Christian Ziege
Encyclopedia
Christian Ziege is a former German
football
defender
and midfielder
. With the German national team
, Ziege won Euro 96. An attacking left wingback, Ziege was considered a dead-ball specialist.
(1997–99) and Middlesbrough
(1999–2000). In summer 2000 Liverpool F.C.
made a £5.5m bid which exactly matched a get-out clause in Ziege's contract. Middlesbrough insisted they had received offers in excess of £8m for Ziege, but were forced contractually to allow Ziege to talk to Liverpool, who then signed him. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-2 home win over Manchester City on 9 September 2000, replacing Steven Gerrard
in the second half. A combination of knee injuries and the improving form of Jamie Carragher
, meant he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
after one year and 32 appearances in all competitions. He came on as a substitute and subsequently scored in the shootout as Liverpool won the 2001 Football League Cup Final
, but he was injured for Liverpool's victorious FA Cup and UEFA Cup Finals of that season. He scored two goals during his spell at Liverpool: against Leeds in the league and Stoke in the League Cup.
On 14 March 2002, Liverpool were fined £20,000 by The Football Association
for making an illegal approach for Ziege, while the player himself was fined £10,000. Whilst at Spurs he scored in the 2002 Football League Cup Final
but he ended up on the losing side. However, by this time Ziege's injury problems were escalating, and by 2004 his contract was terminated by mutual consent so he could return to Germany.
Ziege returned to Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach
in June 2004, but announced his retirement in October 2005, having not played since the previous December due to a persistent ankle injury.
Ziege's club career allowed him to play in cross-city derbies in Munich (versus TSV 1860), Liverpool (versus Everton), Milan (versus Inter) and London (versus Arsenal and Chelsea); a unique achievement in the modern game.
|1990/91||rowspan="7"|Bayern Munich
||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||26||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||28||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||29||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||29||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||20||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||27||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="2"|Milan
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||17||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||Middlesbrough
||Premier League||29||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||Liverpool
||Premier League||16||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||rowspan="3"|Tottenham Hotspur
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||27||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||12||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||8||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Borussia Mönchengladbach
||Bundesliga||13||0||||||||||||||||
185||41||||||||||||||||
39||4||||||||||||||||
92||14||||||||||||||||
316||59||||||||||||||||
|}
|-
|1993||7||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||6||1
|-
|1996||14||2
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||7||1
|-
|1999||4||3
|-
|2000||9||1
|-
|2001||9||0
|-
|2002||8||1
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||0
|-
!Total||72||9
|}
diploma for coaching. In 2006 he moved into coaching with his last professional club, Borussia Mönchengladbach
, where he was named head coach of the club's Under-17 team, succeeding Thomas Schumacher. In 2006-07 the club's U17 team had won ten out of seventeen matches with Ziege in charge when, in March 2007, he was handed the role of Director of Football
at the club, as the replacement for the outgoing Peter Pander. At the time of his appointment, with ten matches to go until the end of the season, Mönchengladbach
were at the bottom of the Bundesliga, with five points between them and safety. On 15 December 2008 Ziege left Borussia Mönchengladbach
. On 26 May 2010 the former head coach, assistant coach and director of football
from Borussia Mönchengladbach
signed a contract as head coach of Arminia Bielefeld
.
However, his managerial career got off to a poor start with Bielefeld only picking up three points from a single win from eight games. This being the worst start to a Bielefeld season in twenty-three years. Ziege was released from his post as manager of Arminia on the 6th of November 2010 after a 3-0 defeat away at FC Augsburg.
with AC Milan
with Liverpool
with Tottenham Hotspur
with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. With the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Ziege won Euro 96. An attacking left wingback, Ziege was considered a dead-ball specialist.
Club career
At club level, Ziege played for Bayern Munich (1990–97), MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
(1997–99) and Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
(1999–2000). In summer 2000 Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
made a £5.5m bid which exactly matched a get-out clause in Ziege's contract. Middlesbrough insisted they had received offers in excess of £8m for Ziege, but were forced contractually to allow Ziege to talk to Liverpool, who then signed him. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-2 home win over Manchester City on 9 September 2000, replacing Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
in the second half. A combination of knee injuries and the improving form of Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
, meant he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
after one year and 32 appearances in all competitions. He came on as a substitute and subsequently scored in the shootout as Liverpool won the 2001 Football League Cup Final
2001 Football League Cup Final
The 2001 Worthington Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Birmingham City at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 25 February 2001...
, but he was injured for Liverpool's victorious FA Cup and UEFA Cup Finals of that season. He scored two goals during his spell at Liverpool: against Leeds in the league and Stoke in the League Cup.
On 14 March 2002, Liverpool were fined £20,000 by The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
for making an illegal approach for Ziege, while the player himself was fined £10,000. Whilst at Spurs he scored in the 2002 Football League Cup Final
2002 Football League Cup Final
The 2002 Worthington Cup Final was played between Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on Sunday, 24 February 2002. Blackburn won the match 2–1....
but he ended up on the losing side. However, by this time Ziege's injury problems were escalating, and by 2004 his contract was terminated by mutual consent so he could return to Germany.
Ziege returned to Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
in June 2004, but announced his retirement in October 2005, having not played since the previous December due to a persistent ankle injury.
Ziege's club career allowed him to play in cross-city derbies in Munich (versus TSV 1860), Liverpool (versus Everton), Milan (versus Inter) and London (versus Arsenal and Chelsea); a unique achievement in the modern game.
International career
Ziege was capped 72 times for Germany, scoring nine goals. Other than the Euro 96 win, he also played for his country at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups (during which he played the final game and sported a rather amusing mohawk), as well as Euro 2000 (he was a member of the Euro 2004 squad, but didn't play).Statistics
|-|1990/91||rowspan="7"|Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
||rowspan="7"|Bundesliga||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||26||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||28||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||29||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||29||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||20||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||27||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="2"|Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||17||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||Premier League||29||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||Premier League||16||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||rowspan="3"|Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||27||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||12||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||8||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
||Bundesliga||13||0||||||||||||||||
185||41||||||||||||||||
39||4||||||||||||||||
92||14||||||||||||||||
316||59||||||||||||||||
|}
|-
|1993||7||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||6||1
|-
|1996||14||2
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||7||1
|-
|1999||4||3
|-
|2000||9||1
|-
|2001||9||0
|-
|2002||8||1
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||0
|-
!Total||72||9
|}
Managerial career
Following retirement from the game due to injury in October 2005, Ziege picked up his UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
diploma for coaching. In 2006 he moved into coaching with his last professional club, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
, where he was named head coach of the club's Under-17 team, succeeding Thomas Schumacher. In 2006-07 the club's U17 team had won ten out of seventeen matches with Ziege in charge when, in March 2007, he was handed the role of Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at the club, as the replacement for the outgoing Peter Pander. At the time of his appointment, with ten matches to go until the end of the season, Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
were at the bottom of the Bundesliga, with five points between them and safety. On 15 December 2008 Ziege left Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. On 26 May 2010 the former head coach, assistant coach and director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
from Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
signed a contract as head coach of Arminia Bielefeld
Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
.
However, his managerial career got off to a poor start with Bielefeld only picking up three points from a single win from eight games. This being the worst start to a Bielefeld season in twenty-three years. Ziege was released from his post as manager of Arminia on the 6th of November 2010 after a 3-0 defeat away at FC Augsburg.
Honours as player
with Bayern Munich- Fußball-BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
- Winner - 1993-94, 1996–97
- Runner-up - 1990-91, 1992–93, 1995–96
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
- Winner - 1995-96
- Liga-Pokal
- Winner - 1997-98
with AC Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
- Winner - 1998-99
with Liverpool
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
- Winner - 2000-01
with Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup
- Runner-up - 2001-02
with Germany
- UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
- Winner - 1996
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- Runner Up - 2002