Michael Schulz

Michael Schulz

Schulz playing for a Borussia Dortmund veterans team
Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-09-03) 3 September 1961
Place of birth	Witten, West Germany
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Central Defender
Youth career
1967–1972	TuS Nettlingen
1972–1980	TuS Sulingen
1980–1984	TuS Syke
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1984–1987	VfB Oldenburg
1987–1989	1. FC Kaiserslautern	51	(3)
1989–1994	Borussia Dortmund	133	(4)
1994–1997	Werder Bremen	59	(1)
Total		243	(8)
International career
1988	West Germany Olympic	7	(0)
1992–1993	Germany	7	(0)
Medal record Borussia Dortmund Winner DFB-Supercup 1989 Runner-up UEFA Cup 1993 Werder Bremen Winner DFB-Supercup 1994 Germany Olympics 1988 Runner-up European Championship 1992
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael Schulz (born 3 September 1961 in Witten) is a retired German football player. He played 243 matches in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and 1. FC Kaiserslautern and scored eight goals.

Schulz played centre-back and had the reputation of being one of the hardest defenders in the Bundesliga. He collected 48 yellow and 2 red cards. He was a great crowd favourite in Bremen, his fans regularly chanting "Schuuuuuuuuuulz" whenever he had the ball. Fellow Bremen player Christian Schulz, who bears no relationship to him, is regularly celebrated like this because of him. In Paninis World Championship collector's cards edition 1994 he is described as "an anchor as header, strong in duels, feared for his wide throw-ins. The Charles Bronson type of guy overdoes toughness."

He played seven times for the German national team from 1992 to 1993. He also competed for West Germany at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

He works as a player agent at the Hamburg-based sport management agency Extratime. He's additionally in the field for several German TV channels and since August 2009 also as a field reporter for Deutsche Telekom's football channel Liga total.

Honours

Club

Borussia Dortmund

• Bundesliga runner-up: 1992
• UEFA Cup finalist: 1992–93

Werder Bremen

• Bundesliga runner-up: 1995

International

West Germany Olympic

• Olympic bronze medal: 1988

Germany

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1992
• 1993 U.S. Cup winner

Curse of Michael Schulz

Although Schulz was one of the best defenders of his generation, top titles eluded him. The special sting in his case was the fact that each team he played for was highly successful after he was transferred away, leading to speculation he was cursed.

• 1. FC Kaiserslautern (1987–1989): in this period, FCK was a scrub team which constantly flirted with relegation. After Schulz was shipped away, FCK won the German Cup in 1990 and the German Championship in 1991.
• Borussia Dortmund (1990–1994): BVB was a midfield team when Schulz was there. But then, Schulz feuded with Matthias Sammer and was sent away, just before BVB won two German Championships in 1995 and 1996 and the UEFA Champions League in 1997.
• Werder Bremen (1995–1997): Schulz joined Bremen just after Werder had won two German Championships and the German Cup. During his period, Werder suffered a drought and won nothing. However, in 1999, Werder won the German Cup again.

In a 1997 issue of the German football magazine kicker, published when Schulz announced his retirement, he was asked in the column Mal ehrlich (Now, seriously), whether Bremen, now that Schulz was stopping, would finally win something. He answered, "This is a sure-fire tip! I'd bet on it anytime", acknowledging the existence of his jinx.

External links

• Michael Schulz at National-Football-Teams.com