Paul Steiner

Paul Steiner
Personal information
Date of birth January 23, 1957 (1957-01-23) (age 55)
Place of birth Waldbrunn, West Germany
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Playing position Centre back
Youth career
0000–1975 TSV Strümpfelbrunn
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1979 Waldhof Mannheim 144 (16)
1979–1981 MSV Duisburg 58 (7)
1981–1991 1. FC Köln 291 (20)
Total 493 (43)
National team
1983 West Germany U21 2 (1)
1987 West Germany Olympic 2 (0)
1990 West Germany 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Paul Steiner (born 23 January 1957) is a retired German footballer who played mainly as a central defender.

Contents

Club career

Born in Waldbrunn, Baden-Württemberg, Steiner started his career in his hometown, playing for TSV Strümpfelbrunn. In 1975, he started his professional career, playing four seasons with second division side SV Waldhof Mannheim.

He played 349 games in the top level, scoring 27 times from 1979 until 1991, with MSV Duisburg and 1. FC Köln. With the latter, Steiner was instrumental in five league finishes in the top three, also winning the German Cup in 1983 and losing the 1985–86 UEFA Cup to Real Madrid.

After retiring at 34, Steiner later worked as a scout for Köln's Rhine rival, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, before taking up the same role back at 1. FC Köln.

International career

Steiner was one of the oldest debutants in the Germany's national team, when he appeared as a 33-year old substitute in the final friendly match ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, against Denmark at Gelsenkirchen's Parkstadion, on May 30. He was surprisingly given the nod for the World Cup squad in favour of Bayer Uerdingen's Holger Fach, who had been the expected pick of coach Franz Beckenbauer as Klaus Augenthaler's understudy.

Steiner was not recalled again after the tournament, where Germany defeated Argentina in the final.

Personal

Steiner is commonly quoted in Germany as stating in a talkshow that homosexuals were "too soft" for playing football.

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