Matthias Zimmerling
Encyclopedia
Matthias Zimmerling is a German former footballer who is now manager of FC Kempten
.
and Chemie Leipzig in the DDR-Oberliga
. He represented East Germany
at youth level, and was part of the squad that finished third at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
.
After reunification
, Zimmerling moved west, joining Hannover 96
during the 1989-90 season. However, he failed to establish himself in the first team, and returned to Leipzig, briefly rejoining FC Chemie (now renamed FC Sachsen). He played out the 1990s with a succession of clubs in the former DDR, playing for FC Berlin, Union Berlin (two spells), Energie Cottbus
(two spells), Carl Zeiss Jena
, Sachsen Leipzig for a third time, and VfL Halle 96. While at Cottbus he played in the 1997 German Cup Final. Later in his career he moved to Austria
, playing for Austria Klagenfurt followed by spells at a number of smaller local clubs.
, managing SAK Klagenfurt
. He returned to German football in April 2009, when he was appointed manager of FSV Zwickau
.
FC Kempten
FC Kempten is German association football club based in Kempten, Bavaria.-History:The team was established in 1903 as the football department of gymnastics club Männerturnvereins Kempten...
.
Playing career
Zimmerling, who played as a striker, began his career in the late 1980s, playing for LokomotiveLokomotive Leipzig
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig is a German football club based in the city of Leipzig in Saxony and may be more familiar to many of the country's football fans as the historic side VfB Leipzig, the first national champions of Germany...
and Chemie Leipzig in the DDR-Oberliga
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
. He represented East Germany
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
at youth level, and was part of the squad that finished third at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
.
After reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, Zimmerling moved west, joining Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
during the 1989-90 season. However, he failed to establish himself in the first team, and returned to Leipzig, briefly rejoining FC Chemie (now renamed FC Sachsen). He played out the 1990s with a succession of clubs in the former DDR, playing for FC Berlin, Union Berlin (two spells), Energie Cottbus
Energie Cottbus
FC Energie Cottbus is a German association football club based in Cottbus, Lusatia . It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was, at the time, East Germany...
(two spells), Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German association football club based in Jena, Thuringia.-History:The club was founded in May 1903 by workers at the Carl Zeiss AG optics factory as the company-sponsored Fussball-Club der Firma Carl Zeiss. The club underwent name changes in 1911 to Fussball Club Carl Zeiss...
, Sachsen Leipzig for a third time, and VfL Halle 96. While at Cottbus he played in the 1997 German Cup Final. Later in his career he moved to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, playing for Austria Klagenfurt followed by spells at a number of smaller local clubs.
Coaching career
After retirement, Zimmerling stayed in KlagenfurtKlagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, managing SAK Klagenfurt
SAK Klagenfurt
SAK Celovec/Klagenfurt is an Austrian football club based in Klagenfurt , Carinthia, currently playing in the Austrian Regional League Central...
. He returned to German football in April 2009, when he was appointed manager of FSV Zwickau
FSV Zwickau
FSV Zwickau is a German association football club located in Zwickau, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Oberliga champions ZSG Horch Zwickau.-History:In addition to the earliest...
.