Jürgen Kohler facts for kids
Kohler in 2005
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 October 1965 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lambsheim, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Bonner SC (U17 manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1981 | TB Jahn Lambsheim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Waldhof Mannheim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1987 | Waldhof Mannheim | 95 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | 1. FC Köln | 57 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1991 | Bayern Munich | 55 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Juventus | 102 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2002 | Borussia Dortmund | 191 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 500 | (36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | West Germany U18 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1987 | West Germany U21 | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1998 | Germany | 105 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Germany U21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | MSV Duisburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | VfR Aalen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Bonner SC (U19 manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | SpVgg EGC Wirges | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | SC Hauenstein | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | VfL Alfter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Viktoria Köln (U19 manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Viktoria Köln (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Bonner SC (U17 manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Jürgen Kohler is a famous German former football player and manager. He was born on October 6, 1965. He was known for being a strong and reliable centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field. Today, he works as a manager for the U17 team at Bonner SC.
Contents
Jürgen Kohler's Football Journey
Playing for Clubs
Jürgen Kohler had a long and successful career playing football. He played in exactly 500 top-level league matches. He mostly played as a centre-back in Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A. He won many important titles with his teams.
He started his professional career at Waldhof Mannheim. His first game in the Bundesliga was in April 1984. He scored his first goal in January 1985.
After Waldhof Mannheim, he played for 1. FC Köln for two years. Then, he moved to Bayern Munich. In his first season there, in 1989–90, his team won the Bundesliga championship.
In 1991, Kohler moved to Italy to play for Juventus. He was named the best foreign player in Italy's Serie A in 1992. With Juventus, he won the 1992–93 UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund. He also helped them win the Italian league and cup in the 1994–95 season.
Jürgen returned to Germany in 1995 to play for Borussia Dortmund. He won another league championship in 1996. He also helped Dortmund reach the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final. In that final, Dortmund beat his old team, Juventus, to become European Champions for the first time! Because of this success, Kohler was named the Footballer of the Year (Germany) in 1997. In his last season, 2001–02, he won his third Bundesliga title with Dortmund. He also reached the final of the UEFA Cup that year.
In his very last professional game, the 2002 UEFA Cup Final, he was sent off. This means he had to leave the field early. Dortmund lost that match 3–2.
Playing for Germany
Jürgen Kohler also played a lot for the German national team. He played in over 100 international games. He took part in three FIFA World Cup tournaments and three UEFA European Championships. He helped Germany win the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 1996. He was also part of the team that finished second in UEFA Euro 1992.
How Jürgen Kohler Played
Experts say Jürgen Kohler was one of the best defenders of his time. He was a strong and complete centre-back. He was great at understanding the game and knowing where to be. He was also very quick to react and good at marking other players.
He was known for being strong in the air, which means he was good at heading the ball. This was because of his height and how well he could jump. He was also a threat to score goals during corner kicks or free kicks.
At first, some people in Germany called him "Eisenfuss," which means "iron foot." This was because he was known for being a very tough tackler. But as his career went on, especially in Italy, he became much better at handling the ball and playing it out from the back. He was also known for his strong mindset and being a leader on the field.
Jürgen Kohler's Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Jürgen Kohler became a coach. He managed the German under-21 team for a while. He also worked as a sports director for Bayer Leverkusen.
In 2005, he became the coach of MSV Duisburg. He later turned down an offer to coach the Ivory Coast national team.
In 2008, he signed a contract to manage VfR Aalen. However, he had to stop coaching because of a heart condition. He continued to work as a sports director for Aalen for a short time. In 2013, he became the sports director for his old club, SV Waldhof Mannheim. Today, he is the U17 manager for Bonner SC.
Personal Life
After retiring from professional football, Jürgen Kohler sometimes played for a local amateur team called Alemannia Adendorf.
Honours and Achievements
Jürgen Kohler won many important titles during his career:
With Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1989–90
- DFB-Supercup: 1990
With Juventus
- Serie A: 1994–95
- Coppa Italia: 1994–95
- UEFA Cup: 1992–93
With Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga: 1995–96, 2001–02
- DFB-Supercup: 1995, 1996
- UEFA Champions League: 1996–97
- Intercontinental Cup: 1997
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 2001–02
With Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 1990
- UEFA European Championship: 1996 (Winner), 1992 (Runner-up)
- U.S. Cup: 1993
Individual Awards
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1998–99, 2000–01
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1992
- Footballer of the Year in Germany: 1997
See also
In Spanish: Jürgen Kohler para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
