Manfred Bender

Bender's career began in the second level of the Bundesliga, playing for SpVgg Unterhaching. In 1989, he moved to FC Bayern Munich. He was considered an emerging talent of the same style as Jürgen Kohler, Alan McInally and Radmilo Mihajlovic. With Bayern Munich, he won the 1990 DFB-Supercup. The 1991–92 season was tumultuous for Bayern, who finished just five points above the relegation places. Bender moved to Karlsruher SC ahead of the new season in a direct swap with Mehmet Scholl. With Karlsruher SC, Bender reached the 1996 German Cup final and won the 1996 UEFA Intertonto Cup. Ahead of the 1996–97 season, Bender transferred to TSV 1860 Munich where he played for three seasons. In his final season at the club, Bender saw only six full matches. He then returned to Karlsruher SC for a single season, followed by two seasons at 1. FC Saarbrücken, a second-league team. Bender spent the remainder of his career playing in a number of German lower-league teams before embracing a career in coaching. In February 2011, Bender was appointed fitness trainer for the Nigerian national team.