Oliver Bierhoff

Oliver Bierhoff (born 1 May 1968) is a German football official and former professional player who played as a striker. He last served as the technical director of the Germany national team. During his playing career, he was a tall, strong and prolific goalscorer and was known for his abilities in the air and as a target man, while also being able to deliver pin-point headers towards goal.

Bierhoff spent his early career playing for Bayer Uerdingen, Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga where he had modest success. After a season in the Austrian Bundesliga for Austria Salzburg, he was signed by Ascoli of the Italian Serie A. The club was relegated in his first season and Bierhoff played three seasons with them in the Serie B. He was subsequently signed by an Udinese team led by Alberto Zaccheroni in 1995 where he had great success and earned his first call-up to the Germany national team. He scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football for Germany in the Euro 96 final, a career-defining performance that vaulted him into the international limelight. He finished the 1997–98 season as Serie A's top-scorer. He was subsequently signed by AC Milan in 1998, winning the Serie A title in his first season with the club and setting a Serie A record for most headed goals in a single season, with 15. After three years at the club, Bierhoff had brief stints at Monaco and Chievo before retiring from playing in 2003.