Bernd Schuster

Schuster started his professional career with 1. FC Köln at age 18 in 1978 after a number of promising performances with the West German Under-18 National team. Schuster left Köln after the 1980 European campaign to sign with Spain's FC Barcelona, where he flourished. During his career, he played for clubs Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. At his final team, the Mexican side Pumas de la UNAM he appeared in ten matches in spring 1997.

Barcelona

Schuster contributed significantly to FC Barcelona during the 1980s, playing as a midfielder and regularly scoring goals, as evidenced by his goal tally during this period. His club president Josep Lluís Núñez and some trainers like Helenio Herrera, Udo Lattek, Terry Venables and Luis Aragonés had difficult relations with him. While in Barcelona, though, he won the European Silver Ball in 1980 and the Bronze Ball in 1981 and 1985. At age 21, in 1981, he was badly injured on his right knee by Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea, who had a reputation for aggressive tackling, as noted in contemporaneous accounts. In 2024, Pep Guardiola, was asked in an interview to name the five players he'd pick from football history to play in a five-a-side and, among them, picked Schuster, whom, he said, he used to watch as a ball boy at the stadium and "was completely in love" with his playing.

Real Madrid

Schuster's move to Real Madrid was controversial due to the strong rivalry between Barcelona and…

Schuster was part of the West Germany national team that won the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship in Italy, appearing in two of West Germany's four matches. His performances there helped him earn the Silver Ball Trophy honour as the Europe's second best player in 1980 behind Golden Ball winner, and West Germany team-mate Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. His refusal to take part in a match against Albania to be home for the birth of his second son David caused a sporting scandal at the time. Schuster retired from the West Germany national team at the age of 24, due to his repeated disagreements with the German Football Association, then national team manager Jupp Derwall, and teammates including Paul Breitner. According to Schuster, it was due to a major disagreement with the managements of both Barcelona and the West Germany national team on either side of a friendly match against Brazil. Overall Schuster won 21 caps for the then West Germany national team.

Schuster is considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. Earlier in his career, Schuster operated as a box-to-box attacking midfielder with good creative abilities, good dribbling and good pace. Injuries at Barcelona would cause him to lose his pace, which led his coaches to move him to a deep-lying playmaking role, where his technique, vision and excellent passing abilities allowed him to excel at dictating the tempo of the game and provide chances for his teammates through short and long passes. He was also an expert free-kick taker and possessed a powerful shot that allowed him to score goals from a distance. Primarily a midfielder, Schuster was also capable of playing as a sweeper, a position that he played in his years as a youngster at Köln and at Real Madrid, where his creativity and technique allowed him to start attacks from the back. Schuster was also praised for his leadership skills and commanding presence on the pitch. Despite his talent as a player, Schuster struggled with injuries throughout his career and was known for his outspoken nature, which sometimes led to disagreements with coaches, players, and journalists. He was nicknamed "The Blonde Angel" because of his long blonde hair. Many coaches and players have praised Schuster's talent as a footballer. Schuster's first coach at Köln Hennes Weisweiler described him as the best player he ever coached, and believed he could have been Franz Beckenbauer's successor. An admirer of Schuster, Köln…

Fortuna Köln

Schuster was the coach of Fortuna Köln between 1 July 1997 and 30 June 1998.

1. FC Köln

Schuster was coach of 1. FC Köln from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999. Schuster was unable to get the club promoted. In 2000, he applied for the manager job at Scottish club Dundee FC, but the Dundee chairman rejected his application.

Xerez

Schuster became coach of Xerez on 26 June 2001. Schuster coached the team successfully for two seasons. The second and third best seasons in the history of the club. However, he could not get the club promoted to La Liga.

Shakhtar Donetsk

In June 2003, he accepted a deal to coach Shakhtar Donetsk starting on 1 July 2003. Schuster established a club record number of consecutive victories. However, the team did not win the championship and did not reach the final round of the Champions League with a match against Lokomotiv Moscow. Schuster was sacked on 5 May 2004, one week before his team played and won the Ukrainian Cup final in 2004.

Levante

Schuster returned to Spain in summer 2004 to coach Levante. Schuster was sacked on 1 May 2005. The sacking came with a 5-point advantage over the relegation zone with five matches remaining. However, Levante could not win a game and fell to the Segunda División again.

Getafe

Schuster moved to Getafe in the summer of 2005. Schuster led them to their best season in team history under his guidance. Schuster coached Getafe in their second successful…