Karl-Heinz Riedle

Karl-Heinz Riedle

Riedle in 2012
Personal information
Full nameKarl-Heinz Riedle
Date of birth16 September 1965
Place of birthWeiler im AllgÀu, West Germany
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
TSV Ellhofen
SV Weiler
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1983–1986FC Augsburg80(31)
1986–1987Blau-Weiß Berlin34(10)
1987–1990Werder Bremen86(38)
1990–1993Lazio84(30)
1993–1997Borussia Dortmund87(24)
1997–1999Liverpool60(11)
1999–2001Fulham34(6)
Total465(150)
National team
1986–1987West Germany U214(1)
1988West Germany Olympic1(0)
1988–1994Germany42(16)
Teams managed
2000Fulham
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Karl-Heinz Riedle /kɑrl haÉȘnts riːdlə/ (born 16 September 1965) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

Nicknamed "Air" due to his notable jumping and timing skills for headers, he appeared in 207 Bundesliga games over the course of eight seasons, scoring 62 of his 72 goals for Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund. He also played for Lazio in Italy and Liverpool in England.

A German international for six years, Riedle represented the country in two World Cups – winning the 1990 edition – and Euro 1992.

Club career

Germany

Born in Weiler im AllgĂ€u, Swabia, Riedle started his senior career in the Bayernliga with FC Augsburg,[1] being club top scorer in the 1985–86 season with a total of 20 goals.[2] His performances attracted interest from newly promoted Bundesliga side SpVgg Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin, who signed him for a fee of 33,000 Deutsche Mark;[3] he made his league debut for his new team on 9 August 1986, scoring in a 1–4 home loss against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[4]

After his team's relegation, as last, Riedle nonetheless signed with SV Werder Bremen, led by legendary Otto Rehhagel, and netted 18 times in his first season (second-best in the league behind JĂŒrgen Klinsmann, and 24 overall) to help the club win the national title. During his three-year spell with the Hanseatic he scored 58 goals all competitions comprised, and appeared in back-to-back German Cup finals, losing both and finding the net in the 1989 edition – opening the score in a 1–4 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Lazio / Return home

In the 1990 summer, Riedle moved to S.S. Lazio of Italy for a transfer fee of 13 million DM. During his stint with the Roman the club failed to win any silverware or reach any final, and his best output occurred in the 1991–92 campaign when he scored 13 goals in 29 games for an eventual 10th-place finish in Serie A; for two of his three years, he shared teams with countryman Thomas Doll.

Riedle returned to Germany in 1993 and joined Borussia Dortmund. He was a starter for most of his spell, often partnering StĂ©phane Chapuisat, but failed to reproduce his previous form, never scoring in double digits; he was however important in the conquest of the 1995 and 1996 national championships (13 goals combined) and, in the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, netted twice against Juventus F.C. in the final for a 3–1 success.[5]

England

In 1997, Riedle joined Liverpool in the Premier League. He was irregularly used during his stint at Anfield, especially after the phasing-in of 18-year old Michael Owen.

In late September 1999, 34-year-old Riedle moved to Fulham where, along with his old Reds manager Roy Evans, he would serve as caretaker manager until the end of the 1999–2000 season after Paul Bracewell's dismissal. He scored his last goal in a 2–0 win over Queens Park Rangers, for the Division One.

International career

Riedle made his debut for West Germany on 31 August 1988, playing 15 minutes against Finland and scoring in a 4–0 away win for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Selected by coach Franz Beckenbauer for the finals in Italy as a backup to Klinsmann and Rudi Völler, he contributed with four games as the national team won its third title, starting once due to suspension to the latter.

One of Riedle's most memorable matches for Germany came during the UEFA Euro 1992 semi-final against Sweden, in which he netted two goals in a 3–2 triumph, eventually being the tournament's joint-top scorer. He gained a total of 42 caps, scoring on 16 occasions.[6]

UEFA Champions League Ambassador

On 28 August 2014, UEFA announced Karl-Heinz Riedle as the ambassador of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League Final, which will be held in Berlin, Germany.

Honours

Club

Werder Bremen
Borussia Dortmund

Country

Individual

Statistics

International

[7]

Germany
YearAppsGoals
198811
198931
199091
199153
1992104
199385
199461
Total4216

Personal life

Riedle is married to Gabriele and has three children, Alessandro, who is also a professional footballer, Dominic and Vivien-Joana.[8] He owns a hotel and runs a football academy, in the village of Oberstaufen.

References

  1. ↑ "Riedle, Karl-Heinz". kicker. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Landgraf, Stephan (30 November 2012). "Jugendliche sind das Kapital fĂŒr die Zukunft" [Youngsters are essential for the future] (in German). MZ-Kick. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Alles Spekulanten" [Speculation galore] (in German). Der Spiegel. 7 August 1989. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "Spielstatistik Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin gegen 1. FC Kaiserslautern" (in German). Fussballdaten. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Three magic nights in Munich". FIFA.com. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Karl-Heinz Riedle - Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Karl-Heinz Riedle at National-Football-Teams.com
  8. ↑ "Trainer Riedle? Ja, das wĂŒrde mich schon reizen" [Coach Riedle? Yes, that would surely get me going] (in German). AllgĂ€u-Rundschau. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2013.

External links