Ulf Kirsten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ulf Kirsten

Kirsten in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1965-12-04) 4 December 1965 (age 59)
Place of birth	Riesa, East Germany
Height	1.72 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1972–1978	BSG Chemie Riesa
1978–1979	BSG Stahl Riesa
1979–1983	Dynamo Dresden
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1983–1990	Dynamo Dresden	154	(57)
1990–2003	Bayer Leverkusen	350	(181)
Total		504	(238)
National team
1984–1986	East Germany U21	10	(4)
1985–1990	East Germany	49	(14)
1990–2000	Germany	51	(20)
Teams managed
2003–2005	Bayer Leverkusen (assistant)
2005–2011	Bayer Leverkusen II
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ulf Kirsten, born on December 4, 1965, is a German former professional football player. He played as a striker, scoring many goals. People called him Der Schwatte, which means 'The Black One'. He made history as the first player to play 100 international games for two different national teams. First, he played for East Germany. Later, he played for the reunified Germany. One of Kirsten's biggest achievements was winning the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal cup.

Playing for Clubs

Starting with Dynamo Dresden

Ulf Kirsten started his football journey in 1972. He played for a local team called BSG Chemie Riesa. In 1978, he moved to BSG Stahl Riesa. Then, in 1979, he joined the youth academy of Dynamo Dresden. Dynamo Dresden was a top football club in East Germany. It was also the most successful club there at the time. Kirsten made his first professional appearance for Dynamo Dresden in the 1983–84 DDR-Oberliga season.

Kirsten played 154 matches for Dynamo Dresden. He scored 57 goals in the DDR-Oberliga league. He helped Dynamo Dresden win the DDR-Oberliga in two years in a row. These were the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons. In 1990, Ulf Kirsten was named the Footballer of the Year in East Germany.

Kirsten had a unique body shape for a footballer. He was only 172 centimeters (5 feet 8 inches) tall. But he weighed 81 kilograms (179 pounds). This gave him a low center of gravity. It helped him keep the ball from bigger defenders. He could also turn quickly to shoot from close range. His playing style was often compared to Gerd Müller. Even though he was not tall, Kirsten was also very good at heading the ball.

Time with Bayer Leverkusen

Kirsten in 1997

After Germany became one country again, Ulf Kirsten was one of the first East German players to join the Bundesliga. This is Germany's top football league. He played 350 matches for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He scored 182 goals for them. This makes him one of the top goal scorers in Bundesliga history. He was known as a very dangerous striker.

However, Bayer Leverkusen often finished second in the league. They were usually behind Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. Kirsten stayed with Bayer Leverkusen until he stopped playing in 2003. He also played in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. His team lost that game to Real Madrid. In the 1999–2000 season, Kirsten won an award called EFFIFU. This award was for being the most effective striker in the league.

Off the field, Kirsten was known for his strong beard. This led to a sponsorship deal with Braun. They used him to advertise their electric shavers.

Playing for His Country

East Germany team photo from 1986. Kirsten is seated third from left in the front row.

Ulf Kirsten played 100 international games for his country. These games were almost equally split. He played 49 games for East Germany. He played 51 games for the unified Germany. His international career lasted 15 years, from 1985 to 2000. The unified German team was formed in late 1990.

Kirsten scored a total of 34 goals in international matches. Fourteen of these goals were for East Germany. He played in major tournaments later in his career. Kirsten represented Germany at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. He also played in Euro 2000.

International Goals by Ulf Kirsten

Ulf Kirsten scored many important goals for his country. Here is a list of his international goals.

International goals by Ulf Kirsten

No.	Team	Cap	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref
1	East Germany	3	14 August 1985	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Norway	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2		10	19 February 1986	Estádio 1º de Maio, Braga, Portugal	Portugal	2–0	3–1	Friendly
3		16	29 October 1986	Sportforum Chemnitz, Chemnitz, East Germany	Iceland	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
4		23	23 September 1987	Stadion der Freundschaft, Gera, East Germany	Tunisia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
5		24	10 October 1987	Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, East Berlin, East Germany	Soviet Union	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
6		25	28 October 1987	Ernst Grube Stadium, Magdeburg, East Germany	Norway	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
7						3–1
8		37	13 February 1989	Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt	Egypt	1–0	4–0	Friendly
9						3–0
10		42	20 May 1989	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany	Austria	1–1	1–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
11		43	23 August 1989	Steigerwaldstadion, Erfurt, East Germany	Bulgaria	1–0	1–1	Friendly
12		50	28 March 1990	Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, Berlin, Germany	United States	1–0	3–2	Friendly
13						2–0
14						3–1
15	Germany	4	14 April 1993	Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany	Ghana	1–1	6–1	Friendly
16		6	13 October 1993	Wildparkstadion, Karlsruhe, Germany	Uruguay	4–0	5–0	Friendly
17		10	27 April 1994	Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	United Arab Emirates	1–0	2–0	Friendly
18		11	16 November 1994	Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania	Albania	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
19		12	14 December 1994	Republican Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	Moldova	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
20		17	6 September 1995	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany	Georgia	3–1	4–1	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
21		20	2 April 1997	Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain	Albania	1–1	3–2	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
22						2–1
23						3–1
24		23	6 September 1997	Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany	Portugal	1–1	1–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
25		24	10 September 1997	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany	Armenia	4–0	4–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
26		28	25 March 1998	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Brazil	1–1	1–2	Friendly
27		32	5 June 1998	Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim, Germany	Luxembourg	1–0	7–0	Friendly
28						4–0
29		40	14 October 1998	Republican Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	Moldova	1–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
30						2–1
31		44	4 June 1999	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Moldova	2–0	6–1	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
32		48	26 April 2000	Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany	Switzerland	1–1	1–1	Friendly
33		49	7 June 2000	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Liechtenstein	5–2	8–2	Friendly
34						7–2

Personal Life

Ulf Kirsten's son, Benjamin, also became a football player. Benjamin played as a goalkeeper. He played for Dynamo Dresden and NEC Nijmegen.

Achievements and Awards

Ulf Kirsten won many awards and titles during his football career.

Club Honours

Dynamo Dresden

• DDR-Oberliga: 1988–89, 1989–90 (Won the top league in East Germany)
• FDGB-Pokal: 1984–85, 1989–90 (Won the East German Cup)

Bayer Leverkusen

• DFB-Pokal: 1992–93 (Won the German Cup)
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2001–02 (Finished second in Europe's biggest club competition)

Individual Awards

• East German Footballer of the Year: 1989–90
• Bundesliga top scorer: 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98 (Was the player who scored the most goals in the German league)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorer: 1993–94
• UEFA Cup top scorer: 1994–95
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1996–97, 1998–99

See also

In Spanish: Ulf Kirsten para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps