Jürgen Klinsmann facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Klinsmann" redirects here. For Jürgen Klinsmann's son, also a footballer, see Jonathan Klinsmann.

Quick facts for kids
Jürgen Klinsmann

Klinsmann managing South Korea in 2024

Personal information

Full name

Jürgen Klinsmann

Date of birth

30 July 1964 (age 61)

Place of birth

Göppingen, West Germany

Height

1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)

Position(s)

Striker

Youth career

1972–1974

TB Gingen

1974–1978

SC Geislingen

1978–1981

Stuttgarter Kickers

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1981–1984

Stuttgarter Kickers

(22)

1984–1989

VfB Stuttgart

156

(79)

1989–1992

Inter Milan

(34)

1992–1994

Monaco

(29)

1994–1995

Tottenham Hotspur

(20)

1995–1997

Bayern Munich

(31)

1997–1998

Sampdoria

(2)

1997–1998

→ Tottenham Hotspur (loan)

(9)

2003

Orange County Blue Star

(5)

Total

514

(231)

International career

1980–1981

West Germany U16

(0)

1984–1985

West Germany U21

(3)

1987–1988

West Germany Olympic

(8)

1987–1998

West Germany / Germany

108

(47)

Managerial career

2004–2006

2008–2009

2011–2016

2019–2020

2023–2024

Medal record

Men's football

Representing Germany
FIFA World Cup
Winner	1990 Italy
UEFA European Championship
Winner	1996 England
Runner-up	1992 Sweden
Olympic Games
Third	1988 Seoul	Team
Representing Germany (as manager)
FIFA World Cup
Third	2006 Germany
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third	2005 Germany
Representing United States (as manager)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Winner	2013 United States

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jürgen Klinsmann (born 30 July 1964) is a German football manager and former player. He played as a striker for many famous clubs in Europe. These included VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich.

Klinsmann was a key player for West Germany when they won the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He also helped the German team win the UEFA Euro 1996.

After his playing career, Klinsmann became a coach. He led the German national team to a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also coached Bayern Munich and the United States national team.

Many people consider Klinsmann one of Germany's best strikers from the 1990s. He scored goals in all six major international tournaments he played in for Germany. In 1995, he was ranked third for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers." In 2016, he became the fifth player to be named an honorary captain of Germany.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Years and First Clubs

Jürgen Klinsmann is one of four sons. His father was a master baker. Jürgen started playing football at age eight for TB Gingen, an amateur club. Six months later, he scored 16 goals in one game!

At age ten, he moved to SC Geislingen. When he was 14, his family moved to Stuttgart. He then signed with Stuttgarter Kickers. His parents wanted him to finish his baker apprenticeship first, which he did in 1982.

Rising Star in Germany

Klinsmann began his professional career in 1982 with Stuttgarter Kickers, which was in the second division. By the 1983–84 season, he had scored 19 goals.

In 1984, Klinsmann joined first division club VfB Stuttgart. In his first season, he scored 15 goals. He scored 16 goals in each of the next two seasons. In the 1987–88 season, he was the Bundesliga's top goalscorer with 19 goals. He even scored a famous overhead kick against Bayern Munich.

In 1988, Klinsmann was named German Footballer of the Year. After reaching the 1988–89 UEFA Cup final with Stuttgart, he moved to Inter Milan in Italy. He joined two other German players there, Lothar Matthäus and Andreas Brehme.

Klinsmann (centre) playing for VfB Stuttgart against Dynamo Dresden in the semi-final of the 1988–89 UEFA Cup

Success in Italy and France

At Inter Milan, Klinsmann quickly became popular. He learned Italian and scored 13 goals in his first season. The next season, he helped Inter win the 1990–91 UEFA Cup.

After UEFA Euro 1992, Klinsmann moved to Monaco in France. He helped the club finish second in the league in his first season. Monaco then reached the semi-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League.

Becoming a Fan Favorite in England

In 1994, Klinsmann joined Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Fans and media were unsure about him at first. But on his first game, he scored and celebrated by diving to the ground. This funny celebration quickly made him a fan favorite.

He became very popular in England because of his humor and strong playing style. Over 150,000 of his shirts were sold! He scored 21 goals in the 1994–95 season for Spurs. He also won the 1995 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

Later Club Years

Klinsmann then played for Bayern Munich in Germany. He was the club's top goalscorer for two seasons. He won the 1995–96 UEFA Cup with Bayern, scoring a record 15 goals in that competition. A year later, he also won the German championship.

He briefly played for Sampdoria in Italy. Then he returned to Tottenham Hotspur in 1997. His goals helped save the club from being relegated (moving down to a lower league). He scored four goals in one match against Wimbledon. He played his last high-level club game in 1998.

In 2003, after retiring, Klinsmann played for an amateur team in the United States called Orange County Blue Star.

International Football for Germany

On 12 December 1987, Klinsmann played his first game for the West German national team. He was a very important part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In the Round of 16, Germany played the Netherlands. Klinsmann scored the first goal and played an amazing game.

After more wins, Germany beat Argentina 1–0 in the final to become world champions. Klinsmann was fouled in that game, which led to an Argentinian player being sent off. His last international tournament was the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Germany reached the quarter-finals but lost to Croatia.

Coaching Career

Leading Germany

On 26 July 2004, Klinsmann became the head coach of the German national team. He wanted to make big changes to the team. He brought in Oliver Bierhoff to help with public relations. He also focused on bringing in younger players.

Klinsmann as manager of Germany in 2005

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, some fans and media criticized Klinsmann because of poor results. But during the World Cup, Germany played very well. They won all their group games. They beat Sweden 2–0 in the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they beat Argentina in a penalty shootout.

Germany lost a close semi-final match to Italy 2–0 in extra time. But they won the third-place play-off against Portugal 3–1. The team's strong performance made fans proud and improved Germany's reputation in football. Klinsmann was given an award for his success.

After the World Cup, Klinsmann decided not to continue as coach. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. His assistant, Joachim Löw, became the new head coach.

Coaching Bayern Munich

In January 2008, Klinsmann was announced as the new coach for Bayern Munich. He tried to modernize the club's training and structure. However, Bayern started the season poorly. Klinsmann faced pressure after some big losses.

Bayern reached the quarter-finals of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. But they lost badly to Barcelona. Klinsmann was fired on 27 April 2009, with five matches left in the season. Bayern was in third place at that time.

Coaching the United States

On 29 July 2011, Klinsmann became the head coach of the United States national team. Early on, the U.S. team had some tough friendly games. But on 29 February 2012, they won a historic 1–0 victory against Italy. On 15 August 2012, Klinsmann led the U.S. to their first ever win against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

Klinsmann as manager of the United States

In 2013, Klinsmann guided the U.S. team to win their fifth 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title. They beat Panama 1–0 in the final. On 10 September 2013, the United States qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

2014 World Cup Journey

Klinsmann made some surprising choices for the 2014 World Cup squad. He included several players who were born and trained in Germany but had American fathers. He also famously left out Landon Donovan, a top U.S. scorer.

Klinsmann in 2014

On 16 June, the U.S. beat Ghana 2–1 in their first World Cup match. They then drew 2–2 with Portugal. The U.S. lost 1–0 to Germany in their final group game. But they still made it to the Round of 16.

In the Round of 16, the U.S. played Belgium. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard made many amazing saves. The game went to extra time, where Belgium scored two quick goals. Julian Green scored for the U.S., but they couldn't find another goal and were eliminated.

Later Years with the U.S. Team

In 2015, Klinsmann led the U.S. to friendly victories over the Netherlands and Germany. However, the U.S. finished fourth in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which was their worst performance since 2000.

In November 2016, the U.S. lost two important World Cup qualification matches. After these losses, Klinsmann was fired on 21 November 2016. The U.S. team ultimately did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Hertha BSC and South Korea

On 27 November 2019, Klinsmann became the manager of Hertha BSC in Germany. However, he stepped down after only ten weeks.

Klinsmann at the 2024 Asian Nations Cup with Hwang Hee-chan

On 27 February 2023, Klinsmann was named head coach of South Korea. He was criticized by South Korean fans for spending a lot of time outside South Korea. During the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, South Korea had some difficult games. They lost to Jordan 2–0 in the semi-final. On 16 February 2024, the Korea Football Association fired Klinsmann.

Charity Work and Social Causes

In 1995, Klinsmann and his friends started a children's charity called Agapedia. The name means "Love for Children" in Greek. In 1997, as captain of the German national team, Klinsmann visited the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem in Israel. This visit was shown worldwide.

Klinsmann and Sir Bobby Charlton in Los Angeles in 1999

Klinsmann also supports an initiative called "Learning for the future." This group helps educate young people about the Holocaust. In 1999, Klinsmann donated over $1 million from his farewell match to children's charities.

Personal Life

Klinsmann was born in Göppingen, Germany. His family moved to Stuttgart when he was a teenager. His family owns a bakery in Stuttgart. Because of this, he is sometimes called the "baker's son from Botnang." Klinsmann is a trained baker himself.

Klinsmann Bakery in Botnang, Stuttgart

He is married to Debbie Chin, an American former model. They got married in 1995. Klinsmann lives in Huntington Beach, California, with his wife and two children. His son, Jonathan, is a goalkeeper and has played for the U.S. U-20 team.

Besides German, Klinsmann speaks English, Italian, and French. He is also a certified commercial helicopter pilot. He is now a U.S. citizen. Klinsmann has also worked as a football expert for TV channels like ESPN and BBC Sport.

In April 2023, Klinsmann was a special guest at a ceremony in Berlin. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a high honor, and Klinsmann was there to celebrate with her.

Honors and Awards

As a Player

UEFA Cup: 1990–91 (with Inter Milan), 1995–96 (with Bayern Munich)
Bundesliga: 1996–97 (with Bayern Munich)
FIFA World Cup: 1990 (with West Germany)
UEFA European Championship: 1996 (with Germany)
Olympic Games: Bronze medal 1988 (with West Germany)
German Footballer of the Year: 1988, 1994
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year: 1994–95
Bundesliga top scorer: 1987–88
UEFA Cup top scorer: 1995–96
FIFA 100 (named one of the greatest living footballers)

As a Manager

FIFA World Cup: Third place 2006 (with Germany)
FIFA Confederations Cup: Third place 2005 (with Germany)
CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2013 (with United States)
German Football Manager of the Year: 2006
CONCACAF Coach of the Year: 2013