Wolfgang Rolff facts for kids
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Rolff with Werder Bremen in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 December 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Lamstedt, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1983–1989 | West Germany | 37 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Wolfgang Rolff, born on December 26, 1959, is a famous German football manager and a former professional player. He was known for his amazing skills on the field as a midfielder.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Wolfgang Rolff played in many exciting football matches during his career. He was a midfielder, which means he played in the middle of the field, helping both defense and attack. He was known for being a very energetic player who never stopped running!
Club Football Journey
Rolff played in 356 matches in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. He scored 47 goals in these games. He played for several big 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, scoring 23 goals. This is Germany's second-highest league. For a short time, he even played in France for RC Strasbourg, where he scored four goals in 30 games.
Winning Big Trophies
Wolfgang Rolff had a very successful time with his clubs:
- In 1983, he won the Bundesliga title with Hamburger SV. This was a huge achievement for the team.
- In the same year, he helped Hamburg win the European Cup. This is one of the biggest club competitions in Europe, and they beat Juventus in the final!
- Five years later, in 1988, he won the UEFA Cup with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. This was another major European trophy.
International Matches for West Germany
Wolfgang Rolff also played for the West Germany national team. He made his first appearance in 1983. He played in 37 international matches in total until 1989.
He was part of the West Germany squad for two major tournaments:
- The UEFA Euro 1984 (European Championship).
- The UEFA Euro 1988 (European Championship).
He also played two matches for West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. His team finished as the runner-up in that World Cup, which was a fantastic achievement!
Coaching Career Path
After his playing days, Wolfgang Rolff became a football coach. He worked with many different teams, often as an assistant coach. An assistant coach helps the main coach plan strategies and train the players.
Early Coaching Roles
In 1997, his former teammate Felix Magath asked Rolff to be his assistant at Hamburger SV. In 1998, Rolff took charge of SV Meppen as their main coach for six months.
He then worked as an assistant coach for Winfried Schäfer at VfB Stuttgart. For a short time, he was even the "caretaker manager" for Stuttgart. A caretaker manager takes over when the main coach leaves suddenly, until a new coach is found.
Working with National Teams and Big Clubs
From 2000 to 2001, Rolff was part of the coaching team at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, one of his old clubs. He worked with former Germany coach Berti Vogts there.
Later, he followed Vogts to the Kuwait national team as an assistant coach from 2001 to 2002.
From 2004 to 2013, he was an assistant manager at SV Werder Bremen. When the main coach, Thomas Schaaf, left in 2013, Rolff briefly became the interim head coach. He also worked as an assistant for Eintracht Frankfurt and Shandong Luneng.
More recently, since 2020, he has been coaching Laval.
Honours and Achievements
Wolfgang Rolff achieved many great things during his football career, both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
Hamburger SV
- Bundesliga: 1982–83 (German League Champion)
- European Cup: 1982–83 (European Club Champion)
- UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 1983
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1983
Bayer Leverkusen
- UEFA Cup: 1987–88 (Another European Club Champion)
West Germany
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1986 (Second place in the World Cup)
As a Manager
Al-Salmiya
- Kuwait Crown Prince Cup: 2015–16 (Cup Winner in Kuwait)
See also
In Spanish: Wolfgang Rolff para niños
