Lutz Pfannenstiel

Lutz Pfannenstiel

Pfannenstiel as goalkeeper coach of Cuba in 2008
Personal information
Full nameLutz Pfannenstiel
Date of birth12 May 1973
Place of birthZwiesel, West Germany
Height1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Scout)
Youth career
1986–1989SC Zwiesel
1989–1991FC Vilshofen
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1991–19931. FC Bad Kötzting68(0)
1993–1994Penang FA12(0)
1994–1995Wimbledon0(0)
1995–1997Nottingham Forest0(0)
1996–1997→ Orlando Pirates (loan)7(0)
1997TPV8(0)
1997FC Haka0(0)
1998–1999SV Wacker Burghausen3(0)
1999–2000Geylang United46(0)
2001Dunedin Technical18(0)
2001–2002→ Bradford Park Avenue (loan)1(0)
2001–2002Huddersfield Town0(0)
2002Dunedin Technical18(0)
2002→ ASV Cham (loan)12(0)
2002–2003Bradford Park Avenue14(0)
2003Dunedin Technical18(0)
2003→ Bærum SK (loan)13(0)
2004Calgary Mustangs28(0)
2004–2006Otago United36(0)
2006–2007KS Vllaznia Shkodër14(0)
2007FC Bentonit Ijevan12(0)
2007Bærum SK9(0)
2007Vancouver Whitecaps4(0)
2008Hermann Aichinger12(0)
2008–2009Flekkerøy IL14(0)
2009Manglerud Star11(0)
2009–2011Ramblers45(0)
Total423(0)
National team
1986–1987Germany U-175(0)
Teams managed
2007FC Bentonit Ijevan
2008Flekkerøy IL (assistant coach)
2008–2009Cuba (goalkeeper coach)
2009Manglerud Star (goalkeeper coach)
2009–2010Ramblers (head coach & technical director)[1]
2009–2010Namibia (goalkeeper coach)[2]
2009–2010Antarctica XI (Manager & Goalkeeper Coach)
2011–TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (scout)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Lutz Pfannenstiel (born 12 May 1973 in Zwiesel, Bavaria[3]) is a retired German footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. He is known for being the first, and so far the only player to have played professionally in all six FIFA confederations.[4]

Career

Pfannenstiel is mostly famous for having played for 25 different clubs all around the world during his career,[5] including stints in Germany, England, New Zealand,[6] Singapore, United States, Brazil, South Africa, Finland, Malaysia, Belgium, Canada, Namibia, Norway, Armenia and Albania.[7] Pfannenstiel showed immense promise as a youngster and represented Germany’s under-17s. By the time he was 19, Bayern Munich had come knocking, but Pfannenstiel had greater aspirations, even greater than representing the undisputed giants of German football. He turned them down in favour of embarking upon a truly unimaginable adventure.[8][9] After signing for Hermann Aichinger in Brazil, he became the first (and only) professional to have played in all six FIFA confederations.[10][11]

Pfannenstiel was a playing coach at Norwegian side Manglerud Star,[12] making his debut in the 2–1 away win against Asker on 13 April 2009. He has played for Manglerud Star in Norway[5] and joined on 3 October to Namibian club Ramblers.[13]

International career

Pfannenstiel is a former member of the Germany U-17 national football team.[14]

Coaching career

Pfannenstiel began his coaching career in April 2008 when he became the Goalkeeper Coach for Reinhold Fanz coaching the Cuba national football team[15] and signed in January 2009 a contract for Manglerud Star who was named as player-goalkeeper coach.[16] In September 2009 Pfannenstiel left Norway and Europe to sign for Namibian club Ramblers who signed a contract as Player-Coach and Sport director besides working as goalkeeping coach of the Namibia national football team.[17] Since February 2011, he has been working as a scout for the Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.[18]

Post-retirement

Pfannenstiel is today best remembered as the first, and so far only, football player to have played professionally in all six FIFA confederations.[19] Since his retirement from active footballing he has worked as a scout for German side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, whilst also pursuing television and writing.

He wrote his biography Unhaltbar — Meine Abenteuer als Welttorhüter; the book was released on 1 October 2009.[20] During the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, Pfannenstiel worked as a pundit for the German television station ZDF, alongside fellow goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.[21][22]

Legal and health issues

While playing football in Singapore, Pfannenstiel was accused of match-fixing and jailed for 101 days. However he was released due to a lack of evidence, and later cleared of the charges.[23][24]

Pfannenstiel stopped breathing three times after a collision with Clayton Donaldson while playing for Bradford Park Avenue against Harrogate Town in a Northern Premier League match on 26 December 2002. The injury was so serious that the referee, John Moss, abandoned the match.[25] Bradford Park Avenue were leading 2–1 at the time of the incident.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Fußball-Weltenbummler will nun Namibia voranbringen". www.az.com.na (in German). 29 September 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Zurück in Afrika". www.lutz-pfannenstiel.de (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Lutz – Global Goalie". www.lutz-pfannenstiel.de (in German). Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  4. ↑ "Lutz Pfannenstiel, gardien du monde". parlonsfoot.com (in French). 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Pfannenstiel — globetrotting German goalie with 24 clubs". AFP. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. ↑ "Soccer: Have ball, will travel – and there's plenty of that for goalie". The New Zealand Herald. 15 December 2004. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  7. ↑ Lutz Pfannenstiel, intercontinental (with photo)
  8. ↑ Lutz Pfannenstiel,The goalkeeper who gave up Bayern Munich for the Crazy Gang, Bradford and a whirlwind trawl across continents
  9. ↑ Lutz Pfannenstiel,the only player to have played professional football on all six continents
  10. ↑ "Prost Amerika Interviews Lutz Pfannenstiel". 8 October 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2008. In 2008, I'll be playing in South America and in doing so, I'll become the only player ever to play professional football on every continent.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "La drôle d’histoire d’un gardien de but globe-trotter". Les Dessous du Sport (in French). 20 January 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  13. ↑ "Globetrotter Pfannenstiel zieht es nach Afrika". Focus (in German). 5 October 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "Malaysia wirkte auf Pfannenstiel wie eine Droge". Die Welt (in German). 26 September 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  15. ↑ Myrrhe, Anke (30 July 2008). "Keine Fluchtgefahr". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  16. ↑ "Lutz Pfannenstiel unterschreibt bei Manglerud Star in Norwegen". www.soccess.net. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  17. ↑ "Globetrotter Pfannenstiel zieht es nach Afrika". FIFA. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  18. ↑ "Traumjob für Lutz Pfannenstiel – Zwiesler Weltenbummler wird Scout bei der TSG Hoffenheim". FUPA. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  19. ↑ "Lutz Pfannenstiel, gardien du monde". parlonsfoot.com (in French). 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  20. ↑ Krull, Patrick (27 September 2009). "Sagenhafte Abenteuer eines unhaltbaren Torwarts". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  21. ↑ Benninghoff, Dirk (15 June 2010). "Noch mehr als die Tröte nervt das Gerede darüber". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  22. ↑ http://www.vg.no/sport/fotball/internasjonal-fotball/slik-satte-supernomaden-verdensrekord/a/23262614/
  23. ↑ http://www.vg.no/sport/fotball/internasjonal-fotball/slik-satte-supernomaden-verdensrekord/a/23262614/
  24. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17593237
  25. ↑ "Footballer saved by kiss of life". Telegraph & Argus. Newsquest Media Group. 27 December 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  26. ↑ "Goalkeeper's wife tells of match terror". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Newsquest Media Group. 28 December 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2008.

External links