Frank Mill facts for kids
Mill in 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 23 July 1958 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Essen, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1972 | Eintracht Essen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1976 | Rot-Weiss Essen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1981 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 120 | (74) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1986 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 153 | (71) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1994 | Borussia Dortmund | 187 | (47) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 55 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 506 | (201) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | West Germany U-21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | West Germany Olympic | 20 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1990 | West Germany | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Frank Mill, born on July 23, 1958, is a former German professional footballer. He was part of the West Germany squad that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, where his team won a bronze medal.
Contents
Frank Mill's Football Journey
Early Life and First Steps in Football
Frank Mill started playing football at just six years old. His first club was Eintracht Essen. In 1972, he joined the youth team of Essen's biggest club, Rot-Weiss Essen.
While training to become a florist, Frank signed his first professional contract. This was with Rot-Weiss in 1976.
Rising Star at Rot-Weiss Essen
In his first season, Rot-Weiss Essen was in the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league. Frank scored three goals in 19 games. However, his team moved down to the 2. Bundesliga North.
In this league, Frank became a very strong goal scorer. He scored 71 goals for Rot-Weiss over four seasons. In the 1979–80 season, he scored 40 goals in just 38 games. This made him the top goal scorer in the 2. Bundesliga Nord. Because of his great performance, he became a target for bigger clubs.
Borussia Mönchengladbach Years
In 1981, Frank Mill returned to the Bundesliga. He was signed by Jupp Heynckes to play for Borussia Mönchengladbach. In his first year there, he scored 14 goals.
Just eight months after joining, he was called to play for West Germany. On March 21, 1982, he played in a friendly match against Brazil. A back injury kept him out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup squad. It also affected his goal scoring the next season.
In the 1983–84 season, he became Mönchengladbach's top scorer again. He scored 19 goals that season. His team almost won the Bundesliga title, losing only on goal difference. They also lost the DFB-Pokal final on penalties against Bayern Munich. Frank scored Mönchengladbach's only goal in that match.
Moving to Borussia Dortmund
In the summer of 1984, Frank played in the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was still a top striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach. In 1986, he moved to another Bundesliga team, Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund had to win special play-off games to stay in the Bundesliga. Once Frank joined, he helped Dortmund have a much better season in 1986–87. He scored 17 goals in 31 games. This helped Dortmund finish fourth and get a spot in the UEFA Cup for the next season.
Frank quickly became a popular player at Westfalenstadion, Dortmund's stadium. He was even made team captain. He also played for West Germany in the Euro 1988.
World Cup Glory and Later Career
Even though his goal scoring slowed down, Frank remained an important player. He helped Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal trophy in 1989. They beat Werder Bremen in the final.
In 1990, Franz Beckenbauer chose Frank for the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad. West Germany won the World Cup that year. However, Frank was the fourth-choice striker and did not play in any matches.
At his club, Frank changed from being a main goal scorer to helping set up goals for others. In 1991, a new manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld, took over Dortmund. Frank played less often, usually as a substitute. In the 1991–92 season, Dortmund almost won the Bundesliga title again. They lost on goal difference, just like Frank's Mönchengladbach team years before. Dortmund then reached the UEFA Cup final in 1993 but lost to Juventus.
Frank was still a favorite with the fans. In 1994, he left Dortmund to join Fortuna Düsseldorf, a team that had just moved up to the 2. Bundesliga. He played two more seasons there. In his first season, he scored five goals, helping Fortuna return to the Bundesliga.
His last year as a professional was the 1995–96 season. He started well with two goals in his first three games. But he didn't score any more goals in his next 26 games for Düsseldorf. In total, Frank Mill scored 123 goals in 387 Bundesliga games for Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, and Fortuna Düsseldorf.
After he stopped playing, Fortuna Düsseldorf offered him a job as a director. He later left this role.
Honours
Borussia Mönchengladbach
- DFB-Pokal: Runner-up in 1983–84
Borussia Dortmund
West Germany
See also
In Spanish: Frank Mill para niños
