Wynton Rufer
Encyclopedia
Wynton Alan Whai Rufer, CNZM
, (born 29 December 1962), is a retired New Zealand
footballer, who played as a striker. He spent most of his professional career in Germany
with Werder Bremen
, winning a total of six titles. He also appeared for the New Zealand national team in its first FIFA World Cup
participation, in 1982
. He was named the Oceania Footballer of the Century by the Oceania Football Confederation
.
to a Swiss
father and a mother of Māori descent. After leaving the city's Rongotai College
, he played his first football for Wellington Diamond United
, Stop Out
and Miramar Rangers
.
After being voted New Zealand's Young Player of the Year in 1981 and 1982, Rufer attracted the attention of Norwich City
manager Ken Brown, who invited the player and his older brother Shane Rufer
to Norfolk
for a trial. He impressed and signed a professional contract on 23 October 1981, becoming the first Kiwi
to do so. However, he was denied a work permit to play in England
, so he joined Fussballclub Zürich in May of the following year.
Rufer would play in Switzerland
in the following seven years, also representing FC Aarau
and Grasshopper Club Zürich: whilst at the former, he topped the scoring charts at 21 in the 1987–88 season, helping his club to the fourth place. With the Hoppers, he won the domestic cup, precisely against Aarau, and surpassed the 100-goal mark in his years in the country.
In the 1989 summer, Rufer signed with SV Werder Bremen
, managed by Otto Rehhagel
. His Bundesliga
debut came on July 29, in a 0–0 draw at FC St. Pauli
, and his impact was immediate, as he netted six times in his first 13 league matches. Overall, he would play an enormous part in the side's achievements, pairing with Klaus Allofs
up front: on May 6, 1992, both scored in the final of the season's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
, in Lisbon
(2–0 win against AS Monaco FC
).
In the 1992–93 league season, as Werder won the third championship in the club's history, Rufer finished second in the scoring charts, at 17. On December 8, 1993, he scored two against R.S.C. Anderlecht
in the UEFA Champions League, in a 5–3 home win (the Belgian
led 3–0 with 25 minutes to go); he finished as that competition's topscorer, alongside FC Barcelona
's Ronald Koeman
, and added his second German Cup
.
Rufer was voted Oceania's Player of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1992. In 1994–95, the 31-year-old left Bremen and moved to JEF United Ichihara
of the J.League, finishing as the club's leading scorer in his second year. When Rehhagel took on the task of resurrecting 1. FC Kaiserslautern
's fortunes in 1996 - the club would eventually return to the top division, as champions - he called upon Rufer in February 1997, and he contributed with four goals in 14 second division
matches.
Rufer returned to his country and successively represented Central United
, North Shore United
and FC Kingz, retiring at the age of nearly 40. He then founded a football coaching school, WYNRS, which produced football stars such as women's international Annalie Longo
.
With his brother Shane, Rufer took on player-coaching duties at North Shore United
in 1998, before coaching the national Under-16 women's squad ahead of the 1999 Junior World Cup Finals. He was appointed player-coach of the country's first professional football team, FC Kingz (later Auckland Kingz), participating in the Australian Soccer League for two seasons before retiring in 2001, having been named Oceania
's Player of the Century ahead of Frank Farina
(Australia) and Christian Karembeu
(France
, of New Caledonia
descent).
, not yet aged 18, scoring in a 2–2 draw for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers
, Rufer quickly established himself in the All Whites side. Late in the following year, he netted the 2–1 winner in the decisive playoff against China
, which propelled the nation to its first World Cup
ever.
In the final stages in Spain
, 19-year-old Rufer was the youngest member of the squad, appearing in all three group losses, against Scotland
, the Soviet Union and Brazil
. In total, he gained 23 full caps
, scoring 12 goals. From 1985–89, he only collected a total of five international appearances, namely due to the fact Zürich would not release him; from there until 1996, he did not appear for the national side at all.
|1980||Stop Out
||National Soccer League
||5||2||||||||||5||2
|-
|1981||Wellington Diamond United||National Soccer League
||19||7||||||||||19||7
|-
|1981/82||Norwich City
||Second Division
||0||0||||||||||0||0
|-
|1982||Miramar Rangers
||National Soccer League
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982/83||rowspan="5"|Zürich||rowspan="5"|Nationalliga A
||23||4||||||||||23||4
|-
|1983/84||22||8||||||||||22||8
|-
|1984/85||22||10||||||||||22||10
|-
|1985/86||28||14||||||||||28||14
|-
|1986/87||5||2||||||||||5||2
|-
|1986/87||rowspan="2"|Aarau
||rowspan="2"|Nationalliga A
||19||10||||||||||19||10
|-
|1987/88||36||21||||||||||36||21
|-
|1988/89||Grasshopper Zürich
||Nationalliga A
||36||18||||||||||36||18
|-
|1989/90||rowspan="6"|Werder Bremen
||rowspan="6"|Bundesliga
||34||10||||||||||34||10
|-
|1990/91||33||15||||||||||33||15
|-
|1991/92||29||5||||||||||29||5
|-
|1992/93||32||17||||||||||32||17
|-
|1993/94||33||10||||||||||33||10
|-
|1994/95||13||2||||||||||13||2
|-
|1995||rowspan="2"|JEF United Ichihara
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||39||21||1||1||colspan="2"|-||40||22
|-
|1996||10||4||0||0||2||0||12||4
|-
|1996/97||Kaiserslautern
||2. Bundesliga
||13||4||||||||||13||4
|-
|1997||Central United
||National Summer League
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998||North Shore United
||National Summer League
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||rowspan="3"|Kingz||rowspan="3"|National Soccer League
||25||6||||||||||25||6
|-
|2000/01||18||6||||||||||18||6
|-
|2001/02||5||0||||||||||5||0
24||9||||||||||24||9
0||0||||||||||0||0
191||87||||||||||191||87
187||63||||||||||187||63
49||25||1||1||2||0||52||26
48||12||||||||||48||12
499||196||1||1||2||0||502||197
|}
|1980||4||0
|-
|1981||2||3
|-
|1982||6||2
|-
|1983||0||0
|-
|1984||0||0
|-
|1985||3||1
|-
|1986||0||0
|-
|1987||0||0
|-
|1988||1||0
|-
|1989||1||0
|-
|1990||0||0
|-
|1991||0||0
|-
|1992||0||0
|-
|1993||0||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||3||2
|-
|1997||3||4
|-
!Total||23||12
|}
and married his wife, Lisa, in 1986. They have two sons, Caleb
and Joshua, who are also footballers.
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
, (born 29 December 1962), is a retired New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
footballer, who played as a striker. He spent most of his professional career in 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...
with Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
, winning a total of six titles. He also appeared for the New Zealand national team in its first FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The 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...
participation, in 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
. He was named the Oceania Footballer of the Century by the Oceania Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
.
Club career
Rufer was born in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
to a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
father and a mother of Māori descent. After leaving the city's Rongotai College
Rongotai College
Rongotai College is an all-boys state secondary school in the south-eastern suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, New Zealand. The students are aged 12 to 19.The decile 6 school has a roll of over 650 students...
, he played his first football for Wellington Diamond United
Wellington United
Wellington United AFC is an association football club in Wellington, New Zealand competing in the Capital Premier League.-Wellington Diamond United:Wellington Diamond United was the result of the merger of Diamond and Zealandia/Wellington United in 1968....
, Stop Out
Stop Out
Stop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
and Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers AFC is a semi-professional New Zealand association football club in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. They are current holders of the Chatham Cup, the fourth time they have won the trophy...
.
After being voted New Zealand's Young Player of the Year in 1981 and 1982, Rufer attracted the attention of Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
manager Ken Brown, who invited the player and his older brother Shane Rufer
Shane Rufer
Shane Rufer was a successful New Zealand soccer player who represented New Zealand on 8 occasions between 1979 and 1985, making his debut on 29 June 1979 in a 6-0 win over Fiji....
to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
for a trial. He impressed and signed a professional contract on 23 October 1981, becoming the first Kiwi
Kiwi (people)
Kiwi is the nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand, as well as being a relatively common self-reference. The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird, which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand...
to do so. However, he was denied a work permit to play in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, so he joined Fussballclub Zürich in May of the following year.
Rufer would play in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the following seven years, also representing FC Aarau
FC Aarau
FC Aarau is a Swiss football club, based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League.-History:FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local brewery. The early days of the club were a success and they won the Swiss championship in 1911/12 and then again in 1913/14...
and Grasshopper Club Zürich: whilst at the former, he topped the scoring charts at 21 in the 1987–88 season, helping his club to the fourth place. With the Hoppers, he won the domestic cup, precisely against Aarau, and surpassed the 100-goal mark in his years in the country.
In the 1989 summer, Rufer signed with SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
, managed by Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
. His Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The 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...
debut came on July 29, in a 0–0 draw at FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli
Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that also has Rugby Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that...
, and his impact was immediate, as he netted six times in his first 13 league matches. Overall, he would play an enormous part in the side's achievements, pairing with Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs is a retired German footballer, who played as a striker.A prolific goalscorer for club and country , his younger brother, Thomas, was also a professional footballer – and a striker.-Club career:Allofs began playing...
up front: on May 6, 1992, both scored in the final of the season's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
(2–0 win against AS Monaco FC
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
).
In the 1992–93 league season, as Werder won the third championship in the club's history, Rufer finished second in the scoring charts, at 17. On December 8, 1993, he scored two against R.S.C. Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
in the UEFA Champions League, in a 5–3 home win (the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
led 3–0 with 25 minutes to go); he finished as that competition's topscorer, alongside FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
, and added his second German Cup
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
.
Rufer was voted Oceania's Player of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1992. In 1994–95, the 31-year-old left Bremen and moved to JEF United Ichihara
JEF United Ichihara Chiba
is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
of the J.League, finishing as the club's leading scorer in his second year. When Rehhagel took on the task of resurrecting 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
's fortunes in 1996 - the club would eventually return to the top division, as champions - he called upon Rufer in February 1997, and he contributed with four goals in 14 second division
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
matches.
Rufer returned to his country and successively represented Central United
Central United
Central United Football Club is a semi-professional Association football club based in Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand...
, North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
and FC Kingz, retiring at the age of nearly 40. He then founded a football coaching school, WYNRS, which produced football stars such as women's international Annalie Longo
Annalie Longo
Annalie Antonia Longo is a female association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.She is a student at Auckland's Epsom Girls' Grammar School and plays for the Three Kings United.-Career:...
.
With his brother Shane, Rufer took on player-coaching duties at North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
in 1998, before coaching the national Under-16 women's squad ahead of the 1999 Junior World Cup Finals. He was appointed player-coach of the country's first professional football team, FC Kingz (later Auckland Kingz), participating in the Australian Soccer League for two seasons before retiring in 2001, having been named Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
's Player of the Century ahead of Frank Farina
Frank Farina
Frank Farina OAM is a retired Australian football player. He most currently coaches the Papua New Guinea national football team....
(Australia) and Christian Karembeu
Christian Karembeu
Christian Karembeu is a retired French international footballer and current scout for Arsenal Football Club...
(France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, of New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
descent).
International career
Making his debut for New Zealand on 16 October 1980 against KuwaitKuwait national football team
The Kuwait National Football Team is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. They made one World Cup Finals appearance, in 1982, managing a draw with Czechoslovakia but losing to England and France. During the match against France, France scored a goal...
, not yet aged 18, scoring in a 2–2 draw for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
qualifiers
1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian and Oceanian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification....
, Rufer quickly established himself in the All Whites side. Late in the following year, he netted the 2–1 winner in the decisive playoff against China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
, which propelled the nation to its first World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The 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...
ever.
In the final stages in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, 19-year-old Rufer was the youngest member of the squad, appearing in all three group losses, against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, the Soviet Union and Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. In total, he gained 23 full caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, scoring 12 goals. From 1985–89, he only collected a total of five international appearances, namely due to the fact Zürich would not release him; from there until 1996, he did not appear for the national side at all.
Club career statistics
|-|1980||Stop Out
Stop Out
Stop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
||National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
||5||2||||||||||5||2
|-
|1981||Wellington Diamond United||National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
||19||7||||||||||19||7
|-
|1981/82||Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
||Second Division
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||0||0||||||||||0||0
|-
|1982||Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers AFC is a semi-professional New Zealand association football club in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. They are current holders of the Chatham Cup, the fourth time they have won the trophy...
||National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982/83||rowspan="5"|Zürich||rowspan="5"|Nationalliga A
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
||23||4||||||||||23||4
|-
|1983/84||22||8||||||||||22||8
|-
|1984/85||22||10||||||||||22||10
|-
|1985/86||28||14||||||||||28||14
|-
|1986/87||5||2||||||||||5||2
|-
|1986/87||rowspan="2"|Aarau
FC Aarau
FC Aarau is a Swiss football club, based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League.-History:FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local brewery. The early days of the club were a success and they won the Swiss championship in 1911/12 and then again in 1913/14...
||rowspan="2"|Nationalliga A
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
||19||10||||||||||19||10
|-
|1987/88||36||21||||||||||36||21
|-
|1988/89||Grasshopper Zürich
Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
||Nationalliga A
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
||36||18||||||||||36||18
|-
|1989/90||rowspan="6"|Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
||rowspan="6"|Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The 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...
||34||10||||||||||34||10
|-
|1990/91||33||15||||||||||33||15
|-
|1991/92||29||5||||||||||29||5
|-
|1992/93||32||17||||||||||32||17
|-
|1993/94||33||10||||||||||33||10
|-
|1994/95||13||2||||||||||13||2
|-
|1995||rowspan="2"|JEF United Ichihara
JEF United Ichihara Chiba
is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||39||21||1||1||colspan="2"|-||40||22
|-
|1996||10||4||0||0||2||0||12||4
|-
|1996/97||Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
||2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
||13||4||||||||||13||4
|-
|1997||Central United
Central United
Central United Football Club is a semi-professional Association football club based in Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand...
||National Summer League
National Summer Soccer League
The National Summer Soccer League was a short-lived national association football league competition which ran in New Zealand from 1996 to 1998. It replaced the Superclub competition and was itself replaced by the second incarnation of the New Zealand National Soccer League.-Background:The old New...
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998||North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
||National Summer League
National Summer Soccer League
The National Summer Soccer League was a short-lived national association football league competition which ran in New Zealand from 1996 to 1998. It replaced the Superclub competition and was itself replaced by the second incarnation of the New Zealand National Soccer League.-Background:The old New...
||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||rowspan="3"|Kingz||rowspan="3"|National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
||25||6||||||||||25||6
|-
|2000/01||18||6||||||||||18||6
|-
|2001/02||5||0||||||||||5||0
24||9||||||||||24||9
0||0||||||||||0||0
191||87||||||||||191||87
187||63||||||||||187||63
49||25||1||1||2||0||52||26
48||12||||||||||48||12
499||196||1||1||2||0||502||197
|}
International career statistics
|-|1980||4||0
|-
|1981||2||3
|-
|1982||6||2
|-
|1983||0||0
|-
|1984||0||0
|-
|1985||3||1
|-
|1986||0||0
|-
|1987||0||0
|-
|1988||1||0
|-
|1989||1||0
|-
|1990||0||0
|-
|1991||0||0
|-
|1992||0||0
|-
|1993||0||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||3||2
|-
|1997||3||4
|-
!Total||23||12
|}
Club
- Grasshoppers:
- Swiss Cup: 1988–89
- Werder Bremen:
- German CupDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 1990–91, 1993–94; Runner-up 1989–90 - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: 1991–92 - German LeagueFußball-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...
: 1992–93 - German SupercupDFB-LigapokalThe DFB-Ligapokal, or 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 Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
: 1993, 1994; Runner-up 1991
- German Cup
- Kaiserslautern:
- Second Division2. Fußball-Bundesliga- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
: 1996–97
- Second Division
Individual
- New Zealand Young Player of the Year: 1981, 1982,
- Oceania Footballer of the YearOceania Footballer of the YearThe Oceania Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best football player from the Oceania region. The winner is chosen by a forum of journalists. The award is dominated by Australian players, though New Zealand's Wynton Rufer is tied with Harry Kewell for the most titles with 3...
: 1989, 1990, 1992, - Oceania Footballer of the Century
- FIFA World XI: Tokyo 1995, Sydney 1999,
- Companion of the New Zealand Order of MeritNew Zealand Order of MeritThe New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
, for services to soccer, 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours. - Rufer is a member of the FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Football Committee, with PeléPeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
, Franz BeckenbauerFranz BeckenbauerFranz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
, Michel PlatiniMichel PlatiniMichel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
and Bobby CharltonBobby CharltonSir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
. He is also involved with the FIFA Ambassadors Against Racism Committee. In 2005, Rufer was the first football player to be inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of FameNew Zealand Sports Hall of FameThe New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
.
Personal life
During his time in Switzerland, Rufer converted to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and married his wife, Lisa, in 1986. They have two sons, Caleb
Caleb Rufer
Caleb Rufer is a New Zealand football player. He currently plays for Sydney FC in the NYL.-Germany:In 2008, Caleb traveled to Germany were he signed a contract with amateur club SC Langenhagen...
and Joshua, who are also footballers.