Rainer Bonhof facts for kids
Bonhof with Germany in 1975
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 March 1952 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Emmerich am Rhein, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Borussia Mönchengladbach (Vice president) |
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| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1970 | SuS Emmerich | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970–1978 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 231 | (42) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1980 | Valencia | 61 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1983 | 1. FC Köln | 74 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Hertha BSC | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 371 | (67) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1973 | West Germany U23 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1981 | West Germany | 53 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1998 | Germany (assistant coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Germany U21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Al-Kuwait | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Scotland U21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rainer Bonhof (born on March 29, 1952) is a German former football player. He played as a midfielder or wing-back. Bonhof was known for his powerful shots and for running forward from his position. He was a very important player for the West Germany national team that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup in 1974. In the final match, West Germany beat the Netherlands 2–1, and Bonhof helped set up the winning goal. He was also a star player for his club team, Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he won many league and cup titles.
Contents
Playing Football
Club Career Highlights
Rainer Bonhof was a key part of the very successful Borussia Mönchengladbach team in the 1970s. With them, he won many titles, including the Bundesliga (Germany's top league), the DFB-Pokal (German Cup), and the UEFA Cup. He was famous for having one of the hardest free-kicks in football. He also had long and very accurate throw-ins.
Bonhof scored 14 goals in European club competitions. He also scored 57 goals in the West German top league. He won the "ARD Goal of the Month" award three times. Two of these awards were for his amazing free-kicks, and one was for a powerful shot from 30 meters away.
International Matches for West Germany
Bonhof played his first international junior match for West Germany on October 18, 1969, against the Netherlands. At that time, he had Dutch citizenship because his grandfather was Dutch. Soon after this match, Bonhof became a German citizen.
He played his first senior game for the West Germany national team in 1972. He went on to play 53 times for his country. Bonhof was the youngest player on the West Germany team that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup on July 7, 1974. In that final match against the Netherlands in Munich, his strong run and pass to Gerd Muller led to the winning goal. Earlier in the tournament, Bonhof scored a goal that put West Germany ahead 2–1 against Sweden. West Germany eventually won that game 4–2.
Bonhof became a regular player for the West Germany national team after the 1974 World Cup. He was considered one of the best players in the 1976 European Championship. He helped set up four of West Germany's six goals in the semi-final and final matches. However, West Germany lost to Czechoslovakia in the final after a penalty shootout.
Bonhof played in every match of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. West Germany was knocked out in the second round after losing 3–2 to their rivals, Austria. He continued to be an important player for the national team even after he moved to play for Valencia in Spain. His move, along with Uli Stielike's, led the German Football Association (DFB) to allow players who played for clubs in other countries to be selected for the national team.
He helped West Germany qualify for the 1980 European Championships. He was chosen for the team, but injuries stopped him from playing in any games during West Germany's victory. His last game for the national team was a 4–1 loss to Brazil. Even though he played very well for 1. FC Köln in the 1981–82 season, he was not called back to the national team.
Between 1980 and 2012, Bonhof was the only player to have won the European Championships twice. He won in 1972 and 1980, even though he didn't play in either tournament. Now, 13 players from the Spanish national team share this record. Bonhof still holds the record as the player with the most medals in the history of the European Championships, with two gold medals and one silver.
Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence once said in 1977 that he was afraid of Bonhof's shots. This fear was proven right when Bonhof scored against Clemence twice in 1978. A shot from Bonhof also hit the post in the 1977 European Cup final against Clemence.
After Playing: Coaching and More
Coaching Roles
Rainer Bonhof's playing career ended suddenly in 1983 because of an ankle injury. After getting his coaching license in 1988, he went on to coach several teams. Bonhof coached Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late 1990s, but the team moved down from the Bundesliga (the top German league).
In 2002, he became the manager of the Scotland under-21 team. He joined the Scottish national team setup a few months after his countryman Berti Vogts became the manager of the main Scotland team. Bonhof was the first full-time manager for the Scotland under-21 team. The team started well under Bonhof, winning an away game against Germany and reaching the playoffs for the 2004 European Championship. However, Scotland lost to Croatia in the playoffs. Bonhof continued as Scotland under-21 manager after Vogts left in November 2004. But Bonhof resigned in November 2005 after his team went 14 games without a win. During his time, Bonhof helped players like Darren Fletcher and James McFadden move up to the main national team.
Working with Chelsea and Borussia Mönchengladbach
On September 1, 2006, Bonhof signed a contract with FA Premier League winners Chelsea. He became their scout for Germany and Austria. This was a flexible agreement that either Chelsea or Bonhof could end at any time. The deal ended because Chelsea had a lot of debt. Bonhof left London on October 31, 2008.
On February 11, 2009, he was named the new vice president of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Awards and Trophies
Club Honours
- Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Bundesliga: 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
- DFB-Pokal: 1972–73
- UEFA Cup: 1974–75
- Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 1978–79
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1979–80
- 1. FC Köln
- DFB-Pokal: 1982–83
International Honours (Germany)
- FIFA World Cup: 1974
- UEFA European Championship: 1972, 1980
- UEFA European Championship: Runner-up: 1976
Individual Awards
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1976
- UEFA European Championship top assist provider: 1976
- World XI: 1975, 1977
- Sport Ideal European XI: 1976, 1977
- Onze Mondial: 1977
- Goal of the Year (Germany): 1978
See also
In Spanish: Rainer Bonhof para niños
