Olaf Thon facts for kids
Thon in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Olaf Thon | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gelsenkirchen, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, defender | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1980 | STV Horst-Emscher | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1983 | Schalke 04 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Schalke 04 | 167 | (56) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1994 | Bayern Munich | 148 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2002 | Schalke 04 | 166 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 481 | (96) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | West Germany U18 | 10 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | West Germany U21 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1998 | Germany | 52 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | VfB Hüls | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Olaf Thon (born May 1, 1966) is a famous German former professional football player and coach. He played football for 19 years!
Olaf Thon was mostly a central midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defend. He spent his whole career playing for just two big clubs: Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich. He played over 500 official games and scored more than 100 goals for these teams.
Later in his career, Thon played as a sweeper. This is a defender who "sweeps up" any loose balls behind the main defense. People nicknamed him The Professor. He also played more than 50 games for the German national team. These games are called "caps."
Contents
Olaf Thon's Club Career Highlights
Starting Strong at Schalke 04
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Olaf Thon started his professional football career very young, at just 17 years old. He joined his local team, FC Schalke 04, and made a big impact right away. In his first season, he scored 14 goals in 38 games. This helped Schalke 04 get promoted back to the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league, in 1984.
During that same season, he scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Bayern Munich. This exciting match in the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) ended in a 6–6 tie! Bayern Munich won the replay game and went on to win the tournament.
On August 24, 1984, Thon played his first game in the Bundesliga. For the next four seasons, he was a key player for Schalke 04. He rarely missed a match and scored many goals.
Joining Bayern Munich and Winning Titles
In the summer of 1988, Thon moved to one of Germany's biggest clubs, FC Bayern Munich. He joined as a replacement for another famous player, Lothar Matthäus. In his first season with Bayern, he scored eight goals in 32 games. He helped the team win the league title that year.
Bayern Munich also won the league title the next year, with Thon scoring eight goals again. He won another league title with Bayern in 1994.
Returning to Schalke 04 and UEFA Cup Glory
In 1994, at age 28, Thon returned to his first club, Schalke 04. During this second time at Schalke, he mostly played as a sweeper.
In the 1996–97 season, he played in 46 official games. He helped his club reach the final of the UEFA Cup. In the final, they played against Inter Milan. The game ended in a 1–1 tie, and Schalke won in a penalty shootout. Thon scored his penalty kick! Even though they won the UEFA Cup, Schalke finished 12th in their domestic league that year.
Towards the end of his career, Thon had many injuries. He played only nine matches in his last two seasons combined. He retired in June 2002 when he was 36 years old. He played a total of 443 Bundesliga games and scored 82 goals. After retiring, he worked as a marketing manager for Schalke 04 until 2009.
Olaf Thon's International Career
Playing for Germany
Olaf Thon first played for the German national team (then called West Germany) on December 16, 1984. He played in the second half of a game against Malta, which Germany won 3–2. This was a qualifying game for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
He was chosen to play in three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He helped Germany win the World Cup in 1990 in Italy. In that tournament, he played in the semifinal against England. The game was tied 1–1 after extra time, and Thon scored his penalty kick in the shootout, helping Germany win!
Thon also played for Germany in the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament, which was held in Germany. He scored a rare header goal against Denmark, helping Germany win 2–0. He played in all the matches for Germany, who reached the semifinals.
Due to injuries and disagreements with the national team manager, Thon missed the 1992 and 1996 European Championships and the 1994 World Cup. He ended his 14-year international career with 52 games (caps) and three goals. His last game for Germany was against Iran in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Olaf Thon's Managerial Career
On February 1, 2010, Olaf Thon became the head coach of a team called VfB Hüls. He started working with them on April 3, 2010, and coached them until September 15, 2011.
Olaf Thon's Football Achievements
Club Honours
Schalke 04
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga (German League): 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94
- DFB-Supercup: 1990
International Honours
Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 1990 (Winner); 1986 (Runner-up)
- U.S. Cup: 1993
See also
In Spanish: Olaf Thon para niños
