Thomas Linke
| Date of birth | 26 December 1969 |
| Place of birth | Sommerda |
| Nationality | German |
| Weight | 77 kg |
| Height | 1.82 m |
| Position | Defender |
An excellent central defender he began at Rotweiss Efurt before moving to Bundesliga FC Schalke in 1992. The team won the UEFA Cup in 1997 and his performances for FC Schalke earned him an international debut in November 1997 against South Africa aged 28. He then moved to Bayern Munich in 1998 where he has become a stalwart of the defence. He played at the 2000 European Championship Finals and has developed into the best man marker in the team. He is good in the air making him a threat from set plays but does lack natural pace. He is a definite to start on the left hand side of the back three favoured by Rudi Voller.
Thomas scored his first international goal in Germany's opening game in the 2002 World Cup finals - the 8-0 defeat of Saudi Arabia - but later announced he would retire from international football after the tournament.
Thomas played in the 2002 World Cup Final defeat by Brazil.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt | 01 Jul 1988 | 01 Jul 1992 | |
| Schalke 04 | 01 Jul 1992 | 01 Jul 1998 | |
| Bayern Munchen | 01 Jul 1998 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 2 | 1 |
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| 1999-00 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Bayern Munchen | Bundesliga | 26 | 2 |
6
|
||
| 2000-01 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 15 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2001-02 | Bayern Munchen | Bundesliga | 19 | 1 |
6
|
||
| 2001-02 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 4 | 1 |
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| 2001-02 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Super Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Bayern Munchen | Bundesliga | 30 | 2 |
4
|
||
| 2002-03 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2003-04 | Bayern Munchen | Bundesliga | 18 | 3 |
3
|
1
|
|
| 2003-04 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 4 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Bayern Munchen | Bundesliga | 9 | 2 |
5
|
||
| 2004-05 | Bayern Munchen | LigaPokal | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Bayern Munchen | UEFA Champions League | 1 |
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| 2006-07 | Red Bull Salzburg | UEFA Cup | 2 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 2006 | Red Bull Salzburg v Blackburn Rovers | D | 2-2 | UEFA Cup | 1st round 1st leg |
| 28 Sep 2006 | Blackburn Rovers v Red Bull Salzburg | L |
2-0 Agg: 4-2 |
UEFA Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | Germany | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Germany | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Germany | FIFA Confederations Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Germany | International Friendly | 5 | 1 |
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| 1999-00 | Germany | UEFA European Championship | 5 |
1
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Germany | FIFA World Cup | 3 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2000-01 | Germany | International Friendly | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Germany | FIFA World Cup | 10 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Germany | International Friendly | 6 | 1 |
|||
| 2002-03 | Germany | UEFA European Championship | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Germany | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 1997 | Germany v South Africa | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 22 Feb 1998 | Saudi Arabia v Germany | W | 0-3 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Sep 1998 | Malta v Germany | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Jul 1999 | Brazil v Germany | L | 4-0 | FIFA Confederations Cup | Group B |
| 28 Jul 1999 | Germany v New Zealand | W | 2-0 | FIFA Confederations Cup | Group B |
| 30 Jul 1999 | USA v Germany | L | 2-0 | FIFA Confederations Cup | Group B |
| 04 Sep 1999 | Finland v Germany | W | 1-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 08 Sep 1999 | Germany v Northern Ireland | W | 4-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 09 Oct 1999 | Germany v Turkey | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 3 |
| 14 Nov 1999 | Norway v Germany | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Feb 2000 | Netherlands v Germany | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Croatia v Germany | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Germany v Switzerland | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 2000 | Germany v Czech Republic | W | 3-2 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jun 2000 | Germany v Liechtenstein | W | 8-2 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 2000 | Germany v Romania | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 20 Jun 2000 | Portugal v Germany | L | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Germany v Spain | W | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Germany v Greece | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 07 Oct 2000 | England v Germany | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 15 Nov 2000 | Denmark v Germany | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Feb 2001 | France v Germany | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Finland v Germany | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 06 Jun 2001 | Albania v Germany | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 15 Aug 2001 | Hungary v Germany | W | 2-5 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Sep 2001 | Germany v England | L | 1-5 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 9 |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Ukraine v Germany | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe play-off |
| 14 Nov 2001 | Germany v Ukraine | W | 4-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe play-off |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Germany v Israel | W | 7-1 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Germany v USA | W | 4-2 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Apr 2002 | Germany v Argentina | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 09 May 2002 | Germany v Kuwait | W | 7-0 | International Friendly | |
| 14 May 2002 | Wales v Germany | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 May 2002 | Germany v Austria | W | 6-2 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Jun 2002 | Germany v Saudi Arabia | W | 8-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 05 Jun 2002 | Germany v Republic of Ireland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 11 Jun 2002 | Cameroon v Germany | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Germany v Paraguay | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 21 Jun 2002 | Germany v USA | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals quarter-final |
| 25 Jun 2002 | Korea Republic v Germany | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals semi-final |
| 30 Jun 2002 | Brazil v Germany | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Final |
| 07 Sep 2002 | Lithuania v Germany | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 5 |
| 18 Aug 2004 | Austria v Germany | W | 1-3 | International Friendly | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.