Jürgen Kohler

Jürgen Kohler (born 6 October 1965) is a World Cup-winning German footballer and manager, who played as a centre-back. Since 2018, he has been in charge of the youth team of Viktoria Köln.

Jürgen Kohler
Kohler in 2005
Personal information
Date of birth (1965-10-06) 6 October 1965
Place of birth Lambsheim, West Germany
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Viktoria Köln U19 (manager)
Youth career
1975–1981 TB Jahn Lambsheim
1982–1983 Waldhof Mannheim
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1987 Waldhof Mannheim 95 (6)
1987–1989 1. FC Köln 57 (2)
1989–1991 Bayern Munich 55 (6)
1991–1995 Juventus 102 (8)
1995–2002 Borussia Dortmund 191 (14)
Total 500 (36)
International career
1983–1984 West Germany U-18 8 (1)
1985–1987 West Germany U-21 11 (0)
1986–1998 Germany 105 (2)
Managerial career
2002–2003 Germany U-21
2005–2006 MSV Duisburg
2008 VfR Aalen
2012 Bonner SC U-19
2013–2015 SpVgg EGC Wirges
2015–2016 SC Hauenstein[1]
2016–2017 VfL Alfter
2018– Viktoria Köln U19
2019 Viktoria Köln (caretaker)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Germany
FIFA World Cup
Winner1990 Italy
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up1992 Sweden
Winner1996 England
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Kohler enjoyed a lengthy career at the highest level with exactly 500 top flight league matches,[2] playing primarily as a centre back in the German Bundesliga, and in the Italian Serie A, achieving notable success both at domestic and international level with FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus.

Kohler's professional career began at Waldhof Mannheim, where he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in April 1984. His first professional goal came in a 5–2 defeat of FC Schalke 04 on 26 January 1985.[3]

A two-year spell at 1. FC Köln preceded a transfer to Bayern Munich, with the Bavarian club winning the Bundesliga championship in his first season at the club.[4]

In 1991, Kohler transferred to Italian club Juventus. After being named Serie A's best foreign player for 1992,[5] he went on to be part of the team that won the 1992–93 UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund, as well as a league and cup double in the 1994–95 season.[4]

Returning to Germany to play for Dortmund in 1995, Kohler won another league championship in 1996 and helped the club to the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final. In a reversal of Kohler's previous continental final, Dortmund defeated his former club Juventus to become European Champions for the first time. As a result of this success, Kohler was named Footballer of the Year (Germany) for 1997. In the 2001–02 season, the last of his career, Kohler won his third Bundesliga title with Dortmund and reached the final of the UEFA Cup.[4]

In his final professional appearance, the 2002 UEFA Cup Final against Feyenoord, Kohler was sent off for a foul on Jon Dahl Tomasson in the 31st minute of the match.[6] After losing possession to Tomasson on the edge of Dortmund's penalty area, Kohler tripped the Danish forward inside the area to concede a penalty kick and was given a straight red card by referee Vítor Melo Pereira. Pierre van Hooijdonk scored the opening goal from the resulting penalty and BVB went on to lose the match 3–2.[7]

At international level, Kohler made over 100 appearances for the German national team, playing at three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships, winning the 1990 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996.[4]

Style of play

Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Kohler was a complete and physically strong centre-back, who was famed for his defensive perception, anticipation, quick reactions, and marking, as well as his tactical sense; he was also known for his prowess in the air, courtesy of his height, timing, heading accuracy, and elevation, which also made him a goal threat during set-pieces. Although primarily a hard-tackling but fair stopper, he was also known for his composure and finesse when in possession, and his ability to play the ball out of defence, which he was able to improve as his career progressed, in particular during his time in Italy, where he showed significant technical developments. Beyond his defensive capabilities, he also stood out for his mentality, professionalism, and leadership qualities. Despite his ability as a defender, however, he also struggled with injuries throughout his career; his physical struggles occasionally limited his playing time and affected his form and consistency. Moreover, he was predominantly a right-footed player, who was not particularly adept with his weaker left foot.[6][8]

Coaching career

After his playing career was over, he has managed the German under-21 side, and became sports director of Bayer Leverkusen on 31 March 2003, quitting this post on 29 June 2004.

On 17 December 2005, he was appointed the coach of MSV Duisburg.

In August 2006, he turned down the opportunity to coach the Ivory Coast national team.[9]

On 28 August 2008, Kohler signed a three-year contract as manager of German 3. Liga club VfR Aalen. However, on 16 November 2008, he retired due to a heart condition from the coaching job. He continued to work as director of sports for Aalen, but was sacked on 5 May 2009.

In April 2013, he started to work as director of sports for his former club SV Waldhof Mannheim.

Personal life

After his retirement from professional sports, Kohler occasionally played for Alemannia Adendorf in the Kreisliga C (the 11th tier of German club football).[10]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[11]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental SuperCup1 Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Waldhof Mannheim1983–84Bundesliga50————50
1984–8526210———272
1985–8632152———373
1986–8732320———343
Total 95682———1038
1. FC Köln1987–88Bundesliga30220———322
1988–8927020—60—350
Total 57240—60—672
Bayern Munich1989–90Bundesliga26220—6010352
1990–9129410—7011385
Total 55630—13021737
Juventus1991–92Serie A27370———343
1992–9329171—112—474
1993–9427310—71—354
1994–9519150—51—292
Total 1028201—234—14513
Borussia Dortmund1995–96Bundesliga29530—7010405
1996–9730210—8110403
1997–9823331205010344
1998–9929230———322
1999–00302—10101—413
2000–0128020———300
2001–02220—11100—331
Total 19114121414023025018
Career total 50036444418265163548

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[12]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany 198620
198790
1988110
198920
1990100
199160
1992100
1993100
1994130
199550
1996101
199770
1998101
Total1052
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kohler goal.[12]
List of international goals scored by Jürgen Kohler
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
14 June 1996Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim Liechtenstein6–09–1Friendly
218 February 1998Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat Oman2–02–0Friendly

Honours

Bayern Munich

Juventus

Borussia Dortmund

Germany

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Kohler wird trainer bei Oberligist Hauenstein" (in German). DFB. 23 March 2015.
  2. Matthias Arnhold (26 July 2012). "Jürgen Kohler – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  3. "Der FC Schalke 04 in der Saison 1984/1985". FC Schalke 04 (in German). Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  4. "Jürgen Kohler". UEFA. 31 August 2011.
  5. "Autogramme", Sport-Bild 24 February 1993, p.43
  6. Stefano Bedeschi (7 October 2013). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Jürgen KOHLER" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. "Feyenoord fired by Van Hooijdonk". The Guardian. 9 May 2002.
  8. CROSETTI, MAURIZIO; GRANELLO, LICIA (9 February 1992). "IL CENTRAVANTI E LO STOPPER, AVANTI CON LO SHOW" [The Centre-forward and the Stopper, Let the Show Continue]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. "Kohler lehnt Angebot der Elfenbeinküste ab". Die Welt (in German). 30 August 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  10. "Irre! Weltmeister Jürgen Kohler kickt jetzt in der Kreisliga C". Bild (in German). 15 July 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  11. Jürgen Kohler at National-Football-Teams.com
  12. Roberto Mamrud (9 November 2002). "Jürgen Kohler – Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  13. "Deutscher Supercup, 1990, Finale". dfb.de. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  14. "Bundesliga Historie 1986/87" (in German). kicker.
  15. "Bundesliga Historie 1987/88" (in German). kicker.
  16. "Bundesliga Historie 1988/89" (in German). kicker.
  17. "Bundesliga Historie 1990/91" (in German). kicker.
  18. "Bundesliga Historie 1998/99" (in German). kicker.
  19. "Bundesliga Historie 2000/01" (in German). kicker.
  20. "EURO 1992 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
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