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Toni SchumacherFootball player
Date of Birth: 06.03.1954
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Toni Schumacher
Toni Schumacher, a German football player, was born in Düren. He began his football career in 1962 with the local amateur team "Schwarz-Weiss." In 1972, he joined the football club "Köln," with which he won the German championship in 1978 and three German cups in 1977, 1978, and 1983. In 1979, he was called up to the national team and soon replaced the legendary Sepp Maier as the goalkeeper.
Successes and Controversies
As a part of the national team, Schumacher became a champion of the 1980 European Championship held in Italy. He also won silver medals in the 1982 World Cup in Spain and the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In the 1986 World Cup, Schumacher was recognized as the best goalkeeper.
However, Schumacher's career was not without controversy. In the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup against the French national team, he caused a severe injury to Patrick Battiston, who suffered a broken neck vertebra and lost two teeth. Schumacher publicly apologized to Battiston, who accepted his apology.
In 1987, Schumacher was forced to end his career with the national team due to a scandal. In his book "The Whistle," he expressed his opinion about doping in the German national team. This led to negative reactions, and his club at the time, "Köln," terminated his contract. In the book, Schumacher revealed that the German team used doping during the UEFA Cup match in 1984/85 against Moscow's "Spartak," which helped them win the home match 2-0 and advance further.
Later Career and Personal Life
After leaving "Köln," Schumacher played the 1987/88 season with "Schalke 04" and then joined the Turkish club "Fenerbahçe." He quickly became a favorite of the local fans and won the Turkish championship in his first season. In 1991, Schumacher returned to Germany and joined "Bayern Munich" as they needed a goalkeeper due to injuries to their main goalkeeper and his replacement. He played eight matches for "Bayern Munich," and the team finished in 10th place in the championship.
In 1994, eight years after retiring from international football, Schumacher participated in a match between the World Team and the Russian national team, which was part of the Goodwill Games held in St. Petersburg. The match ended with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Russian team. In the last round of the 1995/96 season, while working as a goalkeeper coach, Schumacher played for three minutes for "Borussia Dortmund," who had become the German champions by that time. This was his last match, the 464th he played in the Bundesliga.
After retiring from playing, Schumacher was a football coach for some time. In 1999, he was fired as the coach of "Fortuna Köln" during a match against "Waldhof." From 2012 to 2019, he served as the vice-president of the "Köln" club. Schumacher has been married twice and has a son and two daughters.
