Guido Ulrich Buchwald German football player and coach Date of Birth: 24.01.1961 Country: Germany

1. Guido Buchwald - German Footballer and Coach
2. Stuttgart
3. Urawa Red Diamonds
4. Karlsruher
5. National Team Career
6. Coaching Career

Guido Buchwald - German Footballer and Coach

Guido Buchwald is a former German footballer and coach who gained recognition for his successful career as a defender. He was born in Berlin and later moved to Vanwail, where he began playing football. Buchwald played for Stuttgarter Kickers in the German youth championship from the age of 16.

Stuttgart

After completing his education as an electrician, Buchwald started his professional football career in 1983 with Stuttgart. He played 325 games in the Bundesliga for the club, scoring 28 goals. He won the national championship twice with Stuttgart in 1984 and 1992. In the 1992 season, he played a crucial role by scoring the winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the last match of the season, securing the championship title for his team. Buchwald also participated in the German Cup final in 1986 and the UEFA Cup final in 1989, although Stuttgart lost both matches.

Urawa Red Diamonds

In 1994, Buchwald moved to Japan to play for Urawa Red Diamonds in the J1 League. He played three and a half years for the club and became a key player in the defense, bringing the true German fighting spirit to the team. Buchwald earned respect from both the professional community and the fans. In 1995 and 1996, he was included in the league's symbolic team. On October 15, 1997, the fans gathered at the home arena to bid farewell to Buchwald, who rode a white horse and made a lap of honor around the stadium. During his time at Urawa Red Diamonds, he played 127 matches and scored 11 goals.

Karlsruher

Buchwald's task at his new club, Karlsruher, was to prevent relegation to the second division. He played nine matches in the season but failed to achieve the goal. In the following season, Buchwald played 31 games in the second division but couldn't help the club return to the top flight. After that, he decided to retire from playing.

National Team Career

Buchwald represented the German national team in 76 matches, scoring four goals and receiving two yellow cards. He made his debut on May 22, 1984, in a match against Italy. He participated in the 1984 European Championship, where the German team failed to progress from the group stage. He also played in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Germany was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Yugoslavia.

A major disappointment for Buchwald came in 1986 when he was not selected by coach Franz Beckenbauer for the World Cup in Mexico. However, he was part of the team that won the World Cup in Italy four years later. In the final, Buchwald successfully countered the Argentine striker Diego Maradona, earning him the nickname "Diego" in Germany. Some argue that he earned this nickname earlier in the match against the Netherlands for his impressive skills and two assists. During the 1988 European Championship, Buchwald collided with Denmark's Fleming Poulsen, resulting in a deep wound. After receiving stitches, he returned to the field but later suffered a groin strain and had to leave the tournament. The next European tournament in 1992 could have been fatal for Buchwald. In one of the matches, he collapsed unconscious after a head collision, damaging his respiratory tract. The national team masseur, Adolf Katzenmayer, saved his life.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Buchwald became the sports director of Karlsruher, leading the team to promotion to the second division in the 2011/2012 season. In the following season, he temporarily took over as the coach after the previous coach, Dirk Schuster, was relieved of his duties. However, Buchwald returned to his previous position once a new coach, Gerd Dais, was appointed. After Dais was fired on October 1, 2013, Buchwald also left his position. He later worked as a scout and specialist in the Asian market for Stuttgart in 2015. However, he resigned from this position on February 4, 2019, due to internal disagreements with the management. Throughout his career, Buchwald made significant contributions to German football as both a player and a coach.