Wolfgang Rolff facts for kids
![]() Rolff with Werder Bremen in 2009
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Personal information | |||
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Date of birth | 26 December 1959 | ||
Place of birth | Lamstedt, West Germany | ||
Height | 1.79 m | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Laval United (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
TSV Lamstedt | |||
OSC Bremerhaven | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1979–1980 | OSC Bremerhaven | 35 | (6) |
1980–1982 | Fortuna Köln | 75 | (17) |
1982–1986 | Hamburger SV | 129 | (24) |
1986–1989 | Bayer Leverkusen | 99 | (9) |
1989–1990 | Strasbourg | 30 | (4) |
1990–1991 | Bayer 05 Uerdingen | 20 | (0) |
1991–1994 | Karlsruher SC | 94 | (14) |
1994–1995 | 1. FC Köln | 14 | (0) |
1995–1996 | Fortuna Köln | 16 | (2) |
Total | 512 | (76) | |
National team | |||
1983–1989 | West Germany | 37 | (0) |
Teams managed | |||
1997 | Hamburger SV (assistant) | ||
1997–1998 | SV Meppen | ||
1998 | VfB Stuttgart (assistant) | ||
1998 | VfB Stuttgart (caretaker) | ||
2000–2001 | Bayer Leverkusen (assistant) | ||
2001–2002 | Kuwait (assistant) | ||
2004–2013 | Werder Bremen (assistant) | ||
2013 | Werder Bremen (caretaker) | ||
2014 | Azerbaijan | ||
2014–2015 | Eintracht Frankfurt (assistant) | ||
2015–2016 | Al-Salmiya SC | ||
2016 | Hannover 96 | ||
2016–2017 | Shandong Luneng (assistant) | ||
2020– | Laval | ||
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Wolfgang Rolff (born 26 December 1959) is a German football manager and a former player. He was known for being a tireless midfielder during his playing days.
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Playing Career Highlights
Wolfgang Rolff played in Germany's top football league, the Bundesliga. He played 356 matches and scored 47 goals for famous clubs like Hamburger SV, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer 05 Uerdingen, Karlsruher SC, and 1. FC Köln.
He also played 126 matches in the 2. Bundesliga, which is Germany's second-highest league. He played for teams such as OSC Bremerhaven and SC Fortuna Köln. Rolff even had a time playing in France for RC Strasbourg.
Major Club Wins
Rolff achieved great success with his clubs.
- In 1983, he won the Bundesliga title with Hamburger SV. This means his team was the champion of Germany's top league.
- In the same year, he was part of the Hamburg team that won the European Cup. This is the biggest club competition in Europe, where the best teams from different countries play against each other. They beat Juventus in the final.
- Five years later, in 1988, he won the UEFA Cup with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The UEFA Cup (now called the UEFA Europa League) is another important European club competition.
International Matches
Wolfgang Rolff also played for the West Germany national team. He first played for his country in 1983.
He was part of the national squad for two major European tournaments:
- UEFA Euro 1984
- UEFA Euro 1988
Rolff also played for West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. His team finished as runner-up in that tournament, meaning they reached the final but did not win. In total, he played 37 international matches for his country until 1989.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Wolfgang Rolff started a career in coaching. He often worked as an assistant coach for many well-known teams and managers.
Early Coaching Roles
- In 1997, his former teammate Felix Magath hired him as an assistant coach at Hamburger SV.
- In 1998, Rolff became the main coach for SV Meppen for six months.
- He then worked as an assistant to Winfried Schäfer at VfB Stuttgart. For a short time, he was also the "caretaker manager" for Stuttgart. A caretaker manager takes charge temporarily when the main coach leaves.
- From 2000 to 2001, he was part of the coaching team at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, another one of his old clubs.
Later Coaching Roles
- After leaving Leverkusen, Rolff worked as an assistant coach for the Kuwait national team until 2002.
- In July 2004, he joined SV Werder Bremen as an assistant manager. He stayed there for many years.
- In 2013, when the main coach Thomas Schaaf left, Rolff became the interim head coach for a short period.
- He continued to work as an assistant coach for other teams like Eintracht Frankfurt and Shandong Luneng.
- In 2015-2016, he managed Al-Salmiya SC.
- Since 2020, he has been managing Laval.
Honours and Achievements
Wolfgang Rolff won several important titles during his career as a player and a manager.
As a Player
With Hamburger SV
- Bundesliga: 1982–83 (German League Champion)
- European Cup: 1982–83 (Europe's top club competition winner)
- UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 1983
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1983
With Bayer Leverkusen
- UEFA Cup: 1987–88 (Another major European club competition winner)
With West Germany National Team
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1986 (Reached the World Cup final)
As a Manager
With Al-Salmiya
- Kuwait Crown Prince Cup: 2015–16 (Cup winner in Kuwait)
See also
In Spanish: Wolfgang Rolff para niños