Willy Meisl

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Wilhelm "Willy" Meisl (26 December 1895 in Vienna – 12 June 1968 in Locarno) was an Austrian-Jewish sports journalist in the 20th century. He was the brother of Austrian national football manager Hugo Meisl. Meisl was an avid sportsman, playing football, tennis, water polo and boxing before he turned to sports writing. In 1920, his brother Hugo fielded him in an international game against Hungary, giving him his only international football appearance. Meisl's writings did much to transform how football was perceived and played throughout continental Europe. In 1955, he coined the phrase 'The Whirl' to describe the play of his brother's Austrian 'Wunderteam' of the 1930s. He wrote: "We must free our soccer youth from the shackles of playing to order, along rails as it were. We must give them ideas and encourage them to develop their own". Meisl's early career showed an inclination toward sports and participation. He played amateur football as a goalkeeper in Vienna, and was even selected for the national side by his brother. He played tennis, boxed, swam, played water polo and later coached the Swedish side Hammarby Fotboll for two seasons from 1923. He completed legal studies in t

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