View source for Matthias Sindelar

{{Short description|Austrian footballer (1903–1939)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Matthias Sindelar
| image = Sindelar-aut.jpg
| caption = 
| full_name = Matthias Sindelar
| birth_name = Matěj Šindelář
| birth_date = {{birth date|1903|2|10|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Kozlov (Jihlava District)|Kozlov]], Moravia, [[Austria-Hungary]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1939|1|23|1903|2|10|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Vienna]], [[Nazi Germany]]
| height = 1.75 m
| position = [[Centre-forward]]
| youthyears1 = 1918–1922
| youthclubs1 = Hertha Vienna
| years1 = 1921–1924
| clubs1 = Hertha Vienna
| caps1 = 23
| goals1 = 4
| nationalyears1 = 1926–1937
| nationalteam1 = [[Austria national football team|Austria]]
| nationalcaps1 = 43<ref>Some sources, including the [[RSSSF]] (''[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/oost-recintlp.html Austria – Record International Players]''), list 26 goals in 43 matches. Other sources say he appeared in 44 matches or scored 27 goals.</ref>
| nationalgoals1 = 26
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[association football|football]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{AUT|1949}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Central European International Cup]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1927–30 Central European International Cup]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Central European International Cup]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1931–32 Central European International Cup]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Central European International Cup]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1933–35 Central European International Cup]]|}}
| years2 = 1924–1939
| clubs2 = [[FK Austria Wien|Austria Wien]]
| caps2 = 312
| goals2 = 240
| totalcaps = 335
| totalgoals = 244
}}

'''Matthias Sindelar''' ({{IPA|de|maˈtiːas ˈʃɪndəlaːɐ̯|lang}}, {{langx|cs|Matěj Šindelář}}; 10 February 1903 – 23 January 1939) was an Austrian professional [[association football|footballer]]. Regarded as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, Sindelar notably played for [[FK Austria Wien|Austria Vienna]] and the [[Austria national football team|national side]].

He played as a [[centre-forward]] for the celebrated Austrian national side of the early 1930s that became known as the ''[[Wunderteam]]'', which he [[Captain (association football)|captained]] at the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]]. Known as "The [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] of football" or ''[[wikt:de:papieren|Der Papierene]]'' ("The Paper Man")<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jun/15/austria.euro2008groupb The Paper Man: life and death of a footballer] ''The Guardian''</ref> for his slight build, he was renowned as one of the finest pre-war footballers, known for his fantastic dribbling ability and creativity. He was voted the best Austrian footballer of the 20th Century in a 1999 poll by the [[International Federation of Football History and Statistics]] (IFFHS)<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html
 |author=Stokkermans, Karel / RSSSF 
 |publisher=[[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation]] 
 |title=IFFHS' Century Elections 
 |access-date=9 April 2007 
 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112150635/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html 
 |archive-date=12 January 2016 
}}
</ref> and was named Austria's sportsman of the century a year before.<ref>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.trivela.com/default.asp?pag=ExibirMateria&codMateria=2079&coluna=47 
 |author=Bardelli, Gino / trivela.com 
 |publisher=Trivela.com 
 |title=''Sindelar: O craque que não se curvou ao Nazismo'' 
 |access-date=11 April 2007 
 |language=pt 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223000636/http://www.trivela.com/default.asp?pag=ExibirMateria&codMateria=2079&coluna=47
 |archive-date=23 December 2006
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2004/07/England_vAut_Sindelar.htm | archive-url = https://archive.today/20050309164808/http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2004/07/England_vAut_Sindelar.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 9 March 2005 | title = Austria's greatest | access-date = 27 December 2010 | date = 2 September 2004 | work = The Football Association }}</ref>

With the Wunderteam, Sindelar was one of the key elements of their developing formation and style of play as it evolved into a 2-3-5. According to specialists like Paul Dietschy, this formation provided "such fluidity to the Austrian system", leading to its earning the nickname of "the Viennese whirlpool". Although the Wunderteam regularly lacked efficiency, Sindelar's individual technical skill and vision often compensated for these issues.

==Early years==
Of [[Czech people|Czech]] descent, Sindelar was born '''Matěj Šindelář''' ({{IPA|cs|ˈmacɛj ˈʃɪndɛlaːr̝̊|lang}}) in [[Kozlov (Jihlava District)|Kozlov]], [[Moravia]], then part of the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]], the son of Jan Šindelář, a blacksmith, and his wife Marie (née Švengrová). Despite occasional claims that Sindelar was of Jewish origin, the family was Catholic. These claims most likely arise from his main club, [[FK Austria Vienna|Austria Vienna]]'s connection to Vienna's Jewish population.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Sindelar: the ballad of the tragic hero
|author-link=Jonathan Wilson (writer)
|first=Jonathan
|last=Wilson
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/apr/03/sport.comment3
|work=[[The Guardian]]
|date=3 April 2007
|access-date=14 June 2014
|quote=There have been suggestions that Sindelar and/or Castignola were Jewish. It is true that Sindelar played for Austria Vienna, the club of the Jewish bourgeoisie, and came from Moravia, from where several Jews had migrated to Vienna, but his family was Catholic.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|title=Tor!: The Story of German Football
|first=Ulrich
|last=Hesse-Lichtenberger
|year=2003
|location=London
|publisher=[[When Saturday Comes|WSC Books]]
|isbn=978-0954013455
|page=83
|quote=Despite reports to the contrary, neither Sindelar nor the woman he would soon begin a fatal affair with were of Jewish heritage.}}</ref>

They moved to [[Vienna]] in 1905 and settled in the predominantly working-class district of [[Favoriten]], which had a large [[Czech language|Czech]]-speaking community. Young Matěj, whose name would be Germanized as Matthias, began playing football in the streets with the other children of the neighbourhood, many of whom were immigrants from Bohemia and Moravia. Notably, he grew up alongside his future Austrian teammate [[Josef Bican]].

According to many sources, upon the death of his father, Sindelar took up a job as either an apprentice mechanic or a locksmith; during this time, he also had many other odd jobs, such as selling sporting goods to the people of Vienna.

==Club career==
Sindelar began his footballing career with Hertha Vienna, whom he joined in 1918. This opportunity arose when, at the age of fifteen, he was spotted by a scout, who signed him up for Hertha's youth teams. Already considered to be "an excellent dribbler and finisher" as a teenager, Sindelar had quickly progressed into the first team by the early 1920s.

Playing in the blue and white jersey of Hertha, Sindelar quickly learned to compensate for his rather frail, infantile physique through the development of his high-level technique, allowing him "to dodge and dribble at will his opponents, and to squeeze with disconcerting ease (through gaps {{sic|in|nolink=y}}) the opposing defences”. It is these characteristics which make him obtain the nickname of “der Papierene” ("the Paper man").

Sindelar quickly earnt his keep at Hertha Vienna, scoring his first goals in the national championship, in particular, thanks to his quick feet, and becoming a vital cog in their team. Both his and the club's fortunes took a turn for the worse, however, as Sindelar suffered a serious knee injury in May 1923, making him indefinitely unavailable. Concurrently, Hertha also went through a great economic crisis and Sindelar, as well as some of his teammates, were made redundant. In his time at Hertha Vienna, Sindelar scored 4 goals in 23 matches.

===Austria Vienna===
Now a free agent but still injured, Sindelar consulted the club doctor of [[FK Austria Vienna|SV Amateure]] who suggested that he should undergo meniscus surgery. At the time, such an operation was operation considered quite risky as it could mark the end of his career. Feeling that such a risk was necessary to take Sindelar had the surgery and, once successfully healed, signed for SV Amateure in 1924, who were at the time Austrian league and cup champions. In 1926, SV Amateure would become professional and take on its current name of [[FK Austria Vienna]].

His time at Austria Vienna coincided with one of the club's most successful spells pre-War. He helped the team win the [[Austrian Cup]] five times across an eleven-year spell - in 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935 and 1936. He also won an [[List of Austrian football champions|1. League]] title in 1926, and the [[Mitropa Cup]] twice, in 1933 and 1936 respectively. Much like his time at Hertha Vienna, Sindelar was a center forward and utilised his technical ability, talent on the ball, and eye for goal to overcome his physical disadvantages. He was also seen as a great leader in the pitch. Gifted with 'ankle-breaking' agility his ability to beat the defender one-on-one was often described as 'exceptional'. In this sense, he is often compared in terms of modern-day footballers to counterparts such as [[Ferenc Puskás]].

Overall, in 703 matches for Austria Vienna, he scored 600 goals and In 2001 was named in their Team of the Century.

Sindelar was arguably one of Europe's best and, in scope, most influential footballers of his generation, recognized for his ball control, passing and dribbling, and especially his creativity. There are anecdotal claims that some fans went attended Sindelar's games not only to see him play but to get a better understanding of how football 'should' be played.

In 1938 he appeared as himself in the Austrian film ''[[Roxy and the Wonderteam]]''.

==International career==
===Austria national team===
From 1926 to 1937, Sindelar was [[Cap (sport)|capped]] 43 times for his country, scoring 26 goals.<ref>According to http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/Datenbank/lstat9.htm, http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/Datenbank/lstat7.htm (data matches the statistical archives of the [[Austrian Football Association]]: [http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3324_file1.pdf Länderspiele von September 1923 – April 1934] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704073309/http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3324_file1.pdf |date=4 July 2007 }} and [http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3325_file1.pdf Länderspiele von April 1934 – Mai 1952] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122125027/http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3325_file1.pdf |date=22 January 2013 }}) and the [[RSSSF]] page [https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/oost-recintlp.html Austria – Record International Players]. Other sources say he appeared in 44 matches or scored 27 goals.</ref> He scored four goals in his first three international matches, including one in his debut match, a 2–1 victory over [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] on 28 September 1926. Sindelar became an essential part of the Austrian ''[[Wunderteam]]'' that was coached by [[Hugo Meisl]], until the two later had a falling out. Writer [[David Goldblatt (writer)|David Goldblatt]] described the events:

<blockquote>He made his international debut in 1926 and played well before falling out of favour with the disciplinarian Meisl. Four years in the international wilderness followed until Meisl was cornered by a gathering of the city's leading football commentators as he sat in the Ring Café in 1931. Everyone was arguing for Sindelar's recall and Meisl changed his mind. Sindelar played. Scotland were beaten and the ''Wunderteam'' – already disciplined, organized, hardworking and professional – acquired their playmaker and inspiration, that vital spark of unpredictability.<ref>David Goldblatt, ''The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer'' (Penguin, 2008; {{ISBN|1101097671}}), p. 257.</ref></blockquote>

===1927–30 Central European International Cup===
while Austria had not quite earned the moniker of ''Wunderteam'' yet, a young Sindelar helped them to their first major international tournament performance, being a part of the squad that made Runners-up in the Central European International Cup.

===1931–32 Central European International Cup===
The ''Wunderteam'' started by winning the [[Central European International Cup]]: [[1931–32 Central European International Cup|1931–32]], Sindelar scoring 4 goals to help Austria win its first and so far only international Trophy.

===1933–35 Central European International Cup===
This time around The ''Wunderteam'' finished as Runners-up. Sindelar scoring 3 goals to make him Austria's all-time top goalscorer at the [[Central European International Cup]].

===1934 World Cup===
Sindelar and Austria made the whole their stage at the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]], where they truly earned their nickname of the "Wunderteam". The high point came with their win over [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] in the quarterfinals, when Sindelar was matched up against [[midfielder|centre-half]] [[György Sárosi]], who would go on to claim a runners-up medal at the following World Cup in France. In a bruising encounter, one Hungarian was sent off, and [[Johann Horvath]], the Austrian midfielder, was injured and missed the semi-final against [[Italy national football team|Italy]]. Austria was then defeated by the host nation, with Sindelar affected by the harsh marking of [[Luis Monti]].

===Austria v Germany 1938===
On 3 April 1938, the Austrian team played [[Germany national football team|Germany]] in the [[Ernst-Happel-Stadion|Prater Stadium]] in Vienna. This match was significant as, just a few weeks earlier Nazi Germany had annexed Austria (known as the [[Anschluss]]), and had absorbed the national team into that of Nazi Germany, ignoring their qualification for that summer's [[1938 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]]. Thus, this would be Austria's last international match until after the [[World War Two|Second World War]]. This was and is seen by many as a great tragedy for [[Austrian football]] as they feel that Austria were one of the favourites to lift that year's [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] trophy.

The match dubbed the "Anschlussspiel" in German (lit. Anschluss game), was planned as a celebration by the Nazi regime of the Anschluss and Austria's "coming [[Heim ins Reich|home to the Reich]]". At Sindelar's behest, the Austrian team played in red-white-red strips which mimicked the [[Flag of Austria|Austrian flag]]'s colours instead of their traditional white and black strips. Austria squandered many easy goalscoring opportunities during the match in a way that looked deliberate. However, in the last 20 minutes, Sindelar and teammate [[Karl Sesta]] both scored as the game finished 2–0.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130114215111/http://www.wienerzeitung.at/Desktopdefault.aspx?tabID=3946&alias=Wzo&lexikon=Sport&letter=S&cob=4649 Der Papierene]</ref> Sindelar is claimed{{By whom|date=May 2017}} to have celebrated extravagantly in front of senior [[Nazi]] dignitaries.

==Death and myth==
Refusing to leave his home country, Sindelar refused to play for the new [[Germany national football team|Germany national team]] citing old age (by this point he was 35 years old) and injury as the cause.

[[Image:Ehrengrab Matthias Sindelar.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Sindelar's grave at Vienna's ''[[Zentralfriedhof]]'']]
On 23 January 1939, both Sindelar and his girlfriend Camilla Castagnola were found dead at the apartment they shared in [[Vienna]]; the official verdict cited [[carbon monoxide poisoning]] as the cause.<ref name=espnfc>{{cite news |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=271800&root=europe&cc=3888 |title=The 'Paper Man' mystery |work=[[ESPNFC]] |date=18 July 2003 |access-date=26 March 2023 |first=Uli |last=Hesse-Lichtenberger |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305232211/http://www.espnfc.com/story/271800 |archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> Different theories speculated that his death was an accident, suicide or murder.<ref name="ffsa"/>

Austrian writer [[Friedrich Torberg]] later dedicated the poem ''"Auf den Tod eines Fußballspielers"'' ("On the death of a footballer") to Sindelar. The poem suggested that he had committed suicide as a result of the German [[Anschluss]] of Austria in 1938. On the other hand, it has been thought and reported that his death was accidental, caused by a defective chimney.<ref name=espnfc/> A neighbour had reported a defective chimney in the block a few days before Sindelar's death.<ref name="ffsa">{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Wilson (writer) |title=Football: Jonathan Wilson on the mysterious death of Matthias Sindelar, probably Austria's greatest-ever player |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/apr/03/sport.comment3 |access-date=24 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=3 April 2007}}</ref> However, in a 2000s documentary screened on the BBC, Egon Ulbrich, a lifelong friend of Sindelar, stated that a local official was bribed to record his death as an accident, which ensured that he would receive a state funeral. "''According to the Nazi rules, a person who had been murdered or who has committed suicide cannot be given a grave of honour. So we had to do something to ensure that the criminal element involved in his death was removed''," he stated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3128202.stm |first=Jonathan |last=Duffy |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Football, fascism and England's Nazi salute |access-date=9 April 2007 |date=22 September 2003}}</ref> It has also been suggested that Sindelar was killed for his opposition for the Anschluss. The [[Gestapo]] notably had a file on him and had kept his café under surveillance.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/apr/22/world-cup-stunning-moments-austria-wunderteam |first=John |last=Ashdown |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |title=World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No11: Austria's Wunderteam go close |access-date=27 April 2014 |date=22 April 2014}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.austriasoccer.at/data/nat/statsn/spoe1stat/DETAIL/000634.htm|title=Fussball in Österreich SpielerstatstikSindelar Matthias|website=www.austriasoccer.at}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historical-lineups.com/mitropa-cup.html|title=Mitropa Cup – Historical Lineups|date=3 November 2015}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="2"|[[Austrian Football Bundesliga|League]]
!colspan="2"|[[Austrian Cup|Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[Mitropa Cup]]
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
|-
|rowspan="3"|{{Interlanguage link|Hertha Vienna|de|3=ASV Hertha Wien}}
|1921–22
|8||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1922–23
|17||3||1||0||0||0||18||3
|-
|1923–24
|8||0||1||0||0||0||9||0
|-
|rowspan=16|[[Austria Vienna]]
|1924–25
|17||4||0||0||0||0||17||4
|-
|1925–26
|7||2||5||4||0||0||12||6
|-
|1926–27
|23||18||5||3||0||0||28||21
|-
|1927–28
|19||8||2||1||0||0||21||9
|-
|1928–29
|21||7||3||1||0||0||24||8
|-
|1929–30
|18||15||6||1||0||0||24||16
|-
|1930–31
|17||14||9||8||0||0||26||24
|-
|1931–32
|22||15||1||0||0||0||23||15
|-
|1932–33
|21||11||5||6||0||0||26||17
|-
|1933–34
|21||22||3||4||6||5||30||31
|-
|1934–35
|15||9||4||7||2||1||21||17
|-
|1935–36
|17||8||5||6||7||8||29||22
|-
|1936–37
|21||13||4||5||10||4||35||22
|-
|1937–38
|15||9||1||0||6||6||22||15
|-
|1938–39
|11||0||1||0||1||0||12||0
|-
!|Total
!298!!158!!56!!46!!31!!24!!385!!228
|-
|}

===International caps and goals===
The following is a list of Sindelar's international appearances and goals with the [[Austria national football team]].<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/derpapierene-intlg.html Matthias Sindelar – International Goals]. RSSSF</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3324_file1.pdf
| author = Austrian Football Association
| author-link = Austrian Football Association
| publisher = oefb.at
| title = Statistics of matches of the Austria national team (September 1923 – April 1934)
| access-date = 12 April 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704073309/http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3324_file1.pdf
| archive-date = 4 July 2007
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3325_file1.pdf
 |author       = Austrian Football Association
 |publisher    = oefb.at
 |title        = Statistics of matches of the Austria national team (April 1934 – May 1952)
 |access-date   = 12 April 2007
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121128120225/http://www.oefb.at/_uploads/_elements/3325_file1.pdf
 |archive-date = 28 November 2012
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/Datenbank/lstat7.htm
| author = Kutschera, Ambrosius
| publisher = austriasoccer.at
| title = ''Statistik Österreichischer länderspiele''
| access-date = 12 April 2007
}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
!Cap #!!Date !!Location !!Type of<br>match !!Result!!Opponent!!Minutes<br>played!!Goals !!Notes
|-
|1
|align=right|28 Sep 1926||[[Prague]]||Friendly ||2–1||{{fb|TCH}}||90  ||1||
|-
|2
|align=right|10 Oct 1926||[[Vienna]]||Friendly||7–1||{{fb|SUI}}||90||2||
|-
|3
|align=right|7 Nov 1926||Vienna||Friendly||3–1||{{fb|SWE}}||90||1||
|-
|4
|align=right|20 Mar 1927||Vienna||Friendly||1–2||{{fb|TCH}}||90||0||
|-
|5
|align=right|10 Apr 1927||Vienna||Friendly||6–0||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||48||0||<ref>Entered game as substitute (42')</ref>
|-
|6
|align=right|6 May 1928||Vienna||Friendly||3–0||{{fb|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}||90||0||<ref>Austria played two matches on 6- 5-1928, vs. Hungary and vs. Yugoslavia: both matches are considered official for Austria but Yugoslavia did not recognise its match vs. Austria as official.</ref>
|-
|7
|align=right|28 Oct 1928||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||2–0||{{fb|SUI}}||90||0||
|-
|8
|align=right|23 Mar 1930||Prague||Friendly||2–2||{{fb|TCH}}||90||0||
|-
|9
|align=right|16 May 1931||Vienna||Friendly||5–0||{{fb|SCO}}||90||1||
|-
|10
|align=right|24 May 1931||Berlin||Friendly||6–0||{{fb|GER|Weimar}}||90||0||
|-
|11
|align=right|14 Sep 1931||Vienna||Friendly||5-0||{{fb|GER|Weimar}}||90||3||
|-
|12
|align=right|4 Oct 1931||[[Budapest]]||[[Central European International Cup]]||2–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|13
|align=right|29 Nov 1931||[[Basel]]||[[Central European International Cup]]||8–1||{{fb|SUI}}||90||1||
|-
|14
|align=right|20 Mar 1932||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||2–1||{{fb|ITA|1861}}||90||2||
|-
|15
|align=right|24 Apr 1932||Vienna||Friendly||8–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||3||<ref>Scored the first 3 of Austria's goals; second international [[hat-trick]] in eight months.</ref>
|-
|16
|align=right|22 May 1932||Prague||[[Central European International Cup]]||1–1||{{fb|TCH}}||90||1||
|-
|17
|align=right|17 Jul 1932||[[Stockholm]]||Friendly||4–3||{{fb|SWE}}||90||1||
|-
|18
|align=right|2 Oct 1932||Budapest||Friendly||3–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|19
|align=right|23 Oct 1932||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||3–1||{{fb|SUI}}||90||0||
|-
|20
|align=right|7 Dec 1932||London||Friendly||3–4||{{fb|ENG}}||90||1||
|-
|21
|align=right|12 Feb 1933||Paris||Friendly||4–0||{{fb|FRA}}||90||1||
|-
|22.
|align=right|9 April 1933||Vienna||Friendly||1–2||{{fb|TCH}}||90||0||
|-
|23
|align=right|30 Apr 1933||Budapest||Friendly||1–1||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|24
|align=right|11 Jun 1933||Vienna||Friendly||4–1||{{fb|BEL}}||90||1||
|-
|25
|align=right|17 Sep 1933||Prague||Friendly||3–3||{{fb|TCH}}||90||2||
|-
|26
|align=right|1 Oct 1933||Vienna||Friendly||2–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|27
|align=right|29 Nov 1933||[[Glasgow]]||Friendly||2–2||{{fb|SCO}}||90||0||
|-
|28
|align=right|10 Dec 1933||[[Amsterdam]]||Friendly||1–0||{{fb|NED}}||90||0||
|-
|29
|align=right|15 Apr 1934||Vienna||Friendly||5–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|30
|align=right|25 Apr 1934||Vienna||[[1934 FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualification]]||6–1||{{fb|BUL|1878}}||90||1||
|-
|31
|align=right|27 May 1934||[[Turin]]||[[1934 FIFA World Cup]]||3–2||{{fb|FRA}}||120||1||
|-
|32
|align=right|31 May 1934||[[Bologna]]||[[1934 FIFA World Cup]]||2–1||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|33
|align=right|3 Jun 1934||[[Milan]]||[[1934 FIFA World Cup]]||0–1||{{fb|ITA|1861}}||90||0||
|-
|34
|align=right|23 Sep 1934||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||2–2||{{fb|TCH}}||90||0||
|-
|35
|align=right|7 Oct, 1934||Budapest||[[Central European International Cup]]||1–3||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|36
|align=right|24 Mar 1935||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||0–2||{{fb|ITA|1861}}||90||0||
|-
|37
|align=right|6 May 1936||Vienna||Friendly||2–1||{{fb|ENG}}||90||0||
|-
|38
|align=right|17 May 1936||Rome||Friendly||2–2||{{fb|ITA|1861}}||90||0||
|-
|39
|align=right|27 Sep 1936||Budapest||[[Central European International Cup]]||3–5||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||2||
|-
|40
|align=right|21 Mar 1937||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||2–0||{{fb|ITA|1861}}||73||0||<ref>Match suspended at the 73rd minute. Not considered official by the [[Italian Football Federation]]. Sources: https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/unb-italy-19.html (see note [5]); https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ital-recintlp.html (see NB); http://www.austriasoccer.at/LSP/1930_39/1937/s1937_02.htm</ref>
|-
|41
|align=right|9 May 1937||Vienna||Friendly||1–1||{{fb|SCO}}||90||0||
|-
|42
|align=right|23 May 1937||Budapest||Friendly||2–2||{{fb|HUN|1920}}||90||0||
|-
|43
|align=right|19 Sep 1937||Vienna||[[Central European International Cup]]||4–3||{{fb|SUI}}||90||1||
|-
|'''Totals'''||||||||||||'''3841'''||'''26'''||
|-
|{{=}}{{=}}
|align=right|3 Apr 1938||Vienna||Friendly||2–0||{{fb|GER|Nazi}}||90||1||<ref>The celebratory match played between Austria (as Ostmark) and Germany (as Altreich) in the Praterstadion after the Anschluss is not an official match for either team.</ref>
|}

==Honours==
Sindelar was ranked as Austria's best footballer of the twentieth century by the [[International Federation of Football History & Statistics|IFFHS]], also ranking as the world's 22nd best. His career titles include:

'''Austria Wien'''
* [[List of Austrian football champions|1. Liga]]: 1926; runner-up 1925, 1937
* [[Austrian Cup]]: 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, 1936
* [[Mitropa Cup]]: 1933, 1936

'''Austria'''
* [[FIFA World Cup]] semi-finals: [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]]
* [[Central European International Cup]]: [[1931–32 Central European International Cup|1931–32]]; runner-up [[1927–30 Central European International Cup|1927–30]], [[1933–35 Central European International Cup|1933–35]]

'''Individual'''
* [[FIFA World Cup awards|FIFA World Cup Silver Ball]]: [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]]
* [[Central European International Cup]] best player: 1927–30, 1933–35
* [[Mitropa Cup]] top scorer: 1932, 1933
* [[IFFHS]] Austrian player of the century: 1999
* [[Austrian Football Bundesliga]] top scorer: 1926–27, 1931–32, 1932–33
* [[European leagues]] top scorer: 1932–33

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082302/http://www.fk-austria.at/magnoliaPublic/Austria-English/Klub/Hall-of-Fame/Sindelar.html Profile at the official web site of FK Austria]
* [http://members.aon.at/koisser/sindelar/sindelar.htm Tribute web page]
* [https://arfsh.com/article?id=4 Sindelar's play style transformation by arfsh.com]
* [http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/sports/political+football+matthias+sindelar/1056747 Channel 4 News: Matthias Sindelar]
* {{NFT player|pid=21770}}
* [http://www.austria-archiv.at/spieler.php?Spieler_ID=247 Player profile] – Austria Archive
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQzicBAAh8w HistoriasDeFútbol. Episodio 2 "Mathías Sindelar, un gol al nazismo"]

{{1934 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament}}
{{Mitropa Cup top scorers}}
{{Austria Squad 1934 World Cup}}
{{FK Austria Wien managers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sindelar, Matthias}}
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Jihlava District]]
[[Category:People from the Margraviate of Moravia]]
[[Category:Austrian people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:Austrian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Austrian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Austria men's international footballers]]
[[Category:1934 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:FK Austria Wien players]]
[[Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:Austrian football managers]]
[[Category:FK Austria Wien managers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning]]
[[Category:Death conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery]]
[[Category:20th-century Austrian sportsmen]]