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Ex-Nati player Rolf Blättler, here with Yann Sommer in June 2023, died at the age of 81.
Mourning in Swiss football: As “RSI” reports, former Swiss national player Rolf Blättler died at the age of 81 after a long illness.
Blättler was a defining figure in Swiss football in the sixties and seventies. The Zurich native played 28 international matches (12 goals) for the senior national team, often playing alongside his congenial teammates Köbi Kuhn (†76) and Karl Odermatt (81). The offensive player also left a big mark in the NLA. Between 1963 and 1969 he won the top scorer’s crown three times in the Grasshoppers jersey.
After 143 appearances and 101 goals for GC, Blättler finally joined FC Basel in 1971 after a stint at FC Lugano. With red-blue he became Swiss champion twice in the following years (1972 and 1973). After further years at FC St. Gallen and FC Luzern, he ended his career as player-coach at FC Locarno in 1983.
After his active career, he stayed in Ticino and moved to the coaching bench. After his involvement with FC Locarno, his former companion Paul Wolfisberg (†87) guided him to the Swiss Football Association, for which Blättler looked after the U21 national team from 1984 to 1986. From 1986 to 1988, Blättler also coached the Swiss Olympic selection.
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