Thomas Linke (born 26 December 1969) is a retired German 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 ...
. He played as a
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
an last worked as the
director of football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
of
FC Ingolstadt 04
Fußball-Club Ingolstadt 2004 e.V., commonly known as FC Ingolstadt 04 or FC Ingolstadt, is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingols ...
.
Linke was remembered as a hard-nosed tackler with tremendous heading ability, and played in 13
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 ...
seasons in representation of
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
and
Bayern Munich, totalling 340 games. Having gained his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
for
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in his late 20s, Linke went on to represent the nation in one
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
and one
European Championship.
Club career
Early years / Schalke
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-0812-010, BFC Dynamo - FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt 2-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1989-0812-010%2C_BFC_Dynamo_-_FC_Rot-Wei%C3%9F_Erfurt_2-2.jpg)
Born in
Sömmerda,
Bezirk Erfurt,
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, Linke began playing football in 1977 with local BSG Robotron Sömmerda. In 1983, he transferred to
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a German association football club based in Erfurt, Thuringia.
History Foundation to World War II
The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be calle ...
, 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
The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
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
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
.
During Rot-Weiß Erfurt's
German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
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
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 ...
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
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
win over
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
, in the
1996–97 UEFA Cup. He appeared in 11 matches during the victorious run, scoring twice.
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
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
ns in a 3–1
derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
home win over
TSV 1860 München
A tab-separated values (TSV) file is a simple text format for storing data in a tabular structure, e.g., a database table or spreadsheet data, and a way of exchanging information between databases. Each record in the table is one line of the te ...
on 7 November, but would also start in
the notorious UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
final against
Manchester United.
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
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the former, he scored the final penalty to give his team the victory in the shootout against
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...
.
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
Wolfgang Felix Magath (; born 26 July 1953) is a German football manager and former player.
The most notable spell of his playing career was with Hamburger SV, with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, the 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup Final a ...
, did he end up losing his starting role to
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
n
Robert Kovač
Robert Kovač (; born 6 April 1974) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He was known for his ability with the ball and skill at dispossessing opponents. His older brother is football manag ...
, appearing in only 11 games but helping in another league conquest.
Red Bull Salzburg
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
Alexander Zickler (born 28 February 1974) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent 12 years of his professional career with Bayern Munich, appearing in more than 300 official games and winning 19 major title ...
. Soon after arriving, he was appointed
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
, 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.
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
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
Heinz Hochhauser and subsequently retiring from playing.
International career
Linke's debut with the
Germany national side took place in a 3–0 victory over
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, on 15 November 1997. He represented the nation at
UEFA Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe.
The finals tournament wa ...
and the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
.
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
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Additionally, he scored his only international goal during the group stage match against
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, an 8–0 routing.
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
Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...
personally called the player on the telephone and asked him to temporarily come out of retirement. He appeared, being
booked, in a 3–1
friendly win in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on 18 August 2004, and retired immediately after, with 43 caps to his name.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:''
Honours
Schalke 04
*UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
: 1996–97
Bayern Munich
*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 ...
: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
*DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
: 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2004–05; runner-up: 1998–99
*DFB-Ligapokal
The DFL-Ligapokal (, officially Premiere Ligapokal , previously DFB-Ligapokal ) or the ''German League Cup'' was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous ...
: 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, 2004
*UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
: 2000–01; runner-up: 1998–99
* Intercontinental Cup: 2001
*UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
runner-up: 2001
Red Bull Salzburg
* Austrian Bundesliga: 2006–07
Germany
*FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
: runner-up 2002
References
External links
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*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linke, Tomas
1969 births
Living people
People from Sömmerda
People from Bezirk Erfurt
German footballers
East German footballers
Footballers from Thuringia
Association football defenders
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt players
FC Schalke 04 players
FC Bayern Munich footballers
FC Bayern Munich II players
Austrian Football Bundesliga players
FC Red Bull Salzburg players
Germany international footballers
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players
UEFA Euro 2000 players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
German expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Austria
German expatriate sportspeople in Austria
UEFA Champions League winning players
UEFA Cup winning players