Manager of the Austrian national soccer team
Hugo Meisl was born in Maleschau, Bohemia (now Malesov, Czech Republic), into a wealthy family. He moved with his family to Vienna in 1893, where he attended a commercial school and eventually started his business career as a clerk with the Laenderbank. Nevertheless, Meisl decided to abandon what was supposed to be a promising financial career and dedicated himself to soccer. He started playing soccer already during the childhood, and later he became a referee and journalist.
However, his achievements were linked to his position in the leadership of the Austrian Soccer Federation from 1912 to 1937, and especially during the 1920s and 1939s, when he was its General Secretary. Hugo Meisl was the founder of Mitropa Cup in 1927, the first international club competition. As manager of the Austrian national soccer team – the Wunderteam, he led Austria to a long series of victories against leading soccer teams that included an impressive appearance in the 1934 World Championship, when it was stopped in the semi-finals by Italy, that competition’s champions. In total Hugo Meisl coached the Austrian national soccer team for 155 international matches, including 78 victories.