Paul Zeiger

Paul Zeiger
Personal information
Full name Paul Marie Joseph Zeiger
Date of birth (1881-09-08)8 September 1881
Place of birth 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France
Date of death 18 February 1959(1959-02-18) (aged 77)
Place of death 16th arrondissement of Paris, France
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1900–1905 Racing Club de France
1905–1909 US Parisienne
1909–1910 Gallia Club
International career
1907 France 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Marie Joseph Zeiger (8 September 1881 – 18 February 1959) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for US Parisienne as well as one match for the French national team in 1907.[1][2][3]

Biography

Paul Zeiger was born in 3rd arrondissement of Lyon on 8 September 1881,[2][a] but it was playing for Parisian clubs where he stood out. On 31 March 1901, the 19-year-old Zeiger started in the final of the 1901 Coupe Dewar, which ended in a 0–3 loss to Standard AC.[4] Together with Pierre Allemane, André Puget, the Matthey brothers (Fernand and Raoul), and captain Alfred Tunmer, Zeiger was a member of the Racing team that reached back-to-back finals of the USFSA Football Championship in 1902 and 1903, both of which ending in losses to RC Roubaix.[5]

Nicknamed "the Walking Frog," Zeiger had a bad habit of arriving late to his games.[citation needed] Zeiger was playing for US Parisienne when he earned his first (and only) international cap for France in a friendly match against Belgium at Uccle on 21 April 1907, helping his side to a 2–1 win; France's first-ever away victory.[2][3][6][7] He had to wait over a year for his next chance to wear the shirt of France, when the USFSA selected him for the would-be France C squad that was originally listed to compete in the football tournament of the 1908 Olympic Games, but Zeiger ended up not traveling to London because the USFSA decided to send only two instead of three teams.[8]

In 1908, Zeiger was a member of the US Parisienne squad that participated in the Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, where they faced two clubs from Turin: Torino and Juventus.[9] In 1909, he moved to Gallia Club, and on 8 May 1910, he started in the final of the 1910 Coupe Dewar at the Stade de Charentonneau, which ended in a 1–3 loss to CA Paris.[10]

Later life and death

During the First World War, Zeiger was incorporated into the 406th Infantry Regiment,[11] fighting twice on the Somme, twice at Verdun, and was wounded three times in total, the last time seriously in the right arm, requiring a ligature of the humeral bone.[citation needed]

Zeiger died in 16th arrondissement of Paris on 18 February 1959, at the age of 77.[2]

Honours

Racing Club de France
Gallia Club

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources wrongly state that he was born on 1 January 1887.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Paul Zeiger". www.worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Paul Zeiger, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Paul Zeiger". www.fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Finale de la Coupe Shériff-Dewar" [Sheriff-Dewar Cup Final]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 1 April 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Football association - Championnat de France" [Association Football - French Championship]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 20 April 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  6. ^ "21 avril 1907, première victoire de l'équipe de France à l'extérieur" [21 April 1907, first away victory for the French team]. www.chroniquesbleues.fr (in French). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Paul Zeiger - Stats and titles won". www.footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Football Tournament 1908 Olympiad - Squad Lists". RSSSF. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva 1908 (Torino)". RSSSF. 13 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Le Cercle Athlétique de Paris gagne la Coupe Dewar" [The Cercle Athlétique de Paris wins the Dewar Cup]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 9 May 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  11. ^ "La Vie Sportive - Coupe du 406e d'infanterie" [The Sporting life - 406th Infantry Cup]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Le Matin. 27 January 1916. Retrieved 24 November 2024.