Personal Information
Date of Birth | July 30, 1964 |
Nationality | West German / German |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.82 m) |
Role | Striker |
Past Team(s) | |
Family | Debbie Chin (Spouse) |
Jurgen Klinsmann: A Brief Biography
Jurgen Klinsmann Biography
Jurgen Klinsmann is a former professional footballer from Germany. Born on 30 July 1964 in Göppington, West Germany, he played for various renowned clubs such as VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich and also represented the senior team of Germany from 1990 to 1998.
Klinsmann was right-footed and his role in the team was that of a striker. Playing with Germany, he won the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Background
Klinsmann began his amateur career with TB Gingen at the age of 8 and caught everyone's eyes when he scored 16 goals in a single match. Later, in 1974, he moved to SC Geislingen and played for the club until 1978.
In 1978, he signed a contract with Stuttgarter Kickers as a youth player and turned into professional after getting 18 years of age. He appeared in 61 games for the club in the period of 1981 to 1984 and scored 22 goals.
Debut
Klinsmann made his first division Bundesliga debut for VfB Stuttgart on 25 August 1984 against FC Kaiserslautern. In his debut season, he netted 15 goals for the club and became team’s top scorer with Karl Allgower.
After scoring plenty of goals for the various clubs, he was selected in the German national team in 1987. Klinsmann played his first international game against Brazil which ended up in a 1-1 draw. In 1988, he also won a bronze medal, playing for Germany in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Rise to glory
In the 1987-88 season, Jurgen finished with 19 goals and sparkled as Bundesliga's top scorer. He also played a significant role to carry VfB Stuttgart into the 1988-89 UEFA Cup final.
Klinsmann kept getting better in his game and played a significant role in Germany's 1990 FIFA World Cup victory. In the game of round-of-16 against the Netherlands, he had netted a winning goal in some tough circumstances.
In 1991, playing with Inter Milan, he won UEFA Cup for the club by scoring 14 goals in the tournament.
In his late career of 1995 to 1997, he played for the esteemed Bayern Munich and remained the top scorer for the club throughout the period. He also scored 15 goals in 12 games of 1995-96 UEFA Cup and lifted the title for the team.
Club career
Apart from VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich, he also played for various other football clubs such as AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria etc. He had featured in 514 games of several leagues namely Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, UEFA Cup etc. and got 232 goals in his name.
Records
Klinsmann played 82 matches for the German national team and scored 40 goals. For his performance in the club as well as international football, he got many recognitions and awards in his more than two-decades long career.
In 1994, he bagged the award of German Footballer of the Year, whereas, in 1995 he was runner up for the Ballon d'Or. In the same year, he got a Bronze award for being FIFA World Player of the Year.
At the present, he is the 6th highest goalscorer in the World Cups globally and the 3rd highest for Germany.
Retirement
Klinsmann played the last game of his club career against Southampton during 1998 Premier League. After his retirement, he moved to the USA and played for Orange County Blue Star, an amateur team.
On 26 July 2004, returning to Germany, he became head coach of the national team. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, his young team secured third place and got appreciation from all around the world.
Before being the head coach of the USA national team, he also coached Bayern Munich and Toronto FC. He coached the USA from 2011 to 2016 and in 2013, he also led United States to CONCACAF Gold Cup.