Karlheinz Förster facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Karlheinz Helmut Förster | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 July 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mosbach, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1978 | West Germany Amateur | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 | West Germany B | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1986 | West Germany | 81 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Karlheinz Helmut Förster (born 25 July 1958) is a German former professional footballer. He played as a central defender, which means he was a key player in the defense, helping to stop opponents from scoring.
Karlheinz was the younger brother of another famous football defender, Bernd Förster. At his best, Karlheinz was known as one of the world's top "man-markers." This means he was excellent at closely guarding an opposing player to prevent them from getting the ball or scoring. He played most of his career at VfB Stuttgart alongside his brother Bernd. Both brothers became European champions in 1980.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at VfB Stuttgart
Karlheinz Förster was born in Mosbach, Germany. He began his professional football journey at VfB Stuttgart. This club was his only team in the top German league, known as the Bundesliga. He played a big part in helping his team get promoted to the top division in 1977. He even scored five goals in 34 games that season.
Success with His Brother
Once in the top league, Förster almost always played. He often teamed up with his brother, Bernd, in the defense. Together, they were very important when VfB Stuttgart won the league title in the 1983–84 season. Karlheinz left the club in 1986. By then, he had played over 300 official matches for Stuttgart.
Moving to France
After leaving Stuttgart, Karlheinz Förster was bought by a French team, Olympique de Marseille. He joined them for a fee of 3.5 million German Marks. In his third year with Marseille, he played alongside another German player, Klaus Allofs. That season, they helped the team win "the double." This means they won both the league title and the main cup competition in France. Karlheinz retired from playing football when he was almost 32 years old. Later, he became an agent for other football players.
International Career for West Germany
First Steps and European Glory
Karlheinz Förster played his first game for the West Germany national football team on 5 April 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 his country. He played in every match when West Germany won the European Championship in 1980. In the final, he did an amazing job of stopping Belgium's star player, Jan Ceulemans.
World Cup Appearances
Förster also played in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where West Germany finished as runners-up. He played every minute of that tournament. In that World Cup, 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 Walter brothers, they did not win the final.
Karlheinz continued to play for his country in the UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, West Germany again finished second, losing to Argentina in the final. In that tournament, Förster was known for his excellent man-marking skills. He successfully stopped Mexico's Hugo Sánchez in the quarterfinals and Michel Platini of France in the semifinals. He earned a total of 81 caps for West Germany.
Honours and Achievements
Team Trophies
- VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga (German League): 1983–84
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup) runner-up: 1985–86
- Marseille
- Division 1 (French League): 1988–89, 1989–90
- Coupe de France (French Cup): 1988–89; runner-up: 1986–87
- West Germany
- UEFA European Championship: 1980
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1982, 1986
Individual Awards
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1977–78, 1983–84
- Onze Mondial: 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1980, 1984
- Guerin Sportivo All-Star Team: 1982, 1983, 1984
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1982
See also
In Spanish: Karlheinz Förster para niños
