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Lars Ricken

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Lars Ricken
Ricken training with Borussia Dortmund (2006)
Personal information
Full name Lars Ricken
Date of birth (1976-07-10) 10 July 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Dortmund, West Germany
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Borussia Dortmund (youth coordinator)
Youth career
1982–1986 TuS Eving-Lindenhorst
1986–1990 Eintracht Dortmund
1990–1993 Borussia Dortmund
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–2007 Borussia Dortmund 301 (49)
International career
1995–1998 Germany U21 17 (8)
1997–2002 Germany 16 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lars Ricken (born 10 July 1976) is a German retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently a youth coordinator at Borussia Dortmund, a position he has had since the summer 2008.

He represented Borussia Dortmund during his entire professional career, which spanned 15 years, being the youngest player to ever appear for the club in an official match, a record later broken by Nuri Şahin.

A German international for five years, Ricken represented the country at the 2002 World Cup and the 1999 Confederations Cup.

Football career

Born in Dortmund, Ricken joined local BV Borussia at an early age, and made his Bundesliga debut on 8 March 1994 in a 1–2 home defeat against VfB Stuttgart, aged not yet 18. From the following season onwards, he became a regular.[1]

Ricken scored a memorable long-distance goal in the final of the 1996–97 edition of the UEFA Champions League against Juventus F.C., which stood as the fastest in a final of the competition by a substitute, finding the net after just 16 seconds on the field.[2][3] He also contributed with 8 goals in 47 matches in the team's back-to-back national titles (1994–96).

In the following years, Ricken's success was hampered by a series of injuries. He gained his first cap for Germany on 10 September 1997,[4] in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia, but missed that major international tournament as well as UEFA Euro 2000. Later, he restored his form, helping Dortmund to claim the league title in 2002 by scoring a career-best six goals and being selected by national coach Rudi Völler for the squad at that year's World Cup; he did not play in the competition, however, as Germany emerged runners-up.

Ricken's injury woes returned after the World Cup and, as a consequence, he failed to earn recognition at both European or international level. In early April 2007, he was demoted to the reserve team by manager Thomas Doll, due to substandard performance.[5]

In November 2007, Ricken announced his retirement from football. In an attempt to return to football, he briefly attended a training camp in February 2008 with the Columbus Crew of the Major League Soccer, but returned to Germany and Dortmund after a few days.

On 11 June 2008, Borussia Dortmund sport director Michael Zorc, also a former club footballer, announced that Ricken was to be hired as youth coordinator with immediate effect, while still appearing for the amateur side in Regionalliga West. However, on 16 February 2009, he announced his retirement from professional football.[6]

Honours

Borussia Dortmund

See also

References

  1. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (12 November 2015). "Lars Ricken – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Fantastic finals". ESPN FC. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Dortmund 3–1 Juventus". UEFA.com. 28 May 1997. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (12 November 2015). "Lars Ricken – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  5. ^ Urban, Alois (15 January 2007). "Ricken rocking on his heels". UEFA.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Ricken announces retirement". UEFA.com. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
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