JURGEN KOHLER

Jürgen Kohler (born 6 October 1965) is a World Cup-winning German footballer, who played as a centre-back. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Kohler was a physically strong centre-back, who was famed for his defensive perception, anticipation, quick reactions, marking, and prowess in the air, which also made him a goal threat during set-pieces; he was also known for his composure when in possession, and his ability to play the ball out of defence.

Kohler's professional career began at Waldhof Mannheim, where he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in April 1984. This was followed by a two-year spell at 1. FC Köln preceded a transfer to Bayern Munich, with the Bavarian club winning the Bundesliga championship in his first season at the club. In 1991, Kohler transferred to Italian club Juventus. After being named Serie A's best foreign player for 1992,[6] he went on to be part of the team that won the 1992–93 UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund, as well as a league and cup double in the 1994–95 season. Returning to Germany to play for Dortmund in 1995, Kohler won another league championship in 1996 and helped the club to the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final. In a reversal of Kohler's previous continental final, Dortmund defeated his former club Juventus to become European Champions for the first time. As a result of this success, Kohler was named German Footballer of the Year for 1997. In the 2001–02 season, the last of his career, Kohler won his third Bundesliga title with Dortmund and reached the final of the UEFA Cup, where he was sent off nd BVB went on to lose the match 3–2.

At international level, Kohler made over 100 appearances for the German national team, playing at three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships, winning the 1990 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996.