 Bierhoff in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Oliver Bierhoff[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1968-05-01)1 May 1968 (age 57) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Karlsruhe,West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Bayer Uerdingen | 31 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Hamburger SV | 34 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Austria Salzburg | 33 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Ascoli | 117 | (48) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Udinese | 86 | (57) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | AC Milan | 91 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Monaco | 18 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Chievo | 26 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 444 | (185) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | West Germany U21 | 10 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2002 | Germany | 70 | (37) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Oliver Bierhoff (born 1 May 1968) is a German association football official and former player who played as astriker. He has previously served as thetechnical director of theGermany national team. A tall, strong and prolific goalscorer, Bierhoff was mostly renowned for his excellent abilities in the air, and as atarget man, being able to deliver pin-pointheaders towards goal.[2]
He spent his early career playing for Bayer Uerdingen, Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga where he had modest success. After a season in the Austria Bundesliga for Austria Salzburg, he was signed by Ascoli in Serie A. Ascoli were relegated in his first season and Bierhoff played three seasons with them in the Serie B.
Bierhoff was signed by an Udinese team led byAlberto Zaccheroni in 1995 where he had great success and earned his first call-up to the Germany national team. Bierhoff scored the firstgolden goal in the history of major international football, forGermany in theEuro 96 final, a career-defining performance that vaulted him into the international limelight.
He finished the1997–98 season asSerie A top scorer. He was subsequently signed by AC Milan in 1998, winning the Serie A title in hisfirst season with the club, scoring 19 goals in the league and 21 in all competitions. He set a Serie A record for most headed goals in a single season, with 15. After three years at AC Milan, Bierhoff had brief stints at Monaco and Chievo before retiring from playing in 2003.
The son of a German utility magnate, Bierhoff played for nine different clubs, in four different countries. He scored a total of 102 goals inSerie A, one of the highest totals for a non-Italian in the league's history. In the1997–98 season, he was theSerie A top scorer with 27 goals forUdinese.
Bierhoff, however, was never a success in theBundesliga. After failing to shine in Germany, he got his chance in theAustrian Bundesliga. That gave him the chance atAscoli inItaly. But it was at Udinese, underAlberto Zaccheroni, that Bierhoff found success and won his place in fame and in the Germany national team. He then transferred toAC Milan in 1998, winning the Serie A title in hisfirst season with the club, scoring 19 goals in the league and 21 in all competitions, including the match-winning goal in the final, title-deciding match of the season, a 2–1 away win overPerugia.[3] During the 1998–99 season, he set a Serie A record for most headed goals in a single season, with 15.[4] After three seasons there, he moved toLigue 1 sideMonaco in 2001 for one year, before moving back to Serie A to play forChievoVerona, where he retired at the end of the2002–03 season. In his last game, he scored a hat-trick for Chievo in a 3–4 defeat toJuventus.[5]
Bierhoff debuted for theGermany national team in a friendly againstPortugal on 21 February 1996. In his second appearance on 27 March 1996, he scored his first two international goals in his country's 2–0 win overDenmark. Bierhoff was not initially going to be selected by coachBerti Vogts for Germany'sUEFA Euro 1996, but Vogts's wife convinced him to take Bierhoff, saying, "he'll repay you." Bierhoff would come on as a substitute in thefinal against theCzech Republic with Germany 1–0 down, and scored both the equaliser and thegolden goal in extra time to win the tournament.[6][7]
In an importantqualification match on 20 August 1997, Germany trailedNorthern Ireland, 0–1, with 20 minutes left when the manager of the national team,Berti Vogts, sent inThomas Häßler and Oliver Bierhoff. Within seven minutes the former provided Bierhoff with three assists, meaning Bierhoff had scored the fastesthat-trick in the history of the Germany national team.[8]In 1998, he was appointedcaptain of the national team after the retirement ofJürgen Klinsmann.[9]
A large and prolific striker, Bierhoff was a strong, physical, aggressive, and powerful player, who played mainly as atarget forward role.[2][10] Although he was not particularly skilful with his feet from a technical standpoint, or a particularly good ball-player, he possessed good movement inside the box as well as strong hold-up play, but he was known in particular for his excellent aerial ability; in addition to his height, strength, and elevation, he was able to executeheaders with power and precision, having scored several critical goals with his head throughout his career, for both club and country, which led him to be regarded as one of the best players in the world with his head and as a specialist in the air. In addition to scoring goals, Bierhoff was also capable of providingassists to his teammates with his head through knock-downs.[10][11][12][13][14][15] Although he was less adept at scoring with his feet,[10] he also possessed a powerful shot.[16]
Bierhoff was a manager of theGermany national football team from 2004 until December 2017, a new position created as part ofJürgen Klinsmann's acceptance of the coaching job. Essentially the duties revolve around thepublic relations aspect of the team as opposed to coaching responsibilities.[17] On 1 January 2018, a structural reform in the German Football Association took place and Bierhoff was named thetechnical director of the Germany national team (officiallyDirektor Nationalmannschaften und Akademie, "director national teams and football development").[18][19] After another early World Cup exit in2022, Bierhoff had his contract terminated by theDFB, which was supposed to run until 2024.[20]
On 22 June 2001, Bierhoff married Klara Szalantzy, aMunich-born-and-bred German former model of Hungarian ancestry who had formerly dated basketball playerDražen Petrović and was behind the wheel in the fatal June 1993 car crash onBundesautobahn 9 (A9) near the town ofDenkendorf that claimed Petrović's life.[21][22] Bierhoff and Szalantzy had a daughter on 27 January 2007. He is aRoman Catholic.
Bierhoff features inEA Sports'FIFA video game series; he features in theFIFA 14 Ultimate-Team Legends.[23]
He is a member of the AC Milan Hall of Fame.[2]
Bierhoff was one of several celebrities in 2015 who endorsed the tabloid newspaperBild's petition against far right groupPEGIDA.[24]
Bierhoff took a correspondence course and graduated in 2002 with a degree in business economics from theUniversity of Hagen.[25][26]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bayer Uerdingen | 1986–87 | Bundesliga | 19 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | 4[c] | 2 | — | 27 | 9 | ||
| 1987–88 | Bundesliga | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | 4 | 2 | — | 40 | 10 | ||||
| Hamburger SV | 1988–89 | Bundesliga | 24 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 27 | 7 | |||
| 1989–90 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 38 | 7 | |||||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1989–90 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Austria Salzburg | 1990–91 | Austrian Bundesliga | 33 | 23 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 36 | 26 | |||
| Ascoli | 1991–92 | Serie A | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| 1992–93 | Serie B | 35 | 20 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 37 | 21 | ||||
| 1993–94 | Serie B | 32 | 17 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 17 | ||||
| 1994–95 | Serie B | 33 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 117 | 48 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 124 | 49 | |||||
| Udinese | 1995–96 | Serie A | 31 | 17 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 18 | |||
| 1996–97 | Serie A | 23 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 13 | ||||
| 1997–98 | Serie A | 32 | 27 | 3 | 2 | — | 4[c] | 2 | — | 39 | 31 | |||
| Total | 86 | 57 | 6 | 3 | — | 4 | 2 | — | 96 | 62 | ||||
| AC Milan | 1998–99 | Serie A | 34 | 19 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 37 | 21 | |||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 30 | 11 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[d] | 2 | 1[e] | 0 | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 27 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 10[d] | 2 | — | 42 | 9 | |||
| Total | 91 | 36 | 11 | 4 | — | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 44 | |||
| Monaco | 2001–02 | Division 1 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 25 | 7 | ||
| Chievo | 2002–03 | Serie A | 26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 30 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 444 | 185 | 42 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 516 | 212 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1996 | 11 | 6 |
| 1997 | 8 | 7 | |
| 1998 | 17 | 8 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2000 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 11 | 6 | |
| Total | 70 | 37 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 1996 | Olympic Stadium,Munich, Germany |  Denmark | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 4 June 1996 | Carl-Benz-Stadion,Mannheim, Germany |  Liechtenstein | 3–0 | 9–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 30 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium,London, England |  Czech Republic | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| 5 | 2–1 | |||||
| 6 | 4 September 1996 | Górnik Stadium,Zabrze, Poland |  Poland | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 30 April 1997 | Weserstadion,Bremen, Germany |  Ukraine | 1–0 | 2–0 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 8 | 20 August 1997 | Windsor Park,Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–1 | 3–1 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 9 | 2–1 | |||||
| 10 | 3–1 | |||||
| 11 | 11 October 1997 | Niedersachsenstadion,Hanover, Germany |  Albania | 2–1 | 4–3 | FIFA World Cup 1998 qualifying |
| 12 | 4–3 | |||||
| 13 | 15 November 1997 | Rheinstadion,Düsseldorf, Germany |  South Africa | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 30 May 1998 | Waldstadion,Frankfurt, Germany |  Colombia | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 2–0 | |||||
| 16 | 5 June 1998 | Carl-Benz-Stadion,Mannheim, Germany |  Luxembourg | 5–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 6–0 | |||||
| 18 | 21 June 1998 | Stade Félix-Bollaert,Lens, France |  Yugoslavia | 2–2 | 2–2 | FIFA World Cup 1998 |
| 19 | 25 June 1998 | Stade de la Mosson,Montpellier, France |  Iran | 1–0 | 2–0 | FIFA World Cup 1998 |
| 20 | 29 June 1998 | Stade de la Mosson,Montpellier, France |  Mexico | 2–1 | 2–1 | FIFA World Cup 1998 |
| 21 | 14 October 1998 | Stadionul Republican,Chişinău, Moldova |  Moldova | 3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 22 | 4 June 1999 | BayArena,Leverkusen, Germany | Moldova | 1–0 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 23 | 4–0 | |||||
| 24 | 6–1 | |||||
| 25 | 4 September 1999 | Olympic Stadium,Helsinki, Finland |  Finland | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 26 | 2–0 | |||||
| 27 | 8 September 1999 | Westfalenstadion,Dortmund, Germany | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 28 | 3 June 2000 | Frankenstadion,Nuremberg, Germany | Czech Republic | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 29 | 3–2 | |||||
| 30 | 7 June 2000 | Dreisamstadion,Freiburg, Germany | Liechtenstein | 1–0 | 8–2 | Friendly |
| 31 | 15 August 2001 | Népstadion,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 5–2 | 5–2 | Friendly |
| 32 | 13 February 2002 | Fritz Walter Stadion,Kaiserslautern, Germany |  Israel | 5–1 | 7–1 | Friendly |
| 33 | 27 March 2002 | Ostseestadion,Rostock, Germany |  United States | 3–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 34 | 9 May 2002 | Dreisamstadion,Freiburg, Germany |  Kuwait | 2–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 35 | 4–0 | |||||
| 36 | 6–0 | |||||
| 37 | 1 June 2002 | Sapporo Dome,Sapporo, Japan |  Saudi Arabia | 7–0 | 8–0 | FIFA World Cup 2002 |
Ascoli
AC Milan
Individual
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Germany captain 1998–2001 | Succeeded by |
Germany squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
