Michael Preetz (born 17 August 1967) is a German former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
forward. He spent his whole career in Germany, playing for
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
,
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken (german: 1. Fußball-Club Saarbrücken e. V.) is a football club based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club plays in the 3. Liga, which is the third tier of football in Germany. The club began its existence as the football de ...
,
MSV Duisburg
Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was on ...
and
SG Wattenscheid 09
SG Wattenscheid 09 is a Football in Germany, German association football club located in Wattenscheid, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club claimed an official founding date of 18 September 1909 as Ballspiel-Verein Wattenscheid out of the me ...
, but he is mostly remembered for his seven-year spell at
Hertha BSC where he ended his career. After retiring from active play, he stayed with the club, going directly into management.
Playing career
Michael Preetz scored 178 goals in the top two divisions of the
German league system. In
1998–99 he won the top scorer crown of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
.
His good form in this season brought him a call-up to
Erich Ribbeck's Germany national team in early 1999. Overall, he won seven caps.
Managerial career
On 7 June 2009, Preetz was named as the new general manager of
Hertha BSC, replacing former
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
and
FC Bayern Munich forward Dieter Hoeneß
Dieter Hoeneß (born 7 January 1953) is a German former professional football player and executive. A forward in his playing career, Hoeneß was mainly associated with Bayern Munich. After retiring, he stayed connected with football, working ...
.
On 23 January 2021, Preetz, along with manager
Bruno Labbadia, was relieved of his duties.
Managerial record
Honours
Hertha BSC
*
Ligapokal: 2001, 2002; runners-up 2000
References
1967 births
Living people
Footballers from Düsseldorf
German footballers
Germany international footballers
Germany youth international footballers
Germany under-21 international footballers
Association football forwards
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players
Fortuna Düsseldorf players
SG Wattenscheid 09 players
1. FC Saarbrücken players
MSV Duisburg players
Hertha BSC players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Kicker-Torjägerkanone Award winners
Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin
West German footballers
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