Karlheinz Förster facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 25 July 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mosbach, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Badenia Unterschwarzach | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waldhof Mannheim | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| –1977 | VfB Stuttgart | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1986 | VfB Stuttgart | 311 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1990 | Marseille | 103 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 414 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1978 | West Germany Amateur | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 | West Germany B | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1986 | West Germany | 81 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Karlheinz Helmut Förster (born July 25, 1958) is a German former professional football player. He played as a central defender, which is a player who helps protect the goal. He was known for being one of the world's best at "man-marking," meaning he was great at closely guarding an opposing player to stop them from scoring.
Karlheinz played most of his career for VfB Stuttgart alongside his older brother, Bernd Förster, who was also a defender. Both brothers achieved great success together. They were part of the West German national team that won the UEFA European Championship in 1980.
Contents
Playing for Clubs: Karlheinz Förster's Journey
Karlheinz Förster began his professional football career at VfB Stuttgart. This was his only club in the top German league, the Bundesliga. He played a big part in helping his team get promoted to the Bundesliga in 1977. He even scored five goals in 34 games during that season.
Once in the top league, Förster almost always played in every game. He often teamed up with his brother Bernd in the defense. Both brothers were key players when VfB Stuttgart won the league title in the 1983–84 season. Karlheinz left the club in 1986, after playing more than 300 official matches.
After leaving Stuttgart, he moved to France to play for Olympique de Marseille. The club paid 3.5 million Deutsche Mark (which was the German currency at the time) for him.
In his third year with Marseille, in the 1988–89 season, he helped the team win the French league title and the French Cup. This is called winning "the double." Karlheinz Förster retired from playing football when he was almost 32 years old. After retiring, he became an agent for other football players.
Playing for His Country: West Germany
Karlheinz Förster played his first game for the West Germany national football team on April 5, 1978. He was not yet 20 years old when he played in a friendly match against Brazil. From that point on, he became a regular starter for the national team.
He played in every match during the 1980 European Championship, which West Germany won. In the final game, he was very effective at stopping Belgium's star player, Jan Ceulemans.
Förster also played in every minute of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. West Germany finished as runners-up in that tournament. Karlheinz and his brother Bernd became the first brothers in German football history to play in a World Cup final since the Walter brothers in 1954. However, unlike the Walters, the Förster brothers' team lost the final.
Karlheinz Förster continued to play for his country in the UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, West Germany again finished second, losing to Argentina in the final. During this tournament, Förster was excellent at man-marking. He successfully stopped Mexico's Hugo Sánchez in the quarterfinals and Michel Platini of France in the semifinals.
Achievements and Awards
Karlheinz Förster won many important titles and awards during his football career:
With VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga (German League): 1983–84
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup) runner-up: 1985–86
With Olympique de Marseille
- Division 1 (French League): 1988–89, 1989–90
- Coupe de France (French Cup): 1988–89; runner-up: 1986–87
With West Germany National Team
- UEFA European Championship: 1980 (Winners)
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1982, 1986
Individual Awards
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1977–78, 1983–84
- Onze Mondial (French Footballer of the Year award): 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1980, 1984
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1982
See also
In Spanish: Karlheinz Förster para niños
