Summary
Ulf Kirsten (born 4 December 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.[1] Nicknamed Der Schwatte (dialect for Der Schwarze, 'The Black One'), he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps playing with two different national teams (first for East Germany, then Reunified Germany). Kirsten's biggest success was the victory of the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal.
 Kirsten in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 December 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Riesa, East Germany | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972–1978 | BSG Chemie Riesa | ||
| 1978–1979 | BSG Stahl Riesa | ||
| 1979–1983 | Dynamo Dresden | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1990 | Dynamo Dresden | 154 | (57) |
| 1990–2003 | Bayer Leverkusen | 350 | (181) |
| Total | 504 | (238) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1986 | East Germany U21 | 10 | (4) |
| 1985–1990 | East Germany | 49 | (14) |
| 1990–2000 | Germany | 51 | (20) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003–2005 | Bayer Leverkusen (assistant) | ||
| 2005–2011 | Bayer Leverkusen II | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
Dynamo Dresden edit
Kirsten began playing football for local team BSG Chemie Riesa in 1972. He joined BSG Stahl Riesa in 1978 before joining the youth academy of Dynamo Dresden in 1979. Dynamo Dresden was a center of excellence (German: Leistungszentrum) and the most prominent club in Bezirk Dresden. It was also the most successful club in East Germany at the time. Kirsten made his professional debut for Dynamo Dresden in the 1983-84 DDR-Oberliga season.
Kirsten played 154 matches and scored 57 goals for Dynamo Dresden in the DDR-Oberliga. He won the DDR-Oberliga with Dynamo Dresden in two consecutive seasons: 1988-88 and 1989-90. Kirsten became the Footballer of the Year in East Germany in 1990.
Kirsten had an unusual build: measuring only 172 cm (5'8"), but weighing 81 kg (179 lbs). He therefore had an unusually low centre of gravity, which enabled him to protect the ball in the box against much bigger defenders and turn around quickly for close-range shots. The playing style was often compared to that of Gerd Müller. In addition, despite his small height, Kirsten was also a feared header.
Bayer Leverkusen edit
Kirsten was one of the first East German men's footballers to enter the Bundesliga after the German reunification. In the German Bundesliga he played 350 matches for Bayer 04 Leverkusen and scored 182 goals (ranked #7 in the all-time top scorer list). He established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in the Bundesliga, but Bayer Leverkusen regularly ended as runner-up to either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. He stayed there until his retirement in 2003. He also played in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, although his team lost to Real Madrid. In the 1999–2000 season, Kirsten won the EFFIFU award for being the most efficient striker in the league.
Off the pitch, Kirsten was famous for his strong beard growth, which earned him a sponsorship by Braun, who used him to advertise their electrical shavers.
International career edit
Kirsten's 100 caps are almost evenly split: 49 for East Germany and 51 for the re-unified Germany in a career which spanned 15 years from 1985 until 2000, with the reunified team being formed in late 1990.[2]
Kirsten scored a total of 34 international goals, 14 of them for East Germany. His only major tournaments came late in his career; Kirsten played for his country at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and Euro 2000.
Personal life edit
Kirsten's son Benjamin is also a footballer, and has played as a goalkeeper for Dynamo Dresden and NEC.[3]
Along with several other teammates, Kirsten was allegedly implicated as an Stasi informant during his time at Dynamo Dresden files recovered from the security service's archives after the fall of East Germany.[4][5]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1990–91 | Bundesliga | 32 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 15 |
| 1991–92 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 24 | 13 | |||
| 1992–93 | 33 | 20 | 7 | 3 | — | 40 | 23 | |||
| 1993–94 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 361 | 191 | ||
| 1994–95 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 37 | 25 | ||
| 1995–96 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 11 | ||
| 1996–97 | 29 | 22 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 22 | |||
| 1997–98 | 27 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 402 | 272 | ||
| 1998–99 | 31 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 383 | 243 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 27 | 17 | — | 6 | 4 | 354 | 234 | |||
| 2000–01 | 29 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 365 | 175 | ||
| 2001–02 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 526 | 18 | ||
| 2002–03 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 57 | 0 | |||
| Total | 350 | 181 | 31 | 17 | 56 | 33 | 446 | 237 | ||
- 1 Including 1 match and 1 goal in 1993 DFB-Supercup.
- 2 Including 1 match and 1 goal in 1997 DFB-Ligapokal.
- 3 Including 2 matches and 1 goal in 1998 DFB-Ligapokal.
- 4 Including 2 matches and 2 goals in 1999 DFB-Ligapokal.
- 5 Including 1 match and 1 goal in 2000 DFB-Ligapokal.
- 6 Including 1 match in 2001 DFB-Ligapokal.
- 7 Including 1 match in 2002 DFB-Ligapokal.
International edit
International goals for East Germany
- Score and results list East Germany's goal tally first.[6]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 February 1986 | Estádio 1º de Maio, Braga, Portugal |  Portugal |
2–0 |
3–1 |
Friendly |
| 2. | 29 October 1986 | Ernst-Thälmann-Stadion, Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany |  Iceland |
2–0 |
2–0 |
UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 3. | 23 September 1987 | Stadion der Freundschaft, Gera, East Germany |  Tunisia |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Friendly |
| 4. | 10 October 1987 | Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, East Berlin, East Germany |  Soviet Union |
1–0 |
1–1 |
UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 5. | 28 October 1987 | Ernst-Grube-Stadion, Magdeburg, East Germany |  Norway |
1–0 |
3–1
| |
| 6. | 3–1
| |||||
| 7. | 13 February 1989 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Egypt |
1–0 |
4–0 |
Friendly |
| 8. | 3–0
| |||||
| 9. | 20 May 1989 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany |  Austria |
1–1 |
1–1 |
1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying |
| 10. | 23 August 1989 | Georgij-Dimitroff-Stadion, Erfurt, East Germany |  Bulgaria |
1–0 |
1–1 |
Friendly |
| 11. | 28 March 1990 | Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, East Berlin, East Germany |  United States |
1–0 |
3–2
| |
| 12. | 2–0
| |||||
| 13. | 3–1
|
International goals for Germany
- Score and results list Germany's goal tally first.[7]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 April 1993 | Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany |  Ghana |
1–1 |
6–1 |
Friendly |
| 2. | 13 October 1993 | Wildparkstadion, Karlsruhe, Germany |  Uruguay |
4–0 |
5–0
| |
| 3. | 27 April 1994 | Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates |
1–0 |
2–0
| |
| 4. | 16 November 1994 | Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Albania |
2–1 |
2–1 |
UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 5. | 14 December 1994 | Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova |  Moldova |
1–0 |
3–0
| |
| 6. | 6 September 1995 | Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany |  Georgia |
3–1 |
4–1
| |
| 7. | 2 April 1997 | Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain | Albania |
1–1 |
3–2 |
1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying |
| 8. | 2–1
| |||||
| 9. | 3–1
| |||||
| 10. | 6 September 1997 | Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany | Portugal |
1–1 |
1–1
| |
| 11. | 10 September 1997 | Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany |  Armenia |
4–0 |
4–0
| |
| 12. | 25 March 1998 | Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany |  Brazil |
1–1 |
1–2 |
Friendly |
| 13. | 5 June 1998 | Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim, Germany |  Luxembourg |
1–0 |
7–0
| |
| 14. | 4–0
| |||||
| 15. | 14 October 1998 | Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova | Moldova |
1–1 |
3–1 |
UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 16. | 2–1
| |||||
| 17. | 4 June 1999 | BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany | 2–0 |
6–1
| ||
| 18. | 26 April 2000 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany |  Switzerland |
1–1 |
1–1 |
Friendly |
| 19. | 7 June 2000 | Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany |  Liechtenstein |
4–2 |
8–2
| |
| 20. | 6–2
|
Managerial statistics edit
- As of 25 May 2012
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen II | 1 July 2005 | 30 June 2011 | 209 | 72 | 50 | 87 | 292 | 313 | −21 | 34.45 |
| Total | 209 | 72 | 50 | 87 | 292 | 313 | −21 | 34.45 | ||
Honours edit
Club edit
Dynamo Dresden
- DDR-Oberliga (2): 1988–89, 1989–90
- FDGB-Pokal (2): 1984–85, 1989–90
Bayer Leverkusen
- DFB-Pokal: 1992–93
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2001–02
Individual edit
- East German Footballer of the Year (1): 1989–90
- Bundesliga top scorer (3): 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorer (1): 1993–94
- UEFA Cup top scorer (1): 1994–95
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season (2): 1996–97, 1998–99[8][9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Kirsten, Ulf" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Ulf Kirsten – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Kirsten vor 3. Liga-Debüt" (in German). kicker.de. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Mielkes Rächer unbestraft - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 16 November 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ McDougall, Alan, ed. (2014), "Football and the Stasi", The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 123–146, doi:10.1017/CBO9781107280311.007, ISBN 978-1-107-05203-1, retrieved 23 February 2023
- ^ "Ulf Kirsten (Player)". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Ulf Kirsten (Player)". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Bundesliga Historie 1996/97" (in German). kicker.
- ^ "Bundesliga Historie 1998/99" (in German). kicker.
External links edit
- Ulf Kirsten at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- Ulf Kirsten profile at Leverkusen.com (in German)