:Fritz Keller
{{for|the German football administrator|Fritz Keller (football administrator)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Fritz Keller
| fullname = Friedrich Keller / Frédéric Keller
| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|8|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Strasbourg, Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|6|8|1913|8|21|df=y}}
| position = Forward
| years1 = 1934–1939
| years2 = 1940–1944
| clubs1 = Strasbourg
| clubs2 = SG SS Straßburg
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| nationalyears1 = 1934–1937
| nationalteam1 = France
| nationalcaps1 = 8
| nationalgoals1 = 3
}}
Frédéric "Fritz" Keller (born Friedrich Keller, 21 August 1913 – 8 June 1985) was a German-born professional French footballer who played as a forward in the Première division for RC Strasbourg, and for the France national team.
Club career
Born to an Alsatian mother and a German father in Strasbourg (then Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen), Fritz Keller was the second and arguably the most talented of the three Keller brothers (Albert, Fritz, Curt) who all played as professionals for RC Strasbourg in the 1930s.{{Cite web|title=Frédéric Keller|url=https://racingstub.com/persons/99/|website=racingstub.com|date=21 August 1913 |language=fr|access-date=2020-05-16}} He was a key member of the Strasbourg team that finished second in the 1934–35 Championship and reached the final of the cup in 1937.
When Alsace was de facto annexed by the Third Reich, Fritz Keller elected to play for SS side SG SS Straßburg in the Gauliga Elsaß rather than continuing with RC Strasbourg's ersatz, Rasensport Club Straßburg."Quand Strasbourg et Metz étaient Allemands", France Football, 24 May 2005 According to some of his former teammates at RCS, this was more an opportunistic move than a real ideological gesture as the SS were offering significant rewards to build up the best team in Alsace.
International career
Keller had his first cap for France on 10 May 1934 against the Netherlands and participated in World Cup 1934, playing one game against Austria's Wunderteam.{{Cite web|title=Equipes de France - FFF|url=https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/|website=www.fff.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-05-16}}{{Cite web|title=Frédéric Keller|url=https://racingstub.com/persons/99/|website=racingstub.com|date=21 August 1913 |language=fr|access-date=2020-05-16}} He was the first RC Strasbourg player to earn a cap with the national team. His younger brother Curt Keller also had one cap with France in 1937 but, at that time, Fritz's career for the national team had ended.{{Cite web|title=Equipes de France - FFF|url=https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/|website=www.fff.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-05-16}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.fff.fr/servfff/historique/historique.php?id=KELLER%20Fritz FFF Profile]
- [http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=joueur&id=99 Racingstub profile]
{{France Squad 1934 World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Fritz}}
Category:Footballers from Strasbourg
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:French men's footballers
Category:France men's international footballers
Category:RC Strasbourg Alsace players
Category:1934 FIFA World Cup players
Category:French people of German descent
Category:Sportspeople from Alsace-Lorraine