Günter Sawitzki is a former German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 football player.

Sawitzki's performances for underdog side SV Sodingen in the then best German division caught the attention of West German coach Sepp Herberger

Sepp Herberger

Josef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...

 and made Sawitzki a proposed rival to Heinz Kwiatkowski

Heinz Kwiatkowski

Heinrich "Heinz" Kwiatkowski was a German football goalkeeper. He was born in Gelsenkirchen.He was a member of the West German team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In total he earned four caps for West Germany. During his club career he played for...

 and Fritz Herkenrath

Fritz Herkenrath

Friedrich "Fritz" Herkenrath is a former football goalkeeper for Germany at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He earned 21 caps between 1954 and 1958....

 for the role as Toni Turek

Toni Turek

Toni Turek, real name Anton Turek, was a German football goalkeeper.-Biography:Turek was born in Duisburg....

's successor in the West German goal. Before Sawitzki left tiny Sodingen, who had finished third in Germany in 1955, to join VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart

Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...

 in 1956, he had already played in two games for West Germany.

Sticking with (later) Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 included VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart

Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...

 for the rest of his career, the goalkeeper was in the squads of West Germany at the 1958 FIFA World Cup

1958 FIFA World Cup

The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...

 and 1962 FIFA World Cup

1962 FIFA World Cup

The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...

, although he remained reserve on both occasions.

Sawitzki's biggest success as a player was winning the West German Cup in 1958 with VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart

Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...

.