Leo Wilden

Who is Leo Wilden?

Leo Wilden is a former German football player. He played in two 1962 World Cup Qualification matches for the West German national team.

Leo Wilden was the center half of 1. FC Köln between 1958 and 1966, during which he won the West German football championship in 1962 and 1964. In that period, Wilden was also the standard center half of West Germany, succeeding Herbert Erhardt, who had retired after the 1962 World Cup.

As a player, Wilden was noted for his outstanding positional play, great vision and hard tackling. He could also provide offensive impetus if needed. Some pundits compared him to the 1930s player Ludwig Goldbrunner.

In 1966 Wilden moved to Bayer Leverkusen, where he retired in 1971. He later worked as coach of Pulheimer SC and SC West Köln and was voted vice chairman of SC West Köln in 1971. He later ran several tobacco shops in Cologne.