Willi Lippens is 80 years old
“Thank you” – as the “duck” flew off the pitch
Updated on November 7, 2025 – 3:21 amReading time: 3 minutes
A club rejected him because of his running style. But what followed made him a Ruhrpott legend. Why even the national coach knocked on his door.
Willi Lippens celebrates his 80th birthday on November 10th – an occasion that Rot-Weiss Essen is using to honor one of the most influential personalities in the club’s history. Little is known today: the player who became the face of the club for more than ten years was about to take a different path and almost never ended up on Hafenstrasse.
For the 1965/66 season, the talented striker moved from VfB Lohengrin 03 Kleve to Essen for a transfer fee of 4,000 marks. But the route to the Ruhr metropolis almost led him to local rivals ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. There, Lippens completed his first trial training. However, those responsible declined to sign him because his running style was unusable.
RWE coach Fritz Pliska, on the other hand, recognized the talent and explained in a television interview that he could still get used to the waddling running style. But Willi Lippens didn’t want to let his running style be changed and instead developed it into his trademark. The “Duck” was born – the nickname under which the striker, born on November 10, 1945 in the German-Dutch border area, became a legend. In his first year he lived under the roof of the main stand of the Georg Melches Stadium on Hafenstrasse for 30 marks.
Lippens scored goals for Rot-Weiss Essen from 1965 to 1976 and 1979 to 1981. Between 1976 and 1978 he played for Borussia Dortmund. He scored a total of 92 goals in 242 Bundesliga games and played 449 times for RWE in his career, scoring 237 goals. There were also further goals in regional and second division games.
With ten goals in the Bundesliga promotion round in 1969, Lippens set an unrivaled record. He played in all five Essen Bundesliga promotion rounds as well as the two promotion games in 1980 against Karlsruher SC and scored 23 goals in 40 qualifying games. He scored five goals in 13 DFB Cup games.
The “duck” on the wing became a terror for defenders even in his early professional years. The brilliant technician’s repertoire of feints seemed inexhaustible; he thrilled fans with a mixture of show, humor and magic. The striker with the waddling gait and distinctive bowlegs sometimes stopped the ball with all his might – and was a goal-getter in a class of his own.
His sayings were as legendary as his idiosyncratic running style. The name of his restaurant “I thank you,” which he runs in Bottrop, was preceded by an anecdote. In the game Westfalia Herne against Rot-Weiss Essen in 1965, a dialogue with the referee in typical Kohlenpott slang got him sent off. “I was fouled several times. Then I ran next to my opponent and wanted to hit him,” said Lippens later. The referee saw this, came running and said to Lippens: “I’m warning you.” Lippens replied: “Thank you” – and the “duck” flew off the pitch.