Thomas Linke
Thomas Linke in the jersey of FC Red Bull Salzburg (2009)
Thomas Linke ( born December 26, 1969 in Sömmerda ) is a former German football player and current football official. Since 10 November 2011, he is 04 he was sports director at FC Ingolstadt.
Playing career
Clubs
Left began in 1977 at the BSG Robotron Sömmerda playing football and moved in 1983 to FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt in local sports boarding. From there he 1989 promotion to the first team and gained his first experiences in the GDR Oberliga. The third place in the table in the last league season 1991 authorized the consideration to the 2nd Bundesliga, in the left -team regular but became the descent of the Thuringian could not prevent.
The 2-1 Cup win of Rot-Weiß Erfurt against FC Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen became aware of left and committed the defender in the following season. Also, " Schalke " Linke won quickly a regular place and denied to 1998 175 Bundesliga appearances for the Royal Blues and also won them the 1997 UEFA Cup.
In 1998, left to Bayern Munich, where he experienced his most successful period. He won the championship with Bayern five times, three times in the DFB Cup, the League Cup four times, and in 2001, the Champions League final against Valencia and then the World Cup. In the Champions League final, he transformed the past and thus winning penalty in the penalty shootout.
Since then left was obliged by Bayern Munich, self-proclaimed and recognized experts predicted repeatedly that left would lose his place in central defense. Left, however, was not impressed by these words and played always unspectacular but safe, so that he could defend his place for a long time. Only in his last season with the giants he lost under the former coach Felix Magath his place of Robert Kovač.
At the beginning of the season 2005/ 06 Thomas Linke moved to Austria to the German Bundesliga Red Bull Salzburg with which it was captain champion in 2007. On 3 May 2007 the club announced not to renew the contract with lefts.
On 13 June 2007, Bayern announced that Thomas left to play next season in the second team. The aim was that it should lead as a captain in the reserve (from the 2008/09 season new furnished ) 3 League, which replaced the previous Regional squadrons South and North, and since then acts as a substructure of the 2nd Bundesliga.
At the end of the season 2007/ 08 ended Linke, who was considered as a tough and uncompromising center-back and had its strengths in the header and the tackle, his active footballing career.
National
1989 Left was appointed to the Sport Olympic selection in the GDR, with whom he performed in several test games. Even before the start of the qualifiers for the Olympic Games 1992, the team was withdrawn in the wake of German reunification. His debut in the senior team was left on November 15, 1997 in a 3-0 win against South Africa. With the national team for which he played 43 times, he took part in the 2000 European Championships and the 2002 World Cup. In 2002 he became Vice World Champion with the German team, scoring on 1 June 2002 at 8-0 in the preliminary round Group E match against Saudi Arabia his only goal. In July 2002, he announced his retirement from the national team, but said to be available in an emergency. It was used for the game on September 7, 2002 in Kaunas against Lithuania. In August 2004, he was appointed by the new national coach Juergen Klinsmann during a match against Austria. This was his last international match.
Manager career
On 12 September 2007 Thomas Linke was next to his player activity assistant to the Sports Director Heinz Hochhauser at Red Bull Salzburg. After the end of his active career in the summer of 2008, he focused on his work in management. As of February 24, 2011 held left the post of sporting director at the Regional division RB Leipzig. On 4 May 2011, RB Leipzig announced the separation of the left. The contract was terminated by mutual consent with immediate effect after left had offered his resignation for personal reasons.
On November 10, 2011 Left was introduced as the new sporting director of FC Ingolstadt 04. He is there to lead together with the new coach Tomas Oral the team to relegation in the Bundesliga 2.
Achievements
- Vice World Champion: 2002
- World Cup winner: 2001
- Champions League winner: 2001
- Champions League finalists: 1999
- UEFA Cup winners: 1997 ( with Schalke 04)
- German master ( 5): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
- DFB Cup winners (3 ): 2000, 2003, 2005
- League Cup winners (4): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004,
- Austrian champion: 2007 ( with RB Salzburg)