Oliver Bierhoff was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on May 1, 1968. He grew up in Essen and played for SG 99/06 and ETB Schwarz-Weiß. In 1985 he transferred to Bayer Uerdingen, who became German Champions A-Jugend (Youth) in 1987. In 1986/87 he played his first 19 national league games for Bayer – then he became a striker for Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach. In 1990, playing centre forward, he went abroad and was a goalgetter in Austria and Italy. Under Berti Vogts, Bierhoff became a national player in 1996. Since July 29, 2004, Bierhoff is the National Team Manager.
