Olaf Marschall facts for kids
Marschall in 2005
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 March 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Torgau, East Germany | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972–1978 | BSG Chemie Torgau | ||
| 1978–1983 | 1. FC Lok Leipzig | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1990 | 1. FC Lok Leipzig | 135 | (43) |
| 1990–1993 | SCN Admira/Wacker | 97 | (40) |
| 1993–1994 | Dynamo Dresden | 32 | (11) |
| 1994–2002 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 160 | (59) |
| 2002 | Al-Ittihad | 12 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| East Germany U-21 | 18 | (7) | |
| 1984–1989 | East Germany | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–1999 | Germany | 13 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005–2007 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Olaf Marschall (born on March 19, 1966) is a German former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer.
Olaf Marschall started his professional career in the DDR-Oberliga. This was the top football league in East Germany. He played for 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. With this team, he reached the final of the 1987 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 1990, he moved to FC Admira Wacker Mödling in Austria. Later, in 1993, he joined Dynamo Dresden in the German Bundesliga.
A big moment in his career was in 1998. He became a German champion with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Marschall also played for the German national team. He took part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Before that, he also played for the East German national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Days in East Germany (1972–1990)
Olaf Marschall began playing soccer in East Germany at a club called BSG Chemie Torgau. Soon after, he moved to 1. FC Lok Leipzig. There, he became a very important player. He was one of the best goal scorers in the DDR-Oberliga, the top league in East Germany. He also played for the East German national team.
He made his first appearance in the DDR-Oberliga on October 22, 1983. He was only 17 years old. His team played against Dynamo Dresden. Olaf Marschall became a regular player for his club. In 1987, his team reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. This is a big European club competition.
Marschall also won the FDGB Cup with Leipzig in 1986 and 1987. His team finished second in the GDR Oberliga in 1986 and 1988. Olaf Marschall was known for being good at heading the ball. He was also skilled at handling the ball. This allowed him to play in different attacking positions. He scored 43 goals in 135 league matches in East Germany.
Time in Austria with Admira Wacker (1990–1993)
After Germany became one country again, Olaf Marschall moved to Austria in 1990. He joined an Austrian club called SCN Admira/Wacker. He played in Austria's Bundesliga. His team finished well in the league during his time there.
In the 1992/93 season, he was the second-best scorer in the Austrian league. He scored 19 goals. In the summer of 1993, he returned to Germany.
Playing for Dynamo Dresden (1993–1994)
Marschall moved back to his home region of Saxony. He signed with SG Dynamo Dresden, a team in the German Bundesliga. In his very first game for Dynamo, he played against his old club, which was now called VfB Leipzig. He scored three goals in that game, which ended 3-3. Scoring three goals in a debut Bundesliga game is a rare achievement.
He scored 11 goals in 32 games in his first Bundesliga season. He was the top goal scorer for his team. Dynamo Dresden managed to avoid being relegated (moved down to a lower league). However, the club had financial problems. Because of this, they sold Olaf Marschall after just one year. He moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Success with 1. FC Kaiserslautern (1994–2002)
In 1994, Olaf Marschall joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He quickly became one of the best goal scorers in the Bundesliga. He won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in 1996. Then, in 1998, he won the Bundesliga title. Marschall was the second-highest goal scorer in the 1997–98 season. He helped Kaiserslautern win the championship.
Kaiserslautern paid 2.8 million marks for Marschall. This was the most expensive player purchase for the club at that time. In his first year, he scored seven goals in 26 games. His team finished fourth. He had some injuries in the next season.
Marschall won the DFB Cup with Kaiserslautern in 1996. This happened just after the team was relegated from the Bundesliga. Most of the team's main players stayed with the club. Marschall scored ten goals in 16 games in the second division. He had another long injury break during this time.
After the team returned to the top league in 1997, they won the German championship in 1998. Marschall scored 21 goals in just 24 games that season. He was second in the list of top scorers. Injuries again stopped him from playing more games. By this time, he was a huge favorite with the fans. His attacking partner was often Jürgen Rische, who was also his former teammate from Lok Leipzig.
In the 1998/99 season, Olaf Marschall won the Goal of the Year (Germany) award. He scored a spectacular Bicycle kick goal. He scored 12 goals that season. In his last season at Kaiserslautern, he scored a winning goal in the last minute of a DFB Cup game. The fans celebrated him with great excitement.
His contract with Kaiserslautern ended in 2002. He then received an offer from Al-Ittihad in Qatar. He played 12 games and scored 5 goals there before ending his playing career.
International Football Career
Olaf Marschall played for the East Germany national team from 1985 to 1989. He played four games for them. His first game was on February 6, 1985, when East Germany won 3-2 against Ecuador.
After Germany reunited, he played for the German national team. He played for them in 1994 and from 1997 to 1999. He scored three goals in 13 games for Germany. His first game for Germany was on October 12, 1994. It was a friendly game against Hungary that ended 0-0.
Because of his great goal-scoring in the 1997–98 season, Marschall was chosen for the German team. He took part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He played in one game during the World Cup. This was in the quarterfinals against Croatia.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 1997 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, Germany |  Albania |
3–2 | 4–3 | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| 2 | 22 February 1998 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 18 November 1998 | Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen, Germany |  Netherlands |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Life After Playing Football
After retiring as a player in 2002, Olaf Marschall stayed involved in football. He worked in different roles at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. For example, he was an executive assistant and a team manager. He also worked as an assistant coach for the club's amateur team.
He also completed a coaching license. This means he learned how to be a professional coach. He did an internship with the Hannover 96 team. Later, he worked as an assistant manager for Al-Nasr Sports Club Dubai.
As of 2019, Olaf Marschall works as a scout for the German club FSV Frankfurt. A scout finds new talented players for a team.
Achievements and Awards
With Locomotive Leipzig
- FDGB-Pokal: 1986, 1987
- Finalist in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1987
With 1. FC Kaiserslautern
- German football championship: 1998
- DFB-Pokal: 1996
Personal Awards
- Goal scorer of Goal of the Year (Germany): 1998
- Chosen for the "Admira Century Eleven" of FC Admira Wacker Mödling
See also
In Spanish: Olaf Marschall para niños
