Michael Tarnat facts for kids

Michael Tarnat (born October 27, 1969) is a German former professional footballer. He is currently working for Bayern Munich. There, he helps lead the U12–U16 youth teams.

Michael Tarnat was a left-footed player. He usually played as a full-back or a left wingback. Sometimes, he even played as a defensive midfielder. His nickname is "Tanne," which means "fir" in English. He finished his playing career with Hannover 96. Before that, he played for MSV Duisburg, Karlsruher SC, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City. He played 19 games for the German national team and was part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. Tarnat was well-known for his powerful free kicks and long shots with his strong left foot.

Michael Tarnat's Football Journey

Starting His Career

Michael Tarnat was born in Hilden, Germany. He began playing football at a club called SV Hilden-Nord. In 1990, he started his professional career when he joined MSV Duisburg.

He played his first game in the Bundesliga (Germany's top football league) on August 2, 1991. This was a home match for Duisburg against VfB Stuttgart. Over the next two seasons, he played 58 games for the club in the league. He also scored his first Bundesliga goal on August 27, 1993, in a 1–1 draw against VfB Leipzig.

In the summer of 1994, Tarnat moved to Karlsruher SC. He became one of the team's most important players, along with Thomas Häßler and Thorsten Fink. His powerful left-footed shots were his special skill. This made him one of the best free-kick takers in the Bundesliga at that time. During his three seasons with Karlsruher SC, Tarnat played 81 Bundesliga games and scored seven goals. In 1996, he was called up to the German national team for the first time. He made his international debut on October 9, 1996, in a World Cup qualifier against Armenia.

Playing for Bayern Munich

In 1997, Michael Tarnat got a big chance when Bayern Munich bought him and Thorsten Fink. He played very well on the left side of the field. He was so good that he often played instead of the star left full-back, Bixente Lizarazu. In the years that followed, their coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld, often played both of them. This gave Bayern one of the strongest left sides in European football.

Tarnat had a very successful time at Bayern Munich. He won the German championship four times: in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003. He also won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) three times: in 1998, 2000, and 2003. One of his biggest achievements was winning the UEFA Champions League in 2001. He also played in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, where Bayern lost 2–1 to Manchester United after two late goals.

In a memorable game during the 1999–2000 Bundesliga season, Tarnat played as a goalkeeper for 30 minutes. This happened in an away match against Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern's main goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, got injured. His replacement, Bernd Dreher, also got injured shortly after coming on. So, Tarnat, who was a field player, had to go into goal. Amazingly, Bayern was losing 0–1 when Tarnat became goalkeeper. But they scored an equalizing goal just two minutes later. They eventually won the game 2–1.

Time at Manchester City and Hannover 96

Towards the end of his career, Tarnat started to get injured more often. These injuries ended his international career in 1998 after 19 games for Germany. They also caused Bayern to put him on the bench more often. In six seasons with Bayern, Tarnat played 122 Bundesliga games and scored eight goals.

In 2003, he moved to Manchester City in England. He played 32 Premier League games and scored three goals there. A year later, he returned to Germany and signed with Hannover 96. He played for Hannover for the rest of his career. On May 17, 2009, he announced that he would retire from professional football. He played his very last game for Hannover on July 29, 2009, against Arsenal. In August 2009, Tarnat went back to FC Bayern Munich to work as a talent scout.

Playing for Germany

Michael Tarnat was also a regular player for the German national team. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He appeared in four of the five matches Germany played in the tournament. Germany was surprisingly knocked out by Croatia in the quarterfinals. In a group game against Yugoslavia, his free kick led to an own goal by Siniša Mihajlović.

Family Life

Michael Tarnat's son, Niklas Tarnat, is also a professional footballer. He currently plays for TSV 1860 Munich.

Career Numbers

Here's a quick look at how many games Michael Tarnat played and how many goals he scored for his clubs:

Here's how many games he played for the German national team:

Awards and Trophies

Karlsruher SC

• DFB-Pokal runner-up: 1995–96 (finished second)

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03 (won the league title)
• DFB-Pokal: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2002–03 (won the German Cup); runner-up: 1998–99 (finished second)
• DFB Liga-Pokal: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 (won the League Cup)
• UEFA Champions League: 2000–01 (won the top European club competition); runner-up: 1998–99 (finished second)
• FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2001 (won the club world championship)

See also

In Spanish: Michael Tarnat para niños