Wolfgang Paul (footballer)

Wolfgang Paul

Personal information
Full name	Wolfgang Paul
Date of birth	(1940-01-25)25 January 1940
Place of birth	Olsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Date of death	28 June 2026(2026-06-28) (aged 86)
Place of death	Olsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	VfL Schwerte
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1961–1971	Borussia Dortmund	198	(7)
Medal record Men's football Representing West Germany FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1966 England
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wolfgang Paul (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈpaʊ̯l] (listen^ⓘ); 25 January 1940 – 28 June 2026) was a German football player. He was born in Olsberg, Province of Westphalia.

Captaining Borussia Dortmund to the European Cup Winners Cup in 1966, Paul got included in Helmut Schön's West German national football team for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Despite this, the defender never played a match for West Germany and had to retire early because Wolfgang picked up an injury in the late 1960s.

Paul died from a long-illness on 28 June 2026 in Olsberg at the age of 86.

Honours

• 1966 FIFA World Cup runner-up
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1965–66
• Bundesliga runner-up: 1965–66
• DFB-Pokal winner: 1964–65
• DFB-Pokal finalist: 1962–63