Thomas Linke facts for kids
Linke playing for RB Salzburg in a 2009 charity match
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 December 1969 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sömmerda, East Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1983 | Robotron Sömmerda | |||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 85 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1998 | Schalke 04 | 175 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Bayern Munich | 165 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Red Bull Salzburg | 51 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Bayern Munich II | 27 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 502 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2004 | Germany | 43 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Thomas Linke, born on December 26, 1969, is a German former professional footballer. He played as a central defender, which means he was a key player in stopping opposing teams from scoring. After his playing career, he worked as a director of football for FC Ingolstadt 04.
Linke was known for being a tough player who was great at heading the ball. He played for 13 seasons in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. He played for two famous clubs: Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich. In total, he played 340 games in the Bundesliga. He also played for the German national team in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting Out and Schalke Years
Thomas Linke was born in Sömmerda, East Germany. He started playing football in 1977 with a local team called BSG Robotron Sömmerda. In 1983, he moved to FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt. He joined their main team in 1989 and gained experience playing in the top league of East Germany, the DDR-Oberliga.
After Germany reunited, his club joined the 2. Bundesliga, which is the second division of German football. Linke was a regular player during the 1991–92 season. He also played in four games in the UEFA Cup that year.
FC Schalke 04 noticed Linke during a German Cup game and signed him in 1992. He quickly became a starting player for Schalke. From 1992 to 1998, he played in 175 Bundesliga games for the team. His first game for Schalke was on September 1, 1992, a 0–0 draw against SV Werder Bremen.
A big moment for Linke at Schalke was when they won the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. They beat Inter Milan in a penalty shootout. Linke played in 11 matches during this winning journey and scored two goals.
Success with Bayern Munich
In 1998, Linke joined one of Germany's biggest clubs, FC Bayern Munich. This was the most successful part of his career. In his first season, he scored his first goal for Bayern in a 3–1 win against TSV 1860 München. He also played in the famous 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United.
With Bayern, Linke won many trophies. He won the league five times, the German Cup three times, and the German League Cup four times. He also won the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 2001. In the Champions League final against Valencia CF, he scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
Many people thought Linke wouldn't keep his starting spot at Bayern. But he always proved them wrong with his strong performances. In his last year with Bayern, he played fewer games but still helped the team win another league title.
Time at Red Bull Salzburg
In 2005, when he was 35, Linke decided to keep playing football. He moved to FC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. His former Bayern teammate, Alexander Zickler, also joined the team. Linke quickly became the team captain and a regular player. In his second season, he won the Austrian league title. On May 3, 2007, his club told him his contract would not be extended.
On June 13, 2007, Linke, almost 38, returned to Bayern Munich. He joined the club's amateur team, FC Bayern Munich II, which played in the third division. In early 2008, he went back to Salzburg to work as an assistant to the director of football. After this, he stopped playing football professionally.
Playing for Germany
Linke's first game for the German national team was on November 15, 1997. Germany won 3–0 against South Africa. He played for Germany in the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In the 2002 World Cup, Linke was a very important player for the German team. They reached the final but lost 0–2 to Brazil. Linke scored his only goal for Germany in a group stage match against Saudi Arabia, which Germany won 8–0.
After the 2002 World Cup, Linke said he would retire from international football. However, in 2004, the national coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, asked him to come back because many defenders were injured. Linke played one more friendly game against Austria on August 18, 2004, where he received a yellow card. He then retired from international football for good, having played 43 games for Germany.
Career Statistics
Here are the statistics for Thomas Linke's club and international career.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 1988–89 | DDR-Oberliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 0 | ||||
| 1990–91 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 1991–92 | 2. Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| Total | 79 | 2 | 7 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 90 | 2 | |||
| Schalke 04 | 1992–93 | Bundesliga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1993–94 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 1994–95 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 2 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 3 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | 11 | 2 | 43 | 4 | |||
| 1997–98 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | 40 | 3 | |||
| Total | 175 | 13 | 12 | 1 | – | 20 | 2 | 207 | 16 | |||
| Bayern Munich | 1998–99 | Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 2 |
| 1999–2000 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 44 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | 32 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 1 | ||
| 2003–04 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 165 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 55 | 3 | 249 | 6 | ||
| Bayern Munich II | 2004–05 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2005–06 | Austrian Bundesliga | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 60 | 3 | |||
| Bayern Munich II | 2007–08 | Regionalliga Süd | 33 | 1 | – | – | – | 33 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 504 | 21 | 43 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 85 | 5 | 640 | 28 | ||
International
| Germany | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 |
| 2002 | 14 | 1 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 43 | 1 |
- Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 June 2002 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan |  Saudi Arabia |
6–0 | 8–0 | 2002 World Cup |
Trophies and Achievements
Thomas Linke won many important titles during his career:
Schalke 04
- UEFA Cup: 1996–97
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2004–05
- Runner-up: 1998–99
- DFB-Ligapokal (German League Cup): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
- UEFA Champions League: 2000–01
- Runner-up: 1998–99
- Intercontinental Cup: 2001
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Bundesliga: 2006–07
Germany
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2002
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Linke para niños
