1942|11|22}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Mercedes-Benz Arena (Stuttgart)|Adolf-Hitler-Kampfbahn]], Stuttgart, Germany
| rowspan="2" |{{Fb|NDH}}
| align="center" |3–0
| rowspan="2" align="center" |5–1
| rowspan="2" |Friendly
|-
| align="center" |34
| align="center" |4–0
|}

==Honours==
'''Ruch Wielkie Hajduki'''<ref name=Ruch>{{cite web |title=Wspomnienie Ernesta Wilimowskiego |url=https://www.ksruch.com/w/25-rocznica-smierci-eziego |publisher=[[Ruch Chorzów]] |access-date=23 June 2024 |language=pl |date=30 August 2022}}</ref>
* [[Ekstraklasa]]: [[1934 Ekstraklasa|1934]], [[1935 Ekstraklasa|1935]], [[1936 Ekstraklasa|1936]], [[1938 Ekstraklasa|1938]]

'''TSV 1860 Munich'''
* [[DFB-Pokal|Tschammerpokal]]: [[1942 Tschammerpokal|1942]]<ref name=Ruch/>

'''Individual'''<ref name=Ruch/>
* Ekstraklasa [[Ekstraklasa#Top goalscorers|top scorer]]: [[1934 Ekstraklasa|1934]], [[1936 Ekstraklasa|1936]], [[1939 Ekstraklasa|1939]]
* Tschammerpokal top scorer: [[1942 Tschammerpokal|1942]]

==Literature==
*Karl-Heinz Harke, Georg Kachel; ''Fußball – Sport ohne Grenzen. Die Lebensgeschichte des Fußball-Altnationalspielers Ernst Willimowski.'', [[Dülmen]], Laumann-Verlag 1996, {{ISBN|3-87466-259-4}}
*[[Thomas Urban]]: ''Schwarze Adler, weiße Adler. Deutsche und polnische Fußballer im Räderwerk der Politik.'' [[Göttingen]] 2011, pp.&nbsp;28–48.

==See also==
* [[List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Worldfootball.net|ernst-willimowski}}
* {{NFT|17180}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071007200819/http://www.alfa.com.pl/slask/200606/s1213.htm Biography] {{in lang|pl}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090422222331/http://miasta.gazeta.pl/katowice/1,35059,1736648.html O występach Ernesta Wilimowskiego w reprezentacji Niemiec] {{in lang|pl}}
*[http://miasta.gazeta.pl/katowice/1,35055,4177252.html Press article about Sylvia Haarke's visit to Poland and her stories about her father] {{in lang|pl}}
* {{FIFA player|44754}}
*[https://www.dfb.de/index.php?action=search&liga=Nationalmannschaft&id=500003&lang=D&no_cache=1&name=%3BWillimowski&gegner= DFB.de on Willimowski]

{{Poland squad 1938 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list =
{{Ekstraklasa top scorers}}
{{German Cup top scorers}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilimowski, Ernst}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Katowice]]
[[Category:German men's footballers]]
[[Category:Dual internationalists (men's football)]]
[[Category:Polish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Ruch Chorzów players]]
[[Category:Chemnitzer FC players]]
[[Category:TSV 1860 Munich players]]
[[Category:FC Augsburg players]]
[[Category:Ekstraklasa players]]
[[Category:1938 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Germany men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Poland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Province of Silesia]]
[[Category:Offenburger FV players]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:German Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:West German men's footballers]]
[[Category:Polish emigrants to West Germany]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish sportsmen]]