View source for Michael Schulz

{{short description|German footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| image          = 2011-12-30 Bonn Telekom-Dome Michael Schulz.jpg
| upright        = 0.9
| caption        = Schulz playing for a [[Borussia Dortmund]] veterans team
| fullname       = 
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1961|9|3}}
| birth_place    = [[Witten]],<ref>according to most German sources, however, born in  [[Hitzacker]]</ref> [[West Germany]]
| height         = 1.94 m
| position       = [[Centre-back]]
| youthyears1    = 1967–1972
| youthclubs1    = TuS Nettlingen
| youthyears2    = 1972–1980
| youthclubs2    = TuS Sulingen
| youthyears3    = 1980–1984
| youthclubs3    = TuS Syke
| years1         = 1984–1987
| clubs1         = [[VfB Oldenburg]]
| caps1          = 
| goals1         = 
| years2         = 1987–1989
| clubs2         = [[1. FC Kaiserslautern]]
| caps2          = 51
| goals2         = 3
| years3         = 1989–1994
| clubs3         = [[Borussia Dortmund]]
| caps3          = 133
| goals3         = 4
| years4         = 1994–1997
| clubs4         = [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]]
| caps4          = 59
| goals4         = 1
| totalcaps      = 243
| totalgoals     = 8
| nationalyears1 = 1988
| nationalteam1  = [[Germany Olympic football team|West Germany Olympic]]
| nationalcaps1  = 7
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1992–1993
| nationalteam2  = [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
| nationalcaps2  = 7
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| medaltemplates = 
{{medal|Team|[[Borussia Dortmund]]}}
{{medal|W|[[DFB-Supercup]]|[[1989 DFB-Supercup|1989]]}}
{{medal|RU|[[UEFA Cup]]|[[1992–93 UEFA Cup|1993]]}}
{{medal|Team|[[Werder Bremen]]}}
{{medal|W|[[DFB-Supercup]]|[[1994 DFB-Supercup|1994]]}}
{{medal|Team|{{fb|Germany}}}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[Olympic Football Tournament|Olympics]]|[[Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[UEFA European Championship|European Championship]]|[[UEFA Euro 1992|1992]]}}
}}
'''Michael Schulz''' (born 3 September 1961) is a German former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[central defender]]. He played 243 matches in the [[Bundesliga]] for [[Borussia Dortmund]], [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]] and [[1. FC Kaiserslautern]] and scored eight goals.

== Club career ==
Schulz was born in [[Witten]]. He had the reputation of being one of the hardest defenders in the Bundesliga.<ref name="11 freunde">{{cite news |last1=Raack |first1=Alex |title="Wir sind ja quasi Amok gelaufen..." |url=https://11freunde.de/artikel/wir-sind-ja-quasi-amok-gelaufen/582774 |accessdate=11 April 2020 |work=11 Freunde |date=24 July 2013 |language=German}}</ref> He collected 48 yellow and 2 red cards. He was a favourite at [[Borussia Dortmund]] and [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]], his fans regularly chanting "Schuuuuuuuuuulz" whenever he had the ball.<ref name="chant">{{cite news |last1=Schulz |first1=Michael |title=Michael Schulz lobt den BVB-Fußball - und kritisiert Mario Götze |url=https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/bvb/michael-schulz-der-bvb-spielt-den-besten-fussball-der-liga-kritik-an-goetze-plus-1442305.html |accessdate=11 April 2020 |work=Ruhr Nachrichten |date=29 August 2019 |language=German}}</ref> Fellow Bremen player [[Christian Schulz]] and fellow Dortmund player [[Nico Schulz]],<ref name="chant"/> who bear no relationship to him, were regularly celebrated like this because of him. In Panini's World Championship collector's cards edition 1994 he is described as "an anchor as header, strong in duels, feared for his wide throw-ins. The Charles Bronson type of guy overdoes toughness." Michael Schulz made nearly 250 [[Bundesliga|(West) German top-flight]] appearances.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/mschulzdata.html | title = Michael Schulz - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 28 November 2019 | accessdate = 29 November 2019 | publisher = [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF.com]]}}</ref>

== International career ==
He played seven times for the Germany national team from 1992 to 1993.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/mschulz-intl.html | title = Michael Schulz - International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 28 November 2019 | accessdate = 29 November 2019 | publisher = [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF.com]]}}</ref> He also competed for West Germany at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sports Reference|title=Michael Schulz Biography and Statistics|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/michael-schulz-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418055317/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/michael-schulz-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|accessdate=28 October 2009}}</ref>

== Post-playing career ==
Schulz works as a player agent at the Hamburg-based [[sport management]] agency Extratime. He's additionally in the field for several German TV channels and since August 2009 also as a field reporter for [[Deutsche Telekom]]'s football channel Liga total.

=="Curse" of Michael Schulz==
{{Original research section|date=April 2010}}
Although Schulz was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, top titles eluded him. The special sting in his case was the fact that each team he played for was highly successful ''after'' he was transferred away, leading to speculation he was cursed.<ref name="11 freunde"/>

*'''1. FC Kaiserslautern''' (1987–1989): in this period, FCK was a scrub team which constantly flirted with relegation. After Schulz was shipped away, FCK won the German Cup in 1990 and the German Championship in 1991.
*'''Borussia Dortmund''' (1989–1994): BVB was a midfield team when Schulz was there. But then, Schulz feuded with [[Matthias Sammer]] and was sent away, just before BVB won two German Championships in 1995 and 1996 and the [[UEFA Champions League]] in 1997.
*'''Werder Bremen''' (1994–1997): Schulz joined Bremen just after Werder had won two German Championships and the German Cup. During his period, Werder suffered a drought and won nothing, apart from the [[1994 DFB-Supercup]]. However, in 1999, Werder won the German Cup again after Schulz had left.

In a 1997 issue of the German football magazine ''[[Kicker (sports magazine)|kicker]]'', published when Schulz announced his retirement, he was asked in the column ''Mal ehrlich'' (Now, seriously), whether Bremen, now that Schulz was stopping, would finally win something. He answered, "This is a sure-fire tip! I'd bet on it anytime", acknowledging the existence of his jinx.

==Honours==
'''Borussia Dortmund'''
* [[DFL-Supercup]]: [[1989 DFB-Supercup|1989]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfb.de/supercup/das-spiel/?spieledb_path=%2Fmatches%2F1969426 |title=Deutscher Supercup, 1989, Finale |publisher=dfb.de |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref>
* [[UEFA Cup]] finalist: [[1992–93 UEFA Cup|1992–93]]

'''Werder Bremen'''
* [[DFL-Supercup]]: [[1994 DFB-Supercup|1994]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfb.de/supercup/das-spiel/?spieledb_path=%2Fmatches%2F1972325|title=Deutscher Supercup, 1994, Finale |publisher=dfb.de |access-date=5 November 2020}}</ref>

'''West Germany Olympic'''
* [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic bronze medal]]: [[Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]

'''Germany'''
* [[UEFA European Championship]] runner-up: [[UEFA Euro 1992|1992]]
* [[1993 U.S. Cup]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Worldfootball.net|michael-schulz}}
* {{NFT|14293}}
* {{Sports-reference|sc/michael-schulz-1}}

{{1991–92 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}}
{{West Germany football squad 1988 Summer Olympics}}
{{Germany squad UEFA Euro 1992}}
{{Portal bar|Association football|Germany}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulz, Michael}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Witten]]
[[Category:Footballers from Arnsberg (region)]]
[[Category:German men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Germany men's international footballers]]
[[Category:VfB Oldenburg players]]
[[Category:1. FC Kaiserslautern players]]
[[Category:Borussia Dortmund players]]
[[Category:SV Werder Bremen players]]
[[Category:Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for West Germany]]
[[Category:West German men's footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1992 players]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for West Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in football]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]