Bernd Förster

Bernhard "Bernd" Georg Josef Förster (born 3 May 1956) is a former German footballer who played as a defender and midfielder.

Bernd Förster
Personal information
Full name Bernhard Georg Josef Förster
Date of birth (1956-05-03) 3 May 1956
Place of birth Mosbach, West Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Defender, Midfielder
Youth career
0000–1974 Waldhof Mannheim
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974 Waldhof Mannheim 16 (0)
1974–1976 Bayern Munich 8 (0)
1976–1978 1. FC Saarbrücken 61 (5)
1978–1986 VfB Stuttgart 222 (20)
Total 307 (25)
National team
1973–1974 West Germany Youth 11 (0)
1974 West Germany Amateur 1 (0)
1979–1981 West Germany B 3 (0)
1979–1984 West Germany 33 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

His younger brother, Karlheinz, was also a footballer, and a defender. Both played extensively at VfB Stuttgart, and were crowned European champions in 1980.

Club career

Förster started playing professionally at SV Waldhof Mannheim, in the second division. In January 1975, he switched to country giants FC Bayern Munich, but his stay there was highly unsuccessful (he did appear twice in the club's 1975–76 European Cup victorious campaign).

After establishing himself in the top flight with 1. FC Saarbrücken, Förster switched to VfB Stuttgart, after his former club relegated. He became an essential defensive member in the following seasons, partnering sibling Karlheinz in the back-four. Until his retirement, Förster scored 25 goals in 291 overall top-division league matches,[1] being instrumental in Stuttgart's 1984 national league (31 matches, two goals). He retired in 1986, at only 30.

International career

Förster won his first cap for West Germany on 22 May 1979, in a 3–1 friendly win in Republic of Ireland. In the following year's UEFA European Football Championship, he played twice as the nation was crowned continental champions, alongside brother Karlheinz.

At the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Förster only started playing in the second group stage, but from then on played the entire matches en route to the vice-championship. Hence, the pair became the first brothers in German football history to take part in a World Cup final since Ottmar and Fritz Walter's appearances in the victorious 1954 edition, and the first to be defeated.

Förster retired from international play after UEFA Euro 1984 in France, as Germany were ousted from the group stage after a last-minute goal by Spain's Antonio Maceda. He gained a total of 33 caps.[2]

Honours

Club
Bayern Munich
VfB Stuttgart

International
West Germany
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References
  1. Arnhold, Matthias (23 April 2015). "Bernhard Georg Josef 'Bernd' Förster - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. Arnhold, Matthias (23 April 2015). "Bernd Förster - International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
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