Jurgen Klinsmann

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Klinsmann debuted for the West German senior squad on 12 December 1987 in a 1–1 friendly draw against Brazil. He was an important part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In the round of 16 against the Netherlands, after Rudi Völler was sent off in the 22nd minute, Klinsmann was forced to play as a lone striker. He scored the 1–0 opener and his performance received considerable praise. German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that 'In the last decade, not a single forward of a DFB team has offered such a brilliant, almost perfect performance.' After further victories over Czechoslovakia (1–0) and England (1–1 after extra time, 4–3 on penalties), he became a world champion after beating Argentina 1–0 in the final. Klinsmann is remembered for being fouled by the Argentinian Pedro Monzón, who was subsequently sent off. In a 2004 interview, he noted that the foul left a 15 cm gash on his shin. His last international tournament with Germany was the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in which they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia.

In Their Own Story

On 26 July 2004, Klinsmann returned to Germany as the new head coach of the national team, succeeding former teammate and strike partner Rudi Völler. He embarked on an aggressive program to revamp the management of the team, bringing fellow German striker Oliver Bierhoff on board. He created a youth movement to breathe life into an aging squad on the heels of a disastrous showing at Euro 2004. In the run-up to the 2006 World Cup, Klinsmann attracted criticism from German fans and the media following poor results, such as the 4–1 loss to Italy. A particular subject of criticism was that Klinsmann commuted to Germany from the U.S., which was the target of a campaign by the tabloid Bild. He announced a squad of young players for the 2006 World Cup, basing his selection policy on performance, not reputation. As a manager, Klinsmann managed the German national team to a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Reader's Guide

Klinsmann scored in all six major international tournaments he participated in for Germany, from UEFA Euro 1988 to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the unified German team that won the UEFA Euro 1996. As a manager, he managed the German national team to a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was subsequently coach of a number of other teams including Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the United States national team.

Did You Know?

• Klinsmann scored in all six major international tournaments he participated in for Germany, from UEFA Euro 1988 to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
• In 1995, he came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
• In March 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the '125 Greatest Living Footballers'.
• In 2016, he became the fifth player to be named as honorary captain of Germany.
• Klinsmann scored the 1–0 opener against the Netherlands in the 1990 World Cup round of 16 after Rudi Völler was sent off, forcing him to play as a lone striker.