Bernd Schneider (footballer)

Football player infobox
playername = Bernd Schneider


Full name = Bernd Schneider
nickname = Schnix
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1973|11|17
cityofbirth = Jena
countryofbirth = East Germany
height = height|m=1.76
currentclub = Bayer Leverkusen
clubnumber = 25
position = Midfielder
years = 1993–1998
1998–1999
1999–
clubs = Carl Zeiss Jena
Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayer Leverkusen
caps(goals) = 124 (14)
033 0(4)
262 (35)
nationalyears = 1999–
nationalteam = Germany
nationalcaps(goals) = 081 0(4)
pcupdate = 23 March 2008
ntupdate = April 13 2008

Bernd Schneider (born November 17, 1973 in Jena, Thuringia region) is a German football player. He plays for Bayer Leverkusen, whom he helped clinch second place in the Bundesliga in 2000 and 2002. In addition, he plays for the German national team and was selected in the squads that reached second place in the 2002 World Cup and third place in the 2006 World Cup.

On the field, Schneider goes by the nickname "Schnix", and is known for his versatility - although he prefers the center-right midfield, he can also play as a central or defensive midfielder. He is also known for his strong technical skills and accurate free kicks and corners. Even though he is seldom a finisher, he has in the past proven to be useful in front of goal. At Bayer Leverkusen he scored ten goals in the 2003/04 season, making him one of the highest-scoring midfielders in the Bundesliga.

International career

World Cup 2002

The opening game of the 2002 World Cup was a normal victory for the Germans. They easily beat Saudi Arabia 8–0, a game that Schneider earned a first international goal in the closing moments of the match and provided several vital assists. Their next match was against Ireland where Schneider failed to score as the match ended in a 1–1 draw. A 2–0 win over Cameroon followed, then Paraguay (1–0), United States (1–0), and South Korea (1–0) to move them into the finals against Brazil. The Germans eventually lost 2–0 in the final.

Euro 2004

Germany had a tough 3 matches as they were put into the group of death alongside Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Latvia. Their first match was against Netherlands, where Bernd Schneider was substituted in the 68' minute for Bastian Schweinsteiger leading 1–0. But as Schneider watched, Ruud Van Nistelrooy tied the game up with a goal in the 81' minute. The next game was against Lativa in a 0–0 draw. The last and final game in the group stage was against Czech Republic, which Germany needed to win to advance. The Germans lost 2–1 and were knocked out of the Euro 2004 in the group stages.

World Cup 2006

Germany started off the 2006 World Cup with a win over Costa Rica 4–2. The next game was a close finish, but Oliver Neuville scored in injury time to give Germany a 1–0 win over Poland. Germany won their next match easily over Ecuador 3–0 to move them into the Round of 16 where they beat Sweden 2–0 to enter the quarter-finals. In the quarters against Argentina, Miroslav Klose tied the game up in the 80th minute, sending the game into extra time. The game was still level and the Germans eventually won in a penalty-shootout to send them into the semi-finals to face Italy. Once again it was tied up in regulation time, so they went to extra time. This time Germany lost because of two late goals by Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero in the 119th and 120th minute. The Germans beat Portugal 3–1 in the third place play-off.

Euro 2008

Schneider was ruled out of Germany's Euro 2008 squad due to surgery to fix a slipped disc.

International goals

::"Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:"

Trivia

*He and his wife Carina have a 7-year-old daughter, Emely.
*He is also known as 'The White Brazilian' in Leverkusen.
*He is a smoker.

Honours

* Confederations Cup Bronze medallist: 2005
*2002 FIFA World Cup Runner Up
*2006 FIFA World Cup 3rd Place

External links

* [http://www.leverkusen.com/whoiswho/whoiswho.php4?view=Schnei_B Leverkusen who's who]
* [http://fussballdaten.de/spieler/schneiderbernd/ Career statistics at fussballdaten.de] de icon