Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a West German footballer who played as a libero. He played 19 matches for the West Germany National Football Team, winning silver at the 1966 World Cup and bronze at the 1970 World Cup.
Schnellinger is a pupil of the Düren club and also played for this semi-amateur team and the West German youth team, was taken to the 1958 World Championships in Sweden. At the World Cup, Schnellinger played two games against France and Czechoslovakia. After the World Cup, Schnellinger moved to F.C. Köln, where he played for three years, scoring eight goals in 131 games and becoming the champion and best player of the West German team in 1962. In 1963, Schnellinger moved to the Italian club Mantova 1911, becoming one of the first truly successful German footballers abroad. After Mantova, Schnellinger played for Roma, but achieved his greatest success with A.C. Milan, with whom he won the Italian championship and cup, the European Cup, becoming the first German to win this trophy.
Schnellinger played 47 matches for the West German national team and scored one goal, which equalized the score in the 1970 World Cup semi-final against Italy in the 90th minute of the match, this goal took the game into extra time.
