Alexander Zickler
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Alex" Zickler (born 28 February 1974 in Bad Salzungen
Bad Salzungen
Bad Salzungen is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wartburgkreis district. It is situated on the river Werra, 5 km east of Tiefenort and 20 km south of Eisenach. Near the town, there's a Bundeswehr barrack, the Werratal-Kaserne, which was built in 1972 for the GDR Army....

) is a German
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...

 former footballer who played as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

, most notably in a twelve year spell with Bayern Munich.

Club career

Zickler began his career in 1980 with Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...

 as a six-year old, working his way through the youth system into the first team. In 1992–93, he played one top flight
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...

 season with Dresden. His debut arrived on 23 October 1992, in a 1–2 home loss against 1. FC Nuremberg.

In July 1993 Zickler transferred to FC 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....

 for the amount of €1,187,300, where he remained as a player for 11 seasons. With the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

ns, he captured seven German championships, as well as four German cups
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...

, adding the 1996 UEFA Cup as well as the 2001 UEFA Champions League title and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup
2001 Intercontinental Cup
The 2001 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 27 November 2001 between Bayern Munich, winners of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and defending champions Boca Juniors, winners of the 2001 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo...

.

In the 2001 Champions League final against Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

, Zickler entered the game as a substitute and successfully converted a penalty kick in the match-ending shootout. During his time in the Bundesliga, he broke the record as the highest goal-scoring substitute of all-time, scoring 18 times in 102 appearances off the bench. However, his prolific career was often hampered by injuries and medical conditions; in 2002, Zickler had surgery to remove a tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...

 from his right shin bone which caused him to miss out on participation in the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

. One year later, he was again hospitilized with a break in his previously operated leg, followed by another shin break only a few days before the start of the 2003–04 season.

Shortly before his return into Bayern's first team, Zickler broke his shin for the third time while playing with the Bayern Munich II
FC Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich II are the second team of German association football club Bayern Munich. In 2010–11 they played in the 3rd Liga, having qualified for its inaugural season in 2008, and have consistently played at the third level of German football — they played in the Regionalliga Süd from...

. At this time, most critics assumed his career was at an end.

In June 2005, Zickler tried his chances at Austrian Bundesliga's FC Red Bull Salzburg, signing on a "performance-related" deal, alongside former Bayern teammate Thomas Linke
Thomas Linke
Thomas Linke is a retired German professional footballer who played as a central defender.Linke was remembered as a hard-nosed tackler with tremendous heading ability, and played in 13 Bundesliga seasons in representation of Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, totalling 340 games.Having gained his first...

. With the Red Bulls, Zickler finished second in his first season, adding nine league goals.

The following season, in the return leg of the Champions League second qualifying round, he scored the second goal, through a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

, to give the Red Bulls a 2–0 victory over FC Zürich and advance them into the next stage, where they lost to Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

. On 30 November 2006, Zickler was voted the APA Footballer of the Year
Austrian Footballer of the Year
The title Austrian Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Austria since 1984. The coaches of the Bundesliga clubs elect the player of the year. The election is organized by APA, the leading Austrian Press Agency....

 by the league's managers, and finished the domestic campaign with 22 goals (league's best), being instrumental, with Linke, in the side's national league conquest.

In 2010, Zickler joined LASK Linz
LASK Linz
LASK Linz is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club hailing from that region, and currently plays in the Austrian Football First League. The club's colours are black and white...

 as a free agent. He made his debut on 21 August 2010, coming on as a substitute for Florian Hart
Florian Hart
Florian Hart is an Austrian footballer who currently plays for LASK Linz.- External links :*, www.transfermarkt.de...

 in the 61st minute in a 0–2 defeat to FC Wacker Innsbruck
FC Wacker Innsbruck
FC Wacker Innsbruck was Austrian association football club from Innsbruck, Tyrol.- History :The Fußball-Club Wacker Innsbruck was established in 1915 by Jakob Hanspeter, Benedikt Hosp, Josef Leitner, Josef Albrecht and other now unknown football enthusiasts and adopted club colours of black and...

. On 25 September 2010, Zickler scored his first goal in a 3–3 draw against SV Mattersburg
SV Mattersburg
SV Mattersburg is an Austrian association football club from Mattersburg, Burgenland. For sponsorship reasons, the club is currently also known as SV Bauwelt Koch Mattersburg....

. He retired from football at the end of the 2010–11 season.

International career

Zickler was capped 12 times. He made his debut for Germany
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....

 on 18 November 1998, coming on as a substitute for Mario Basler
Mario Basler
Mario Basler is a German former football winger and current manager.- Career :...

 in a 1–1 draw against Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

. On 16 August 2000, he scored his first two goals in a 4–1 friendly victory over Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

, in Hannover. Zickler made his final appearance on 11 October 2002 in a 1–1 away friendly draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before he retired from international football in 2002.

Club

Bayern Munich
  • 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...

     (7): 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
  • DFB-Pokal
    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...

     (4): 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2004–05
  • DFB-Ligapokal
    DFB-Ligapokal
    The 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...

     (5): 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2003–04
  • UEFA Champions League
    UEFA Champions League
    The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

     (1): 2000–01
    2001 UEFA Champions League Final
    The 2001 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at San Siro in Milan, Italy, on 23 May 2001, to decide the winner of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. The match pitted Bayern Munich against Valencia. The match finished in a 1–1 draw, but Bayern clinched their fourth...

  • UEFA Cup (1): 1995–96
    1996 UEFA Cup Final
    The 1996 UEFA Cup Final was played on May 1, 1996 and May 15, 1996 between Bayern Munich of Germany and FC Girondins de Bordeaux of France. Bayern Munich won the two matches 5–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:...

  • Intercontinental Cup
    Intercontinental Cup (football)
    The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

     (1): 2001
    2001 Intercontinental Cup
    The 2001 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 27 November 2001 between Bayern Munich, winners of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and defending champions Boca Juniors, winners of the 2001 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo...



Red Bull Salzburg
  • Austrian Bundesliga (3): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
    2009–10 Austrian Football Bundesliga
    The 2009–10 Austrian Football Bundesliga is the 98th season of top-tier football in Austria. The competition is officially called tipp3-Bundesliga powered by T-Mobile, named after the Austrian betting company tipp3 and the Austrian branch of German mobile phone company T-Mobile. The season began on...


Individual

  • Austrian League Topscorer (2): 2006-07, 2007–08
  • Austrian Footballer of the Year
    Austrian Footballer of the Year
    The title Austrian Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Austria since 1984. The coaches of the Bundesliga clubs elect the player of the year. The election is organized by APA, the leading Austrian Press Agency....

     (1): 2005–06
  • Austrian Footballers Association Player of the Year (1): 2006–07

External links

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