Fritz Laband

{{Short description|German footballer (1925–1982)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Fritz Laband

| image =

| fullname = Friedrich Laband

| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|11|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hindenburg, Germany

| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|1|3|1925|11|1|df=y}}

| death_place = Hamburg, West Germany

| height =

| position = Defender

| youthyears1 = 1936–1937

| youthclubs1 = Reichsbahn SV Hindenburg

| youthyears2 = 1938–1943

| youthclubs2 = Hindenburg 09

| youthyears3 = 1943–1945

| youthclubs3 = Preußen Hindenburg

| years1 = 1945–1950

| clubs1 = ZSG Anker Wismar

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1950–1956

| clubs2 = Hamburger SV

| caps2 = 122

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1956–1957

| clubs3 = Werder Bremen

| caps3 = 10

| goals3 = 0

| totalcaps =

| totalgoals =

| nationalyears1 = 1954

| nationalteam1 = West Germany

| nationalcaps1 = 4

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|FRG}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|FIFA World Cup}}

{{Medal|W|1954 Switzerland|}}

}}

Fritz Laband (1 November 1925 – 3 January 1982) was a German footballer who played as a defender.

He was part of the West Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. In total he earned four caps for West Germany.{{cite web | url = http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/labandfritz/ | title = Fritz Laband | language = German | publisher = fussballdaten.de | accessdate = 9 July 2012}} During his club career he played for FC Anker Wismar, Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen.{{cite web | url = http://www.worldfootball.net/spieler_profil/fritz-laband/ | title = Fritz Laband | publisher = worldfootball.net | accessdate = 9 July 2012}}

His standard position being that of a right full back, Laband was a thorough-going and powerful player with good long range passing ability.{{cite book | last = Bitter | first = Jürgen | title = Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler | publisher = Sportverlag | year = 1997 | language = German | page =276}} With his international debut coming less than two months before the 1954 FIFA World Cup, he managed to play in three of Germany's six games at that tournament. For the semi-final and the final, coach Sepp Herberger however decided to move his Hamburg club teammate Josef Posipal to the right back position.