Pierre Littbarski

Pierre Littbarski

Footballer

AI

He scored the winning goal in the 1983 DFB-Pokal final against Fortuna Köln.

Littbarski holds the record for the most goals in the history of the Germany Under-21 national team.

He led Sydney FC to the inaugural A-League Championship in 2006.

Biography

Early Life

Pierre Littbarski was born in 1960 in Germany, where he would go on to become a prominent figure in football as both a player and a manager. Known for his diminutive stature, Littbarski was celebrated for his exceptional dribbling skills and his ability to play as an attacking midfielder or winger. He made his professional debut at the young age of 18 with 1. FC Köln, a club that would become synonymous with his career.

Playing Career

Littbarski's playing career spanned from 1978 to 1997, during which he made significant contributions to several clubs, most notably 1. FC Köln, where he played two stints from 1978 to 1986 and again from 1987 to 1993. He was a key player in the team that reached the DFB-Pokal final, scoring the winning goal in 1983. His international career was equally impressive; he represented West Germany from 1981 to 1990, earning a FIFA World Cup winner's medal in 1990 and being a runner-up in both 1982 and 1986. Littbarski was also a prolific scorer for the Under-21 national team, holding the record for the most goals in the team's history.

Managerial Career

After retiring from professional play, Littbarski transitioned into management, starting with Yokohama FC in Japan, where he successfully led the team to promotion. He later managed Sydney FC in Australia, guiding them to the inaugural A-League Championship and the FIFA Club World Championship in 2005. His managerial journey also included stints with Avispa Fukuoka and FC Vaduz, showcasing his adaptability across different leagues and cultures.

Legacy

Pierre Littbarski remains a beloved figure in German football, known for his skillful play and charismatic personality. His contributions to both club and country have left a lasting impact, and he is remembered fondly by fans and players alike for his achievements on and off the pitch.

Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed

Career & Clubs

Club career

Littbarski spent most of his playing career at 1. FC Köln. He made his debut for the club, at the time coached by Hennes Weisweiler, at the age of 18. The stars on the team during Littbarski's first few years were goalkeeper Harald Schumacher, goal scorer Dieter Müller, and midfielder Bernd Schuster. Littbarski scored the winning goal in the 1983 DFB-Pokal final against Fortuna Köln. He was on teams that were three times the runner-up in the Bundesliga title chase, in 1982, 1989 and 1990. In his career, he was initially used as a deep-lying striker before being utilised as an attacking midfielder. Playing in the former role, in the four seasons from 1981 to 1985 he scored 64 league goals in 128 Bundesliga games. "Litti", as he was nicknamed by German fans, was widely known for his excellent dribbling abilities and humorous attitude, and was one of the fan favourites in the West German Bundesliga during the decade. In 1985 his goal versus Werder Bremen was elected "Goal of the Year". He later played for RC Paris in Ligue 1 as well as for JEF United Ichihara and Brummel Sendai in Japan.

International career

Littbarski had a prolific but short career as part of the West German Under-21 side. He was a part of the squad that got to the 1982 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final. The team lost to England 5–4 after a two-leg final (losing 1–3 away and winning 3–2 at home). Littbarski scored a hat-trick against the English in West Germany, but ultimately they lost the tie. Littbarski has the most goals on the Under-21 Germany squad in the team's history.

Littbarski earned his first cap for West Germany on 14 October 1981 in the 1982 World Cup qualification against Austria. West Germany manager Jupp Derwall started him in a three-man front line alongside Klaus Fischer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Littbarski's international career got off to a promising start, as he scored his first and second goals in that game. His third international goal came at the 1982 World Cup, in the second round match against Spain, a 2–1 victory. Against France in the semi-final, Littbarski scored the opening goal, and later was successful on a penalty in the deciding shoot-out. The now legendary match ended in a 3–3 draw, with Littbarski involved in the dramatic extra-time equalizer, crossing to Horst Hrubesch, who headed to Klaus Fischer, who scored with an overhead bicycle kick. Littbarski had minutes earlier provided the pass that Rummenigge scored from to cut France's lead to 3–2. A poignant scene in the penalty shootout showed the young Littbarski consoling a tearful Uli Stielike, who had just…

Managerial career

In 1999, he started his coaching career with Yokohama FC of Japan Football League and he led the club to the promotion to J2 League. He has also been the manager of Yokohama FC (twice), as well as assistant manager of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and manager of MSV Duisburg.

Sydney FC

He was manager of Australian A-League side Sydney FC between 2005 and 2006, and led them to the FIFA Club World Championship in 2005, and a win in the inaugural A-League Championship. He was famous amongst Sydney FC supporters and the media for his stylish brown suits. Sydney under Littbarski were criticised for boring football, but the results could seldom be argued with and Sydney FC went on to claim the inaugural A-League Championship under his reign. Littbarski and Sydney FC severed ties on Wednesday, 5 May 2006, with Littbarski announcing he would not re-sign for the club following disputes over a cut-price contract offer.

Avispa Fukuoka

In December 2006, Littbarski was appointed the manager of Avispa Fukuoka, a J2 League side that was newly demoted to the second division after the 2006 season. In July 2008, he left the club and was replaced by Yoshiyuki Shinoda.

Saipa F.C.

On 26 July 2008, it was announced that he became the new manager of Iranian side Saipa F.C. His contract was terminated on 8 October 2008 after nine games.

FC Vaduz

On 4 November 2008 he signed a contract as head coach and team manager of FC Vaduz. On 12 April 2010 he was dismissed due to…

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list West Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Littbarski goal.

Club
1. FC Köln (1978–1986)
Club
Racing Club de France (1986–1987)
Club
JEF United Chiba (1993–1994)
Club
Vegalta Sendai (1996–1997)
Club
Germany national under-21 football team (1979–1982)
Club
Germany men's national association football team (1981–1990)
Club
1. FC Köln (1987–1993)
Club
Germany national football B team (1980–1980)
Club
Saipa F.C.
Club
FC Vaduz
League
Bundesliga
National team
Germany

Clubs

Played together with

Archive

Passport
Identifiers & aliases
ISNI

0000000010229168

Description

German footballer and manager (born 1960)

Position

midfielder, wing half

Extract from Wikipedia

Pierre Littbarski is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. A diminutive player known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder or winger. Littbarski was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990, and the runner-up in both 1982 and 1986. Littbarski was the caretaker manager of VfL Wolfsburg after taking over from Steve McClaren from 7 February to 17 March 2011.

▸ Source: Wikipedia
All links
Official Website

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.

Pierre Littbarski — Public People