Willi Lippens

Willi "Ente" Lippens (born November 10, 1945 in Bedburg-Hau, Niederrhein, Germany) was a German football player of Dutch parents. He played for "Rot-Weiss Essen" from 1965-76 and in 1980-81. Between 1976 and 1979 he played for Borussia Dortmund before leaving to play one season for the Dallas Tornado of the NASL (North American Soccer League).

Lippens played in 242 Bundesliga matches, scoring 92 goals, making him the player who appeared most often for "Rot-Weiss" at that level of play, as well as their highest scorer. Lippens also played an international match for the Netherlands.

Lippens was known for his irreverent good humour and imaginative footwork - which earned him the nickname "Ente" (Duck) – and was a fan favorite. After a referee cautioned him on a play with the words "I warn you!", Lippens cheerfully replied "I thank you!" – and was immediately red-carded by the dour official. The anecdote is more funny in German because both the referee and Lippens used a grammatically false case of the pronoun you.

tatistics

*107 goals in 155 regional league games "Rot-Weiss Essen" (1965-1966, 1967-1969, 1971-1973)
*79 goals in 172 Bundesliga games for "Rot-Weiss Essen" (1966-1967, 1969-1971, 1973-1976)
*23 goals in 67 2.Bundesliga-Nordgames for "Rot-Weiss Essen" (1979-1981)
*13 goals in 70 Bundesliga games for "Borussia Dortmund" (1976-1979)