Karl Allgöwer

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Karl Allgöwer
Personal information
Full name	Karl Allgöwer
Date of birth	January 5, 1957
Place of birth	Geislingen an der Steige, Germany
Height	186 cm
Nickname	(Karl) Knallgöwer, Wasen-Karle
Position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	retired
Youth clubs
	SV Altenstadt, SC Geislingen
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
before 1977 1977-1980 1980-1991	SC Geislingen Stuttgarter Kickers VfB Stuttgart	?? (??) ?? (??) 338 (129)
National team**
1980-1986	Germany	10 (0)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 1991. ** National team caps and goals correct as of July 1, 1986.

Karl Allgöwer (born January 5, 1957) is a former German footballer.

Growing up in Geislingen an der Steige, Allgöwer completed his youth years with SV Altenstadt and SC Geislingen before moving to Stuttgart to score 60 goals for 2nd Bundesliga team Stuttgarter Kickers from 1977 to 1980 as striker. Local rival VfB paid Kickers 750,000 Deutsche Mark to team him up with their Bundesliga squad. Just a few matches for them, he got selected for the B-international team of Germany, impressing as a goalscoring midfielder. His immediate progress earned him a call-up from Jupp Derwall for Germany. In Hanover they faced France in November 1980 and Allgöwer was having a bright debut, playing on the right in midfield and cementing his ambitions. Subsequent to him taking part regularly for Germany on their way to the 1982 FIFA World Cup, his participation in that tournament was expected. However, Allgöwer retired from playing for Germany before the World Cup, defining Derwall's coaching as dissatisfying and prone to whom acquiring which reputation among the press.

Impressive as a midfielder, relying on his strong shot that earned him the (Karl) Knallgöwer nickname in the press, off the pitch Allgöwer was an initiator of protests against social evils and outspoken supporter of the Social Democrats. With his club presided by Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, a minister for SPD-adversary Christian Democratic Union in Baden-Württemberg in parts of his his chairmanship years at VfB, his debonair way to act for his political opinion was causing Mayer-Vorfelder's massive aversion.

Allgöwer's international retirement of 1982 lasted for three years. Three years in which he once won the Bundesliga title with VfB (in 1984) and in which he massively expanded his importance for his club. Franz Beckenbauer, successor of Jupp Derwall at the helm of the German team in 1984, attempted to lure the strong shooting player out of that retirement, but Beckenbauer had to wait until October 1985 to see Allgöwer return for the World Cup qualifier against Portugal (0-1), which ironically took place at VfB Stuttgart's Neckarstadion. He kept on for Germany then, declaring his final international retirement after staying unused in the 1986 FIFA World Cup runner-up campaign of Germany.

On club level he remained a key player for his sole team, switching to a sweeper role later on. Karl's brother Ralf also played a few matches for Stuttgart in these years, but never gaining the status Karl had for his coaches and the Stuttgart supporters. In 1989 the powerful free-kick specialist was part of the Stuttgart XI with Guido Buchwald and Jürgen Klinsmann that got defeated by Diego Maradona's SSC Napoli in the UEFA Cup final.

After his retirement he started working as an executive for a textile producing company, but was an independent salesman when his name hit the headlines anew in July 2006. On his way home from work, Allgöwer was taken a hostage by a robber but escaped unwounded after the suspect fled in the robbing process. A 19-year-old was caught by the police later the same day and, in September 2006, handed a prison sentence for taking Allgöwer a hostage.

	West Germany squad - 1986 World Cup Runner-up
1 Schumacher | 2 Briegel | 3 Brehme | 4 Förster | 5 Herget | 6 Eder | 7 Littbarski | 8 Matthäus | 9 Völler | 10 Magath | 11 Rummenigge | 12 Stein | 13 Allgöwer | 14 Berthold | 15 Augenthaler | 16 Thon | 17 Jakobs | 18 Rahn | 19 Allofs | 20 Hoeneß | 21 Rolff | 22 Immel | Coach: Beckenbauer