Oliver Bierhoff

Oliver Bierhoff (born May 1, 1968 in Karlsruhe) is a former German football striker, who scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final.

In his club career from 1985 to 2003, Bierhoff played for KFC Uerdingen, Hamburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Austria Salzburg, Ascoli, Udinese, AC Milan, AS Monaco, and Chievo Verona. He scored a total of 103 goals in Serie A, one of the best totals for a non-Italian in the league's history. In 1997-98, he led Serie A in goals with 27.

Bierhoff, however, was never a success in the German league. After failing to shine in Germany, he got his chance in the Austrian Bundesliga. That gave him the chance at Ascoli in Italy. But it was at Udinese, under Alberto Zaccheroni, that Bierhoff found success and won his place in fame and in the German national team. He never returned to prove himself in his home country, like, for example, Jürgen Klinsmann did when he joined FC Bayern Munich in 1995.

For Germany, Bierhoff scored 37 goals in 70 caps, including both goals in the 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the Euro 96 final after having come on as a substitute. He also played in Euro 2000, and the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.

Bierhoff's current involvement with football is as the manager of the German national team, a new position created as part of Jürgen Klinsmann's acceptance of the coaching job. Essentially the duties revolve around the public relations aspect of the team as opposed to the coaching responsibilities.

Bierhoff was known for his remarkable heading skill, and he was often regarded as one of the best headers in the game. It was said that Bierhoff's heading might be more powerful than his shot.

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