Michael Schulz

Michael Schulz

Schulz playing for a Borussia Dortmund veterans team
Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-09-03) September 3, 1961
Place of birth	Witten, West Germany
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	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)
National team
1988	West Germany Olympic	7	(0)
1992–1993	Germany	7	(0)
Honours 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
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Michael Schulz (born September 3, 1961 in Witten) is a retired German soccer 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.^[1]

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

• 1988 Olympics bronze.
• UEFA Euro 1992 runner-up.
• UEFA Cup finalist: 1993.
• Bundesliga runner-up: 1992 (Borussia Dortmund), 1995 (Werder Bremen).

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 soccer 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.

References

• Michael Schulz at National-Football-Teams.com

West Germany football squad – 1988 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medalists
1 Reck 2 Schulz 3 Görtz 4 Funkel 5 Hörster 6 Janßen 7 Bommer 8 Fach 9 Klinsmann 10 Wuttke 11 Mill 12 Kamps 13 Grahammer 14 Häßler 15 Schreier 16 Walter 17 Sievers 18 Kleppinger 19 Riedle 20 Sauer Coach: Löhr

Germany squad – UEFA Euro 1992 Runners-up
1 Illgner 2 Reuter 3 Brehme (c) 4 Kohler 5 Binz 6 Buchwald 7 Möller 8 Häßler 9 Völler 10 Doll 11 Riedle 12 Köpke 13 Thom 14 Helmer 15 Frontzeck 16 Sammer 17 Effenberg 18 Klinsmann 19 Schulz 20 Wörns Coach: Vogts