Stefan Kuntz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefan Kuntz

Kuntz in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	(1962-10-30) 30 October 1962 (age 62)
Place of birth	Neunkirchen, West Germany
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1970–1981	Borussia Neunkirchen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1980–1983	Borussia Neunkirchen	89	(28)
1983–1986	VfL Bochum	100	(41)
1986–1989	Bayer 05 Uerdingen	94	(32)
1989–1995	1. FC Kaiserslautern	170	(75)
1995–1996	Beşiktaş	30	(9)
1996–1998	Arminia Bielefeld	65	(25)
1998–1999	VfL Bochum	20	(6)
2002–2003	SV Furpach	22	(22)
2004–2005	FC Palatia Limbach	10	(1)
Total		600	(239)
National team
1983–1985	West Germany U-21	4	(3)
1986	West Germany B	1	(2)
1993–1997	Germany	25	(6)
Teams managed
1999–2000	Borussia Neunkirchen
2000–2002	Karlsruher SC
2003	Waldhof Mannheim
2003	LR Ahlen
2016–2021	Germany U21
2021	Germany U23
2021–2023	Turkey
2024–	Hamburger SV (Sporting Director)
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany (as player) UEFA European Championship Winner 1996 Representing  Germany (as manager) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2017 Winner 2021
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stefan Kuntz (born October 30, 1962) is a German football expert. He has been a professional football manager and a former player. He played as a striker. Most recently, he was the head coach for the Turkish national team.

Kuntz played for the German national team from 1993 to 1997. He helped them reach the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also won the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament. He scored six goals in 25 international games, including one in the Euro 1996 semi-final against England.

Playing Career: Scoring Goals

Stefan Kuntz played football from 1983 to 1999. He played in 449 games and scored 179 goals in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league.

He played for several well-known German clubs. These included VfL Bochum, Bayer 05 Uerdingen, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and Arminia Bielefeld. He also played in Turkey for Beşiktaş J.K.. Stefan Kuntz was the top scorer in the Bundesliga twice, in 1986 and 1994.

In 1995, Kuntz moved to Turkey to play for Beşiktaş. His German coach, Christoph Daum, wanted him there. He played his first game for them on August 13, 1995. He scored his first goal for Beşiktaş on September 24, 1995.

International Games: Playing for Germany

Germany's manager, Berti Vogts, chose Kuntz for the 1994 FIFA World Cup team. Kuntz played in one match during the tournament, against Belgium. Germany was later knocked out by Bulgaria in the quarter-finals.

At UEFA Euro 1996, Kuntz played in many games. He even replaced the injured Jürgen Klinsmann in the semi-final against England. He was very important in that game. He scored the goal that tied the score after England had taken the lead. He also scored the fifth penalty kick for Germany in the shootout, which sent the game into sudden death.

During his time playing for Germany, Kuntz played in 25 games and scored six goals. What's amazing is that Germany never lost a game when he played! They won 20 games, won one after a penalty shootout, and had four draws. This is a record for the German national team.

Goals for Germany

Here are the goals Stefan Kuntz scored for the German national team:

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	18 December 1993	Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, United States	United States	2–0	3–0	Friendly
2.	7 September 1994	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	1–0	1–0
3.	4 June 1996	Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim, Germany	Liechtenstein	2–0	9–1
4.				9–1
5.	26 June 1996	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 1996
6.	9 October 1996	Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia	Armenia	5–0	5–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

After Playing: Becoming a Manager

After he stopped playing, Stefan Kuntz took on new roles in football. From 2006 to 2008, he was the athletic director for VfL Bochum. Then, from 2008 to 2016, he was the chairman of the board for 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

He became a very successful coach for the Germany U21 team. He led them to the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship three times! They reached the final in 2017, 2019, and 2021. His team won two of those finals. They beat Spain 1–0 in 2017 and Portugal by the same score in 2021.

On September 19, 2021, Kuntz was chosen as the new head coach for the Turkish national team. He coached them for two years. He was let go on September 20, 2023, after some difficult games. Even though Turkey was doing okay in their qualifying group, many Turkish football fans were not happy, which led to his departure.

Coaching Record

Here is a summary of Stefan Kuntz's coaching career:

As of 12 September  2023 (2023 -09-12)^[update]

Awards and Achievements

Stefan Kuntz has won many awards and titles throughout his career as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

With Kaiserslautern

• DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 1989–90
• Bundesliga (German League): 1990–91
• DFL-Supercup (German Supercup): 1991

With Germany National Team

• UEFA European Championship: 1996

Individual Awards

• German Footballer of the Year: 1991

As a Manager

With Germany U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship:
  • Winner: 2017, 2021
  • Runner-up: 2019