Wynton Rufer facts for kids
Rufer in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wynton Alan Whai Rufer | ||
| Date of birth | 29 December 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.81 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1980 | Stop Out | 5 | (2) |
| 1981 | Wellington Diamond | 19 | (7) |
| 1982 | Norwich City | 0 | (0) |
| 1982 | Miramar Rangers | 8 | (3) |
| 1982–1986 | FC Zürich | 100 | (43) |
| 1986–1988 | FC Aarau | 37 | (18) |
| 1988–1989 | Grasshoppers | 22 | (12) |
| 1989–1995 | Werder Bremen | 174 | (59) |
| 1995–1996 | JEF United | 54 | (38) |
| 1997 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 14 | (4) |
| 1997 | Central United | 30 | (12) |
| 1998 | North Shore United | 11 | (3) |
| 1999–2002 | Auckland Kingz | 48 | (12) |
| Total | 522 | (213) | |
| National team | |||
| 1980–1997 | New Zealand | 23 | (12) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1998–1999 | North Shore | ||
| 1999 | New Zealand U16 | ||
| 1999–2002 | Kingz | ||
| 2014–2015 | Papua New Guinea | ||
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Wynton Alan Whai Rufer (born 29 December 1962) is a famous retired footballer from New Zealand. He played as a striker, which means he was a goal-scorer for his team. Wynton spent over ten years playing professional football in Switzerland and Germany. His most successful time was with the team Werder Bremen. There, he won four major titles. He was also the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League during the 1993–94 season.
Wynton was part of the New Zealand national team when they first played in the FIFA World Cup in 1982. He was even named the "Oceania Footballer of the Century" by the Oceania Football Confederation. This shows how important he was to football in his region.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Early Football Days
Wynton Rufer was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His father was Swiss, and his mother was Māori. He is connected to the Ngāti Porou iwi, which is a Māori tribe. After finishing school, he started playing football for local teams like Wellington Diamond United, Stop Out, and Miramar Rangers.
In 1981 and 1982, Wynton was named New Zealand's Young Player of the Year. This caught the eye of Norwich City's manager, Ken Brown. Wynton and his older brother, Shane Rufer, went to England for a trial. Wynton did very well and signed a professional contract in October 1981. He was the first New Zealander to do this. However, he couldn't get a work permit to play in England. So, he moved to Switzerland and joined FC Zürich in May 1982.
Playing in Switzerland
Wynton played in Switzerland for seven years. He also played for FC Aarau and Grasshoppers. While at FC Aarau, he was the top scorer in the 1987–88 season with 21 goals. This helped his team finish in fourth place. With Grasshoppers, he won the Swiss Cup, which is a major tournament. During his time in Switzerland, he scored more than 100 goals in total.
Success at Werder Bremen
In the summer of 1989, Wynton Rufer joined Werder Bremen in Germany. The team was coached by Otto Rehhagel. Wynton's first game in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league) was on July 29. He quickly made a big impact, scoring six goals in his first 13 league games.
He played a huge role in the team's success, often playing alongside Klaus Allofs. In May 1992, both players scored in the final of the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup. Werder Bremen won 2–0 against Monaco in Lisbon.
In the 1992–93 season, Werder Bremen won their third league championship. Wynton finished as the second-highest scorer with 17 goals. In December 1993, he scored two goals in a UEFA Champions League match against Anderlecht. Werder Bremen won 5–3, even after being down 3–0. Wynton ended up being the top scorer in that Champions League season. He also helped his team win another German Cup.
Wynton was voted Oceania's Player of the Year three times: in 1989, 1990, and 1992.
Later Years in Football
After leaving Werder Bremen in 1994, Wynton moved to Japan. He joined JEF United Ichihara in the J1 League. In his second year there, he was the club's top scorer. In 1997, his former coach, Otto Rehhagel, asked him to join 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Germany. Wynton helped the team return to the top division, scoring four goals in 14 games.
After that, Wynton returned to New Zealand. He played for Central United, North Shore United, and Auckland Kingz. He retired from playing when he was almost 40 years old. After retiring, he started a football coaching school called WYNRS. This school has helped train new football stars, like women's international player Annalie Longo.
In 1998, Wynton and his brother Shane coached North Shore United. Then, Wynton coached the New Zealand Under-16 men's team. He led them to a draw against Austria and a win over Norway in a tournament in France in 1998. He also became the player-coach for Auckland Kingz, New Zealand's first professional football team. He played for two seasons before fully retiring in 2001. He was named Oceania's Player of the Century.
Playing for New Zealand
Wynton Rufer first played for the New Zealand national team (often called the All Whites) on October 16, 1980. He was only 17 years old. He joined the team for their 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification games in 1981. In December 1981, he scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against Kuwait.
Later that year, he scored the winning goal in a crucial playoff game against China. This win helped New Zealand qualify for their first ever FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup in Spain, 19-year-old Wynton was the youngest player on the team. He played in all three group games against Scotland, the Soviet Union, and Brazil.
In total, he played 23 official games for New Zealand and scored 12 goals. Between 1985 and 1989, he only played five international games because his club in Switzerland would not release him. After that, he didn't play for the national team again until 1996.
Being a Manager
In February 2014, Wynton Rufer became the manager of the Papua New Guinea national team. He also managed their Under-19 team for the 2014 OFC U-20 Championship.
Personal Life
While playing in Switzerland, Wynton became a Christian. He married his wife, Lisa, in 1986. They have two sons, Caleb and Joshua, who also play football. His brother Shane and his nephew Alex also played professional football and for the New Zealand national team.
Wynton is a member of the FIFA Football Committee, working with famous players like Franz Beckenbauer and Michel Platini. He also helps with the FIFA Ambassadors Against Racism Committee. In 2008, he was honored for his services to soccer. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Maori Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Honours
Grasshoppers
- Swiss Cup: 1988–89
- Swiss Super Cup: 1989
Werder Bremen
- Bundesliga: 1992–93
- DFB-Pokal: 1990–91, 1993–94
- DFB-Supercup: 1993, 1994
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1991–92
1. FC Kaiserslautern
- 2. Bundesliga: 1996–97
Central United
- Chatham Cup: 1997
Individual Awards
- New Zealand Young Player of the Year: 1981 and 1982
- Oceania Footballer of the Year: 1989, 1990, 1992
- FIFA Oceania Footballer of the Century
- UEFA Champions League Top-scorer: 1993–94
- Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to soccer, in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours
- New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2005
- Maori Sports Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2007
- IFFHS Legends
- IFFHS Oceania Men's Team of All Time: 2021
