Uli Stielike

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ulrich Stielike
fullname = Ulrich Stielike
nickname = Uli
dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1954|11|15
cityofbirth = Ketsch
countryofbirth = West Germany
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Midfielder, sweeper
youthyears = 1962-1973
youthclubs = SpVgg Ketsch
years = 1973-1977
1977-1985
1985-1988
clubs = Borussia Mönchengladbach
Real Madrid
Neuchatel Xamax
caps(goals) = 109 (12)
215 (41)
066 0(0)
nationalyears = 1975-1984
nationalteam = West Germany
nationalcaps(goals) = 042 0(3)
manageryears = 1989-1991 1992-1994 1994-1995 1996 1998 1998-2000 2000-2006 2006-2008 2008-present
managerclubs = Switzerland Neuchâtel Xamax SV Waldhof Mannheim UD Almeria Germany (youth teams) Germany (assistant) Germany (youth teams) Ivory Coast FC Sion

Ulrich "Uli" Stielike (born 15 November 1954 in Ketsch, West Germany) is a former German football player and manager.

Playing career

Club career

Stielike was a West Germany youth international for hometown club "SpVgg Ketsch" when he got signed by UEFA Cup runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1973, first coming to action as a full back for the then two times German Bundesliga champion. Playing in defending midfield for his club, afterwards, he was part of the Mönchengladbach team that won the Bundesliga titles in 1975, 1976 and 1977, the UEFA Cup in 1975 and gained a runner-up medal in the European Cup in 1977 following a 1-3 against Liverpool F.C. in Rome.

Ahead of the 1977–78 season, Stielike moved on to join Real Madrid to become a reliable fan-favourite in his eight years with "Los merengues". His first three seasons at Santiago Bernabeu all ended in Real winning La Liga. In 1980 and 1982, he was part of the side winning Copa del Rey, in 1985 he added the Copa de la Liga, and finished off his Madrid years with the UEFA Cup triumph of the same summer.

In 1985, Stielike joined Neuchatel Xamax and won two Swiss Super League trophies in 1987 and 1988 with the club.

Stielike retired from his playing career in 1988.

International career

Uli Stielike was capped in 42 internationals with West Germany from 1975 to 1984 with whom he won 1980 UEFA European Football Championship and the runner-up medal at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Stielike did not feature for his country in the 1978 FIFA World Cup after the German Football Association under Hermann Neuberger had temporarily decided to force their coaches not to select players playing their club football outside the Bundesliga. A central figure for the defence of Real Madrid in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Stielike could just partially live up to those expectations in his duties for West Germany. Early hopes had been that he could be the ideal successor of legendary sweeper Franz Beckenbauer, with whom he played in a few internationals in the 1970s.

Stielike's final appearance for his country took place against Argentina (1-2) in September 1984 in Beckenbauer's first match in charge of West Germany. Over those years Stielike scored three, the latest in a 3-2 win over Bulgaria in Varna in February 1984. Shortly after that, he was part of Jupp Derwall's squad for the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship.

Managerial career

After retirement from his playing career, Stielike was the coach of the Switzerland national football team from 1989 to 1991 as successor of Paul Wolfisberg and predecessor of Roy Hodgson.

From 1994 to 1996, Stielike also had managerial spells at club level with UD Almería in Spain and SV Waldhof Mannheim in the 2nd Bundesliga, Germany.

In 1998, Stielike had been interviewed by Egidius Braun, the then chairman of the German Football Association, following a vacancy occurred through the resignation of Berti Vogts from the head coaching job of Germany in 1998. He believed Braun would offer him the succession of Vogts, consequently heading into an interview with Kicker (Sports magazine) in this (mistaken) belief. After further talks with Braun had proved Stielike wrong and let him just end up as assistant coach, Stielike had to take some remarks (e.g. concerning Andreas Möller) back.specify|date=January 2007

From 9 September 1998 to 7 May 2000, Stielike had been the assistant to then Germany coach Erich Ribbeck. Shortly before 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, which ended in a disaster for the Germans, Stielike stepped down from his role as assistant due to differences in some respects with Ribbeck. He was replaced by Horst Hrubeschfor the tournament.

Stielike spent six years working with different youth teams (i.e. the U21 side until 2004) of Germany.

On 14 September 2006, Stielike penned a contract with to take over the Ivory Coast national football team in succession of Frenchman Henri Michel, subsequent to the elimination of the team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Stielike stepped down as "Les Éléphants"' coach on 7 January 2008 due to his son's alarming ill health. On 1 February, Michael Stielike, 23, died after failing to receive a lung transplant, with his health gradually deteriorating until he was eventually put in life support.

On 31 May 2008, he agreed to coach Swiss side FC Sion.

Trivia

*Stielike is still the only (West) German international that failed to score from the spot in a World Cup match. Stielike missed his in the shoot-out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final encounter against France on 8 July. After Manfred Kaltz and Paul Breitner had equalized the penalties of Alain Giresse and Manuel Amoros respectively, Stielike failed to get the ball past French goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori. To his delight, Harald Schumacher saved the penalties of Didier Six and Maxime Bossis later on, guiding West Germany to victory at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.
*Following representatives votes of Spanish paper Don Balón, Stielike was 'Best Foreign Player' in La Liga between 1978 and 1982.