Ralf Sträßer

Sträßer 1987 jersey for the first FC Union Berlin

Ralf Sträßer ( born June 20, 1958) is a former German football player.

Playing career

Sträßer began at the age of eight years at the ESR Post Berlin playing football before he came to the youth department of the BFC Dynamo two years later. There he managed the leap in the first men's team and made his debut in 1976 in the GDR Oberliga. With Dynamo Sträßer was six consecutive champion and played 144 league games ( 39 goals) and 19 inserts ( without scoring ) in the European Cup. In addition, he was in the game against the Iraqi national soccer team celebrate his debut for the national team, the German Democratic Republic on 2 March 1982. Two years earlier, had already become second in the European Junior Championships with the U21 national team.

After the 1983/1984 season but Sträßer became the first FC Union Berlin - who had recently relegated to the DDR -Liga - yet. Although he came from the biggest rival of Unioner as a former BFC player, he made it right away to make themselves popular with the fans. So he shot the club with 21 goals back in the league and was elected Unioner of the year. In the following season, the first FC Union was the surprise team and reached the fdgb Cup final (which was, however, lost 1:5 to locomotive Leipzig). Sträßer also was able to secure the title with 14 goals of the premier league scorer. Due to this good performance, he came to a further three missions in communications jersey and was nominated twice for the Olympic team.

But already in the following season ended Strässer time at the Iron abruptly. Under no circumstances entirely clear he was occupied by the club with a lock, after which he left the Union and joined FC Carl Zeiss Jena. This was a state- of unapproved change so that Sträßer still had to serve a long-lasting barrier. For Union Sträßer denied a total of 97 compulsory games and scored 51 goals. In Jena Sträßer hoped to be nominated again for the GDR selection. This was fulfilled but for him no more, and so it remained in his four appearances for the GDR. But he again reached the fdgb Cup final, which he with Jena against his old club Dynamo although with 0:2 nV lost, but Jena nevertheless brought qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup ( the BFC was allowed to start as champions already for the national champion competition). In his two years in Jena Sträßer denied a total of 55 Official matches, scoring 20 goals.

After leaving Carl Zeiss after the 1988/1989 season, he played to the wall opening yet for the BSG JENAer glass factory and then moved to Bavaria. There he played for various clubs unterklassige ( successively 1 FC Schweinfurt 05, TSV Vestenbergsgreuth, 1860 Scheinfeld and TSV market Bibart ) before he finally ended his career with the ASV Ippesheim and there was coach.

Coaching career

After his involvement in Ippesheim Sträßer returned before the season 2008/2009 for TSV Vestenbergsgreuth to train the local district league team. After missing out on promotion at the end of the season and a miss ment end start to the following season he resigned in August 2009. Two months later, the training took over when also playing in the Circle class RSV Sugenheim. After the season 2010/11 contract with RSV Sugenheim was not renewed. During the winter break 2011/2012 he took over as coach of the first men's team of the TSV market Bibart.

Others

His son Carsten Sträßer is also a professional footballer and played in the 2nd Bundesliga at Erzgebirge Aue. In the summer of 2008 he went back to FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Since 2010 Sträßer plays for FC Chemnitz and was able to celebrate promotion to the 3.Liga equal in the first season.

The summer of 2007 saw Sträßer briefly talking point when he admitted to have been tested during his time at the 1 FC Union positive for doping. He himself did not actively doped.

Achievements

• DDR Champion (6): 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 (each with the BFC Dynamo )
• Fdgb Cup Finalist (5): 1979, 1982, 1984 (each with the BFC Dynamo ), 1986 ( with the first FC Union Berlin) and 1988 ( with FC Carl Zeiss Jena)
• 226 league games, 68 goals
• 23 European Cup games, 2 goals