Pfaff was born in Lebbeke. At the age of 16, he joined K.S.K. Beveren with whom he won a Belgian champions title (1979) and a Belgian Cup (1978). The same year, he received the Belgian Golden Shoe. In 1982, he entered the Bayern Munich squad,[3] getting three Bundesliga titles (from 1985 to 1987) and two German cups (1984 and 1986).[4]
Despite his sturdy physical build, Pfaff possessed quick reflexes and was known for his spectacular playing style, as well as his ability to produce acrobatic saves, which made him an effective shot-stopper. He was also known for his extroverted and outspoken character, his lively and eccentric personality, and his strong and charismatic leadership qualities, as well as his confidence, fair-play, and professionalism, which made him an excellent organiser of the defence and a popular figure among the fans; as such, due to his cheerful attitude on the pitch and humorous demeanor, he earned him the nickname El Simpático ("Mr. Nice Guy," in Spanish) during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He also excelled at quickly rushing off his line; moreover, although he was not the tallest goalkeeper, his large hands aided him when coming out to claim the ball, which made him an authoritative presence in goal. Furthermore, he was renowned for his penalty–stopping abilities. Despite his goalkeeping ability, however, and his reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime, and as one of Belgium's greatest goalkeepers ever[6] – with some in the sport even ranking him as one of the best goalkeepers of all time –, he was also known to be inconsistent and prone to occasional errors.[a]
Pfaff was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He was a representative of company United Sol Energy in 2005. The company became the sponsor of the former East German record championBFC Dynamo before the 2005-06 season. Pfaff became a member of BFC Dynamo and promoted the establishment of a new youth sports school at the club.[22] The new youth sports school at BFC Dynamo was meant to bear his name.[23] Pfaff visited the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen and participated in training with youth teams of BFC Dynamo.[24] However, the sponsorship never materialized. Pfaff resigned from the club on 11 August 2006 and terminated his membership.[25] He was a TV star in Belgium and the Netherlands with the reality show De Pfaffs showing him and his family from 2002 to 2012.[26]
^"Jean-Marie Pfaff". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
^"Jean-Marie Pfaff wordt 70: 'Collega's die me vroeger in een slecht daglicht hebben gesteld, moeten niet meer afkomen'". De Morgen (in Dutch). 3 December 2023.
^Arnhold, Matthias (16 January 2020). "Jean-Marie Pfaff - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
^"Jean Marie PFAF". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
^Stokkermans, Karel (16 January 2020). "Jean-Marie Pfaff - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
^"10 Best Belgian Soccer Players of All Time". Soccer Mavericks. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^MURA, GIANNI (28 June 1986). "DA PFAFF A VALDANO ECCO I MR. UNIVERSO". la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"EURO cult heroes: Jean-Marie Pfaff, 1980". UEFA.com. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Losapio, Andrea (18 April 2020). "#iorestoacasa - Le storie della buonanotte: Jean Marie Pfaff, il portiere dai guanti enormi" (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"I portieri del Mondiale dei portieri" (in Italian). Rivista Studio. 6 July 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Campo, Carlo; Rouse, Daniel. "Debate: Is Claudio Bravo a world-class goalkeeper?". theScore.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"I più grandi Numeri Uno" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"Meet Svilar, Benfica's rookie goalkeeper". ESPN.com. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Conterio, Marco (19 October 2016). "Uomini soli" (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"PFAFF Jean-Marie: il burattino senza fili" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Di Benedetto, Lorenzo (4 December 2020). "Jean-Marie Pfaff, portiere dai guanti giganti e showman dopo il ritiro" (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"Juventus, Buffon: Piedi per terra, migliorare le prestazioni" (in Italian). Tiscali Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"Buffon, leggenda da record: è davvero il numero uno di sempre?" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Camedda, Paolo (2 October 2020). "Jean-Marie Pfaff, 'il clown della porta' che fece grande il Belgio e il Bayern Monaco" (in Italian). www.goal.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"Van der Sar ranks among the all-time greats". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^"Pfaff: 'de doelpuntenclown' die België en Bayern München groot maakte". voetbalzone.nl (in Dutch). 14 April 2023.
^Heath, Duncan (26 July 2005). "In eigener Sache". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^Gaber, Felix (2 August 2005). "BFC Dynamo: Mit Pfaff in die Zukunft". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^Koch, Matthias (24 October 2005). "Jean-Marie Pfaff hat bei Dynamo ein Problem". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
^Doneck, Karsten (14 August 2006). "Jean-Marie Pfaff kündigt". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^"Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
^"WSLA Monaco". worldsportslegendsaward.com. 3 December 2016.
^"IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team". www.iffhs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
^"Net ereburger en Jean-Marie Pfaff wil in Beveren al een voetbalmuseum oprichten". VRT (in Dutch). 24 June 2022.
^"Jean-Marie Pfaff leidt ons rond in zijn pop-upmuseum: "Mensen doen beseffen dat je niets zomaar krijgt in het leven"". Sporza (in Dutch). 10 July 2023.
^"Jean-Marie Pfaff., de derde dimensie". agon-sportsworld.de (in German). 30 December 2023.
^"De held van Munchen". stripinfo.be (in Dutch). 30 December 2023.
^"Das Torwartbuch". abebooks.com (in German). 30 December 2023.
^"De Pfaffs". stripinfo.be (in Dutch). 30 December 2023.
^"Overleven". hebban.nl (in Dutch). 30 December 2023.
^"Bayern-Ikone Pfaff: Ein neues Buch - und kein Verständnis für Nübel". abendzeitung-muenchen.de (in German). 28 January 2022.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Marie Pfaff.
Official website
Jean-Marie Pfaff – FIFA competition record (archived)
Jean-Marie Pfaff – UEFA competition record (archive)