Who's in the first class of the Bundesliga Legends Hall of Fame?

nokina 2024-10-09 21:04:45

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Bundesliga Legends Hall of Fame First Cohort

What is the Bundesliga Legends Hall of Fame

The "Bundesliga Legends Hall of Fame" consists of nine legends of the Bundesliga, covering different target markets. They include Shao Jiayi, Jörg Alberts (China), Stephen Cherundolo (USA), Pavel Pardo (Mexico), Anthony Baffoe (Ghana), Winton Ruffer (Oceania), Cha Fan-Gan (South Korea) and Paulo Sergio (Brazil). As ambassadors for the Bundesliga, these former stars conduct fan and media events, coach soccer camps, participate in the DFL's corporate social responsibility activities or commentate as experts on various programs on partner radio stations in order to promote the Bundesliga globally, especially to fans in their home countries.

Name: Lothar Herbert Mateusz

Birthday: March 21, 1961 (Germany)

Bundesliga appearances: 464 (121 goals)

Playing for: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich

National team appearances: 150 (23 goals)

Honors: Bundesliga Champion (1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1993/94, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/00), Bundesliga Champion (1985/86, 1997/98, 1999/00), European Cup (1995/96), World Cup Champion (1990), European Cup Champion (1980) European Cup (1995/96), World Cup (1990), European Cup (1980).

Individual honors: World Footballer of the Year (1991), German Footballer of the Year (1990, 1999)

Name: Jörg Albertz

Birthday: January 29, 1971, Mönchengladbach, Germany

League appearances: 150 (29 goals)

Played for: Fürth, Düsseldorf, Hamburg

National team appearances: 3

Jörg Alberts made 3 appearances for the German national team. Regardless of the club he plays for, the tough midfielder always receives a warm welcome from the fans. The tough midfielder from Borussia Mönchengladbach started his career in Düsseldorf. Alberts then spent three years at Hamburg, where he became captain of the northern team in his second season. He impressed the fans with his powerful long-range shots, which earned him the nickname "The Hammer". With this skill, Alberts scored 22 goals in 99 Bundesliga appearances in a Hamburg shirt.

Name: Cha Beom-geun

Birthday: May 22, 1953 (Korea)

League appearances: 308 (98 goals)

Playing for: Darmstadt, Eintracht Frankfurt, Leverkusen

National team appearances: 135

Honors: League Cup (1979/80, 1987/88), German Cup (1980/81)

Individual Honors: Asian Player of the Century

Name: Paulo Sergio

Birthday: June 2, 1969 (Brazil)

League appearances: 198 (68 goals)

Playing for: Leverkusen, Bayern Munich

National team appearances: 12

Honors: Bundesliga Champion (1999/00, 2000/01), German Cup (1990/00), UEFA Champions League Champion (2000/01), Club World Cup (2001), World Cup (1994)

Name: Anthony Baffoe

Birthday: May 25, 1965 (Bonn)

League appearances: 74 (4 goals)

Played for: Cologne, Oppenhausen, Stuttgart Kickers, SC FORTUNA Cologne, Düsseldorf

National team appearances: 25

Individual Honors: AFC Asian Cup All-Star Team (2004)

Born in Bonn, Baffoe was the son of a diplomat, and although he was the son of a diplomat, Baffoe was not so friendly with opposing strikers. Bafoe was once a striker with superb attacking talent, and even when he later switched to fullback, his superb running and passing ability took everyone's breath away.

Name: Pavel Pardo

Birthday: July 26, 1976 (Mexico)

League appearances: 71 (4 goals)

Playing for: Stuttgart

National team appearances: 148 (11 goals)

Honors: Bundesliga Champion (06/07 season), U.S. Championship Cup (2006), CONCACAF Gold Cup (1998, 2003), Confederations Cup (1999)

After nearly 250 games for Club America and a big break at the '06 World Cup, Pardo and his friend Osorio crossed the Atlantic to the Bundesliga, becoming the pioneers of Mexican players in the history of the Bundesliga. A few years later, Hernandez followed in his footsteps.

Name: Wynton Rufell

Birthday: December 29, 1962 (New Zealand)

League appearances: 174 (59 goals)

Played for: Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen

National team appearances: 23

Honors: Bundesliga Champion (1992/93), German Cup (1990/91, 1993/94), European Cup Winners' Cup (1991/92), Bundesliga II Champion (1996/97).

Individual Honors: Oceania Player of the Century, New Zealand Hall of Fame, Maori Sports Hall of Fame

Raised in Wellington, New Zealand by his Swiss father, Ruffel grew up in Wellington, New Zealand and played in Switzerland before signing for Werder Bremen in 1989. Forming a power forward line with Klaus Allofs, they won the 1991 German Cup and went on to win the '92 European Cup Winners' Cup final against Monaco.

Name: Stephen Cherundolo

Birthday: February 19, 1979 (United States)

League appearances: 302 (6 goals)

Playing for: Hannover

National team appearances: 86

Honors: U.S. Championship Cup (2015), Bundesliga title (2001/02 season)

Very few people play more than 300 games for a team. And it is even more rare for a foreign player to be a full time member of a club and continue to work for the club after retiring. And that's exactly what Cherundolo did.

Name: Shao Jiayi

Birthday: April 10, 1980 (Beijing)

League appearances: 67 (4 goals)

Played for: Munich 1860, Cottbus, Duisburg

National team appearances: 40

Individual Honors: AFC Asian Cup All-Star Team (2004)

Munich was the first stop for the talented Beijing-born midfielder on his way to Germany. His first 4 years were spent at Munich 1860. His debut on the Bundesliga stage was in the 19th round of the league in the 2002/03 season, which made him the second Chinese player to land in the Bundesliga. Moreover, he holds the record for the number of appearances by a Chinese player in the Bundesliga.