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Thomas Linke

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Thomas Linke
Linke playing for RB Salzburg in a 2009 charity match
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-12-26) 26 December 1969 (age 54)
Place of birth Sömmerda, East Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
1977–1983 Robotron Sömmerda
1983–1988 Rot-Weiß Erfurt
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1992 Rot-Weiß Erfurt 85 (2)
1992–1998 Schalke 04 175 (13)
1998–2005 Bayern Munich 165 (2)
2005–2007 Red Bull Salzburg 51 (3)
2007–2008 Bayern Munich II 27 (1)
Total 502 (21)
International career
1997–2004 Germany 43 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Germany
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2002 Korea/Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Linke (born 26 December 1969) is a retired German professional footballer. He played as a central defender and last worked as the director of football of FC Ingolstadt 04.

Linke was remembered as a hard-nosed tackler with tremendous heading ability, and played in 13 Bundesliga seasons in representation of Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, totalling 340 games. Having gained his first cap for Germany in his late 20s, Linke went on to represent the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Club career

Early years / Schalke

Linke (left) playing in 1989

Born in Sömmerda, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany, Linke began playing football in 1977 with local BSG Robotron Sömmerda. In 1983, he transferred to FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, eventually making the breakthrough into the first team in 1989; with the latter, he had the opportunity to gain experience by playing in the DDR-Oberliga.

After finishing third in the last year of the competition, the club was placed into the newly consolidated 2. Bundesliga in 1991, as part of the German reunification process. Linke was a starter throughout the season but was ultimately unable to prevent it from being relegated, while also appearing in four games in the UEFA Cup.

During Rot-Weiß Erfurt's German Cup win over FC Schalke 04, the latter team's management took notice of Linke and signed him for the following campaign. He quickly earned his way into the starting line-up and, from 1992 until 1998, appeared in a total of 175 Bundesliga games for the Royal Blues, his debut coming on 1 September 1992 in a 0–0 home draw against SV Werder Bremen.

Linke's crowning achievement during his tenure with Schalke was the penalty shootout win over Inter Milan, in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. He appeared in 11 matches during the victorious run, scoring twice.[1]

Bayern Munich

In 1998, Linke joined national giants FC Bayern Munich, where he would go on to experience the most successful chapter of his professional career. In his first season, he scored his first goal for the Bavarians in a 3–1 derby home win over TSV 1860 München on 7 November, but would also start in the notorious UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.[2]

With Bayern, Linke won five leagues, three German Cups and four league cups, in addition to the 2001 editions of the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup. In the final of the former, he scored the final penalty to give his team the victory in the shootout against Valencia CF.[3]

Since first joining Bayern, numerous critics prophesied that Linke would never be able to hold on to his starting spot in the center of defense. The player made it a point to prove his critics wrong by continually impressing with solid, if unspectacular, performances. Not until his last year, under coach Felix Magath, did he end up losing his starting role to Croatian Robert Kovač, appearing in only 11 games but helping in another league conquest.[4]

Red Bull Salzburg

Linke receives a Red Card from referee Gerald Lehner during the game against FKA Vienna, 18 September 2005

At the beginning of 2005–06, 35-year-old Linke made the decision to extend his playing career by transferring to the Austrian Bundesliga, linking up with newly re-tooled FC Red Bull Salzburg alongside former Bayern teammate Alexander Zickler.[5] Soon after arriving, he was appointed team captain, and became a regular fixture. During his second season, he added one last piece of silverware to his extensive collection by winning the league; on 3 May 2007, the club informed him that his initial two-year contract would not be extended.[6]

On 13 June 2007, aged almost 38, Linke agreed to a Bayern return, linking with the club's amateur side in the third division. In early 2008, he re-joined Salzburg, serving as assistant to director of football Heinz Hochhauser and subsequently retiring from playing.[7][8]

International career

Linke's debut with the Germany national side took place in a 3–0 victory over South Africa, on 15 November 1997. He represented the nation at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In the latter competition, Linke played a key role in the team that would eventually finish runner-up after a 0–2 loss in the final to Brazil. Additionally, he scored his only international goal during the group stage match against Saudi Arabia, an 8–0 routing.[9]

Linke announced his international retirement after that tournament, but was called up for national duty once more in 2004. After numerous injuries to the defensive line, national coach Jürgen Klinsmann personally called the player on the telephone and asked him to temporarily come out of retirement.[10] He appeared, being booked, in a 3–1 friendly win in Austria on 18 August 2004,[11] and retired immediately after, with 43 caps to his name.[12]

Career statistics

Club

[13]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Rot-Weiß Erfurt 1988–89 DDR-Oberliga 5 0 0 0 – – 5 0
1989–90 22 0 1 0 – – 23 0
1990–91 25 1 4 0 – – 29 1
1991–92 2. Bundesliga 27 1 2 0 – 4[a] 0 33 1
Total 79 2 7 0 – 4 0 90 2
Schalke 04 1992–93 Bundesliga 25 0 1 0 – 2[b] 0 28 0
1993–94 31 4 1 0 – – 32 4
1994–95 31 2 4 0 – – 5 2
1995–96 27 3 2 0 – – 29 3
1996–97 30 1 2 1 – 11[a] 2 43 4
1997–98 31 3 2 0 – 7[a] 0 40 3
Total 175 13 12 1 – 20 2 207 16
Bayern Munich 1998–99 Bundesliga 27 1 5 1 1 0 9[c] 0 42 2
1999–2000 27 1 1 0 2 0 11[c] 1 41 2
2000–01 28 0 0 0 1 0 15[c] 1 44 1
2001–02 20 0 5 0 1 0 6[d] 0 32 0
2002–03 32 0 6 0 0 0 6[c] 1 44 1
2003–04 21 0 2 0 1 0 4[c] 0 28 0
2004–05 11 0 1 0 2 0 4[c] 0 18 0
Total 165 2 20 1 8 0 55 3 249 6
Red Bull Salzburg 2005–06 Austrian Bundesliga 24 3 1 0 – – 25 3
2006–07 27 0 2 0 – 6[e] 0 35 0
Total 51 3 3 0 – 6 0 60 3
Bayern Munich II 2007–08 Regionalliga Süd 33 1 – – – 33 1
Total 504 21 42 2 8 0 85 5 639 28
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the UEFA Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ One appearance in the UEFA Super Cup, five appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Four appearances in the UEFA Champions League, two appearances in the UEFA Cup

International

[12][14]

Germany
Year Apps Goals
1997 1 0
1998 2 0
1999 7 0
2000 11 0
2001 7 0
2002 14 1
2003 0 0
2004 1 0
Total 43 1
Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 1 June 2002 Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan  Saudi Arabia 6–0 8–0 2002 World Cup

Honours

Schalke 04

Bayern Munich

Red Bull Salzburg

Germany

References

  1. ^ Haisma, Marcel (1 October 2015). "Thomas Linke – Matches in European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  2. ^ "United super subs floor Bayern at the death". UEFA. 27 May 1999. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Bayern crowned European champions". BBC Sport. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (1 October 2015). "Thomas Linke – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Trikotstreit in Salzburg: "Die größte Bauerndisco der Welt"" [Jersey quarrel in Salzburg: "The world's biggest hillbilly disco"]. Der Spiegel (in German). 26 August 2005. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Linke to leave Salzburg". UEFA. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  7. ^ "Salzburg entlässt Kreuzer" [Salzburg sack Kreuzer] (in German). UEFA. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Linke lockt Stevens nach Salzburg" [Linke lures Stevens to Salzburg]. Rheinische Post (in German). 1 April 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Germany savage Saudis". BBC Sport. 1 June 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  10. ^ ""Thomas Linke ist ein echter Kerl"" [Thomas Linke is the real deal]. Rheinische Post (in German). 17 August 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Kuranyi im Alleingang" [Kuranyi going solo] (in German). kicker. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  12. ^ a b Arnhold, Matthias (1 October 2015). "Thomas Linke – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Thomas Linke". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Thomas Linke". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
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