Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (; born 25 September 1955) is a German

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

executive and former professional player. Considered as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest German footballers ever, he was also the longtime Chairman of Executive Board of FC Bayern München AG, a daughter company of German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

team Bayern Munich. As a player, Rummenigge had his greatest career success with Bayern Munich, where he won the Intercontinental Cup, two

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

s, as well as two league titles and two domestic cups. He also won two

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...

awards, in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. In 2004, Rummenigge was named by

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

in the

FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...

list of the world's greatest living players. A member of the West Germany national team, Rummenigge won the 1980 European Championship and was part of the squad that finished runner-up in the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...

and at the 1986 World Cup. Rummenigge is a former chairman of the

European Club Association The European Club Association (ECA) is an organization that is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA as the sole, independent body for football clubs within Europe. History Formed on the merge of the G-14 group with the European Club Fo ...

(ECA), serving in that capacity from 2008 until 2017. He also served as representative of the ECA to the UEFA Executive Committee from 2021 to 2024.

Club career

Rummenigge was born in Lippstadt,

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

. He joined Bayern Munich in 1974, coming from the Westphalian amateur side Borussia Lippstadt, for a transfer fee of . He immediately showed great strength as a dribbler. His scoring qualities were initially insignificant, but would find great improvement in later years, particularly after the arrival of coach Pal Csernai in 1979. In 1979–80, he scored 26 goals and became for the first time the

's top striker, a feat he repeated in

and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

with 29 and 26 goals, respectively. With Bayern he won the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

. In

, he did not take part in the final of the competition, whilst in the year thereafter a glass of brandy sufficiently prepared the nervous Rummenigge to contribute to the defeat of AS Saint-Étienne. In the same year he became also part of the team that prevailed in the Intercontinental Cup finals against Cruzeiro EC from

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

. In the era of coach Csernai, he found in midfielder Paul Breitner a congenial partner and he formed such a formidable one-two-punch that they were only called Breitnigge (name invented by German newspaper Bild). The club, then often dubbed as "FC Breitnigge", won in this period the Bundesliga title in

and

, and the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

in 1982 and

. A renewed triumph in the European Cup was denied, when the club lost the 1982 final narrowly against Aston Villa. In the season before Rummenigge was top-scorer in this competition with 6 goals. His substantial contribution to the successes of the club and the

Germany national football team The Germany national football team () represents Germany in men's international Association football, football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund''), founded ...

found also expression in personal honours. In 1980, he was named German Footballer of the Year and in 1980–81 the European Footballer of the Year. In 1984, aged 29, he was sold for a record fee of €5.7m to

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

. Despite a notable beginning, in which he helped the team to compete until the end for the 1984–85 ''

Scudetto The ''scudetto'' (; Italian for 'little shield') is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous ...

'', Rumenigge's career in Italy was mostly marred by injury problems. At the end of his contract in 1987, Rummenigge moved on to Swiss first division club Servette FC in Geneva, where he saw his career out. In his last season, 1988–89, he had his last success, becoming top scorer in the Swiss league with 24 goals.

International career

With the West Germany national team he took part in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, 1982 World Cup in Spain and the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In 1978, West Germany exited in the second group stage of the tournament. In 1982 and 1986, the team was runner-up behind

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, giving him the unique distinction of captaining the senior team to two silver medals in the FIFA World Cup. Rummenigge also took part in two European Championship tournaments. In the

competition in Italy, West Germany defeated

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in the final by 2–1 to win their second UEFA Euro. Altogether, between 1976 and 1986, Rummenigge amassed 95 caps and scored 45 goals for West Germany, including one in extra-time in the 1982 World Cup semi-final victory over France, and one in the losing 1986 World Cup final match against Argentina. He also scored a hat-trick in a group stage game against Chile during the 1982 World Cup.

Style of play

One of the most talented attacking players of his generation, Rummenigge was often lauded as a highly versatile forward, capable of playing as a second striker, winger, or flat-out centre forward. His main strengths were his pace, dribbling, heading and goalscoring ability, from both close range and from outside the box. He also had a penchant for scoring from awkward situations. Rummenigge was also praised for his both-footedness, leadership and physical strength. However, his later career was greatly affected by injuries, in particular after his move to Inter Milan.

Bayern Munich management

Rummenigge (right) with Uli Hoeneß in 2013 In autumn 1991, Bayern Munich invited Franz Beckenbauer and Rummenigge to return to the club as vice presidents. Rummenigge held this position until February 2002, when he was appointed Chairman of Executive Board of the newly corporatised football department of the club (FC Bayern München AG). According to the club, "in his role as chairman he is responsible for external relations, new media, board affairs and representing the holding company on national and international bodies." During his tenure, Bayern Munich managed to move to their new stadium,

Allianz Arena Allianz Arena (; known as Munich Football Arena for UEFA competitions) is a Association football, football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely kno ...

. Oliver Kahn took over his CEO position at Bayern Munich from 1 July 2021. Rummenigge was appointed a member of the supervisory board on 30 May 2023.

Miscellaneous

In April 1983, the British pop duo Alan & Denise recorded a tribute song about his "sexy knees" in the song "Rummenigge". The single reached number 43 in German charts. From 1990 until 1994, Rummenigge worked as a TV co–commentator for matches of the Germany national team. In March 2004, he was named by

as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. His brother Michael Rummenigge was also a noteworthy footballer. He played as forward for Bayern Munich and

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

from 1982 to 1988 and 1988 to 1994, respectively. He also represented Germany on two occasions between 1983 and 1986. Rummenigge and his wife Martina have three sons and two daughters born between 1980 and 1991. Rummenigge supports ending the 50+1 rule.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

upright=0.63, Rummenigge in 1982 Bayern Munich *

: 1979–80, 1980–81 *

: 1981–82, 1983–84 *

: 1974–75, 1975–76 * Intercontinental Cup:

West Germany *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

runner-up: 1982, 1986 Individual *'' Kicker''

Team of the Season: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84 *''Sport Ideal European XI'': 1979, 1980 *'' Guérin Sportivo'' All-Star team: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 * Bundesliga Top Goalscorer: 1979–80, 1980–81, 1983–84 *

Goal of the Year (Germany) The Goal of the Year in Germany is, like the '' Goal of the Month'' ( Tor des Monats), the ''Goal of the Decade'' and ''Goal of the Century'', an individual football award selected by spectators of the '' Sportschau'' ( ARD German TV), among spect ...

: 1980, 1981 * Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1980 *'' Guérin Sportivo'' Player of the Year. 1980 * UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament:

; runner-up:

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

* Onze d'Or 1980, 1981 * Onze de Bronze: 1983 * Onze Mondial: 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985 * Bravo Otto: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 * European Cup Top Goalscorer: 1980–81 * FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 1982 * FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball: 1982 * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1982 * DFB Pokal Top Goalscorer: 1981–82 * World XI: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 * Serie A Team of The Year: 1985 * Swiss League Top Goalscorer: 1988–89 * Swiss Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1988–89 *

*Bayern Munich All-time XI * Golden Foot, as football legend: 2009 *'Best European Manager' at the Golden Boy Awards by ''

Tuttosport ''Tuttosport'' is a daily sports newspaper based in the city of Turin, Italy. History and profile ''Tuttosport'' was first published on 30 July 1945. Renato Casalbore (who later died in the 1949 Superga air disaster alongside the Grande Torino ...

'': 2020 * Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2021

Notes

References

External links

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
at fcbayern.de

at soccer-Europe.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rummenigge, Karl-Heinz 1955 births Living people People from Lippstadt Footballers from Arnsberg (region) German men's footballers Men's association football forwards FC Bayern Munich footballers Inter Milan players Servette FC players Bundesliga players Serie A players Swiss Super League players UEFA Champions League–winning players UEFA Champions League top scorers Kicker-Torjägerkanone Award winners Ballon d'Or winners FIFA 100 Germany men's B international footballers Germany men's international footballers 1978 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1980 players 1982 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1984 players 1986 FIFA World Cup players UEFA European Championship–winning players West German expatriate men's footballers West German expatriate sportspeople in Italy West German expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland German chief executives FC Bayern Munich board members West German men's footballers