Hans-Peter Briegel
Encyclopedia
Hans-Peter Briegel is a former German football player and manager.
One of the most popular players in his days, Hans-Peter Briegel's original sport was athletics
, being successful in various events such as long jump
(personal best: 7 metres 50 cm), triple jump
and specifically in heptathlon-forerunner pentathlon. Briegel gained his best result as an athlete in Decathlon
, but the son of a farmer struggled to compete properly in javelin throw
and the high jump
. So at the age of 17 he left athletics
behind him, playing club football with hometown side SV Rodenbach near Kaiserslautern
.
, being impressed by the power and stamina the youngster had to offer. Ribbeck was aware that Briegel struggled to combine football need with his physical power and presence, but as practice makes perfect, Briegel was improving. Failing to cope the needs as striker
, he did a lot better as defender
. On 10 April 1976, Ribbeck brought him on as a sub in a 4–3 win over FC Bayern Munich
. Until 1984 he stayed with local side 1. FC Kaiserslautern
before he moved on to Hellas Verona in Italy. It should be seen as one of the best efforts of his career that he also gained his sort of reputation and importance in a league such as the Italian Serie A
, largely seen as one of the most technical in Europe. Briegel was an immediate key to success for his new club, surprisingly capturing the Serie A
title in 1985 with the Gialloblu. The same year Briegel was named Fußballer des Jahres (Footballer of the Year) in Germany, remarkable as he was the first foreign-based awardee in the history of the award.
Subsequent to the end of his contract at Hellas Verona, Briegel changed clubs to join fellow Italian top division outfit U.C. Sampdoria
of Genoa with whom he won the Coppa Italia
before his retirement as a player in 1988. Hans-Peter Briegel's success in football, based on his physical constitution, his speed and his tireless running, made him the clearest symbol for the soldier-like reputation of German football in between the years. His nickname Die Walz von der Pfalz (literally "The steamroller from Palatinate") is referring to both, his playing style as well as to his origin. Briegel, who scored 47 goals in 240 Bundesliga matches, was a keen proponent of the idea of playing without shin pads
and did not wear any in his career.
and featured alike in the less successful Euro 1984, all under the coaching of Jupp Derwall. Derwall's successor Franz Beckenbauer
kept him in his squads and, so, Briegel was able to take part in his second successive World Cup in Mexico in 1986
. He was a regular, still, but finally the key to Argentina's winning goal in the final. Three minutes past Rudi Völler
's equaliser and seven minutes short of the proposed extra-time, Briegel was, alongside his defending colleagues, hovering near the centre circle of the Estadio Azteca
pitch on 29 June when Diego Maradona
's pass was going to get on its way to striker Jorge Burruchaga
. With his team-mates aware, all moving forward quickly before that pass happened (to put the Argentinian striker offside), Briegel's hesitation worked as backfire for the West Germans, giving Burruchaga the chance to pounce decisively on them. Power-house Briegel tried to catch Burruchaga up in an attempt to dispossess him, indeed, but Burruchaga game-winning shot happened before Briegel's desperate tackle came to happen.
With Beckenbauer
not a true fan of his way of playing and him not having any intention to stand in the way of the coach to build a new team ahead of Euro 1988, to be held in West Germany, the tall defender quit Die Nationalmannschaft with this, his 72nd, appearance.
, a second tier club from Switzerland. He then took the ropes of German lower league side SV Edenkoben before he was given the role of manager at then relegated Bundesliga
side SG Wattenscheid 09
in 1994, a stay that didn't work out well. As a consequence he turned his back on coaching, re-joining 1. FC Kaiserslautern
as sporting director in 1996. He resigned from that job in October 1997 following a hefty question of authority with the team's manager, Otto Rehhagel
. He, later on, returned as a director to the club, a decision that saw him being involved in a financial scandal.
He accepted the offer of the Football Association of Albania
to become head coach of Albania
in December 2002. Before accepting the role Briegel had had various other job offers as his coaching experience, however limited, had been that of assistant to Karl-Heinz Feldkamp at Beşiktaş J.K.
in Turkey, and the successor of Feldkamp at Beşiktaş J.K.
(from September 1999 to 30 June 2000) and further on top of coaching at fellow Turkish Super League
team Trabzonspor
(7 November 2001 – 30 June 2002). However he went ahead and accepted the Albania job with very much success for four years (2002–2006). To date he is the most successful coach of Albania of all times because of the number of points per match in the two qualifiers UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifications and the FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification. He resigned from the role on 9 May 2006, after the extension of the contract offered him by the Albanian Federation was linked to the results that would be obtained.
In June 2006 he agreed to a deal with the Football Association of Bahrain, taking over the Bahrain squad
from Luka Peruzović. However, he was dismissed on 20 January 2007 during the 2007 Gulf Cup.
Briegel's most recent engagement was coaching Turkish Super League side Ankaragücü
, before leaving his post by the end of the 2006–07 season.
|1975–76||rowspan="9"|Kaiserslautern
||rowspan="9"|Bundesliga
||7||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77||15||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78||22||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79||31||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80||33||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81||34||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981–82||32||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83||33||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84||33||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Hellas Verona
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||27||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||28||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="2"|Sampdoria
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||24||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||27||3||||||||||||||||
240||47||||||||||||||||
106||21||||||||||||||||
346||68||||||||||||||||
One of the most popular players in his days, Hans-Peter Briegel's original sport was athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, being successful in various events such as long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
(personal best: 7 metres 50 cm), triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
and specifically in heptathlon-forerunner pentathlon. Briegel gained his best result as an athlete in Decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
, but the son of a farmer struggled to compete properly in javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. So at the age of 17 he left athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
behind him, playing club football with hometown side SV Rodenbach near Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
.
Club career
Two years after that he was picked up by Erich Ribbeck and Ribbeck took him to training with 1. FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
, being impressed by the power and stamina the youngster had to offer. Ribbeck was aware that Briegel struggled to combine football need with his physical power and presence, but as practice makes perfect, Briegel was improving. Failing to cope the needs as 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...
, he did a lot better as defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. On 10 April 1976, Ribbeck brought him on as a sub in a 4–3 win over 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....
. Until 1984 he stayed with local side 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
before he moved on to Hellas Verona in Italy. It should be seen as one of the best efforts of his career that he also gained his sort of reputation and importance in a league such as the Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, largely seen as one of the most technical in Europe. Briegel was an immediate key to success for his new club, surprisingly capturing the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title in 1985 with the Gialloblu. The same year Briegel was named Fußballer des Jahres (Footballer of the Year) in Germany, remarkable as he was the first foreign-based awardee in the history of the award.
Subsequent to the end of his contract at Hellas Verona, Briegel changed clubs to join fellow Italian top division outfit U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
of Genoa with whom he won the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
before his retirement as a player in 1988. Hans-Peter Briegel's success in football, based on his physical constitution, his speed and his tireless running, made him the clearest symbol for the soldier-like reputation of German football in between the years. His nickname Die Walz von der Pfalz (literally "The steamroller from Palatinate") is referring to both, his playing style as well as to his origin. Briegel, who scored 47 goals in 240 Bundesliga matches, was a keen proponent of the idea of playing without shin pads
Shin guard
A shin guard or shin pad is a piece of equipment worn on the front of a player’s shin to protect them from injury. These are commonly used in sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, cricket, and other sports...
and did not wear any in his career.
Germany career
A Euro 1980 qualifying fixture against Wales in October 1979 gave Briegel his first chance to shine for West Germany and he did, enjoying his final breakthrough for his country in the mentioned tournament. He was, then, part of the runner-up campaign of West Germany at the 1982 FIFA World Cup1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and featured alike in the less successful Euro 1984, all under the coaching of Jupp Derwall. Derwall's successor Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
kept him in his squads and, so, Briegel was able to take part in his second successive World Cup in Mexico in 1986
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
. He was a regular, still, but finally the key to Argentina's winning goal in the final. Three minutes past Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...
's equaliser and seven minutes short of the proposed extra-time, Briegel was, alongside his defending colleagues, hovering near the centre circle of the Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
pitch on 29 June when Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
's pass was going to get on its way to striker Jorge Burruchaga
Jorge Burruchaga
Jorge Luis Burruchaga is a former Argentine professional football player, and last manager of Arsenal de Sarandí in the Primera División Argentina...
. With his team-mates aware, all moving forward quickly before that pass happened (to put the Argentinian striker offside), Briegel's hesitation worked as backfire for the West Germans, giving Burruchaga the chance to pounce decisively on them. Power-house Briegel tried to catch Burruchaga up in an attempt to dispossess him, indeed, but Burruchaga game-winning shot happened before Briegel's desperate tackle came to happen.
With Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
not a true fan of his way of playing and him not having any intention to stand in the way of the coach to build a new team ahead of Euro 1988, to be held in West Germany, the tall defender quit Die Nationalmannschaft with this, his 72nd, appearance.
Managerial career
His first job in coaching Briegel did at FC GlarusGlarus
Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus municipality since 1 January 2011 incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern....
, a second tier club from Switzerland. He then took the ropes of German lower league side SV Edenkoben before he was given the role of manager at then relegated 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...
side SG Wattenscheid 09
SG Wattenscheid 09
SG Wattenscheid 09 is a German association football club, located in Wattenscheid which is part of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club claims an official founding date of 18 September 1909 as Ballspiel-Verein Wattenscheid out of the merger of two earlier sides known as BV Sodalität der...
in 1994, a stay that didn't work out well. As a consequence he turned his back on coaching, re-joining 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
as sporting director in 1996. He resigned from that job in October 1997 following a hefty question of authority with the team's manager, Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
. He, later on, returned as a director to the club, a decision that saw him being involved in a financial scandal.
He accepted the offer of the Football Association of Albania
Football Association of Albania
The Albanian Football Association is the governing body of football in Albania. It organizes the national football's league Albanian Superliga, the Albania national football team, and the Albania national under-21 football team...
to become head coach of Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
in December 2002. Before accepting the role Briegel had had various other job offers as his coaching experience, however limited, had been that of assistant to Karl-Heinz Feldkamp at Beşiktaş J.K.
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
in Turkey, and the successor of Feldkamp at Beşiktaş J.K.
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
(from September 1999 to 30 June 2000) and further on top of coaching at fellow Turkish Super League
Turkcell Super League
The Süper Lig is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system. It is one of the top leagues in the UEFA confederation and the winner of the competition automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League...
team Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
(7 November 2001 – 30 June 2002). However he went ahead and accepted the Albania job with very much success for four years (2002–2006). To date he is the most successful coach of Albania of all times because of the number of points per match in the two qualifiers UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifications and the FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification. He resigned from the role on 9 May 2006, after the extension of the contract offered him by the Albanian Federation was linked to the results that would be obtained.
In June 2006 he agreed to a deal with the Football Association of Bahrain, taking over the Bahrain squad
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
from Luka Peruzović. However, he was dismissed on 20 January 2007 during the 2007 Gulf Cup.
Briegel's most recent engagement was coaching Turkish Super League side Ankaragücü
Ankaragücü
MKE Ankaragücü is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Ankara. The club wears a yellow and navy kit and play their home matches at Ankara 19 Mayis....
, before leaving his post by the end of the 2006–07 season.
Career statistics
|-|1975–76||rowspan="9"|Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
||rowspan="9"|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||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77||15||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78||22||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79||31||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80||33||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81||34||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981–82||32||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83||33||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84||33||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||27||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||28||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="2"|Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||24||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||27||3||||||||||||||||
240||47||||||||||||||||
106||21||||||||||||||||
346||68||||||||||||||||
International goals
- Score and results list West Germany's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 19 November 1980 Niedersaschenstadion AWD-ArenaThe AWD-Arena is a football stadium in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96....
, HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
2–0 4–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...2. 24 May 1981 Keskusurheilukenttä, Lahti LahtiLahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
1–0 4–0 1982 World Cup qualifier 3. 22 May 1984 Letzigrund LetzigrundIn January 2005, UEFA approved plans to rebuild the stadium for use as a EURO 2008 venue. It hosted 3 matches in the 2008 European Football Championship....
, ZürichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
1–0 1–0 Friendly 4. 12 March 1986 Commerzbank-Arena Commerzbank-ArenaThe Commerzbank-Arena is a sports stadium in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Commonly known by its original name, Waldstadion , the stadium opened in 1925. The stadium has been upgraded several times since then; the most recent remodelling was its redevelopment as a football-only stadium in preparation...
, FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
1–0 2–0 Friendly
Honours
- European ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
: 1 (1980) - Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
Championship: 1 (1984–85) - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
winners: 1 (1987–88)