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Paul Steiner
Personal information
Date of birth	23 January 1957 (age 67)
Place of birth	Waldbrunn, West Germany
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
0000–1975	TSV Strümpfelbrunn
Senior career*
Years	Team
1975–1979	Waldhof Mannheim
1979–1981	MSV Duisburg
1981–1991	1. FC Köln
Total
International career
1983	West Germany U21
1987	West Germany Olympic
1990	West Germany
Medal record
1. FC Köln
West Germany
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Steiner (born 23 January 1957) is a German retired professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender.

Club career

Born in Waldbrunn, Baden-Württemberg, Steiner began playing football in his hometown with TSV Strümpfelbrunn. He started his professional career in 1975, going on to spend four seasons in the second division with SV Waldhof Mannheim.

Steiner appeared in 349 games in the Bundesliga, scoring 27 times from 1979 until 1991 with MSV Duisburg and 1. FC Köln.^[1] With the latter side, he was instrumental in five league finishes in the top three, also winning the German Cup in 1983 and losing the 1985–86 UEFA Cup to Real Madrid.

After retiring at 34, Steiner later worked as a scout for Köln's Rhine rival, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, before taking up the same role back at the former club.^[2]

International career

Steiner was one of the oldest debutants in the Germany national team, when he appeared as a 33-year-old substitute in the final friendly match ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, against Denmark at Gelsenkirchen's Parkstadion on 30 May.^[3] He was surprisingly selected for the World Cup squad in favour of Bayer Uerdingen's Holger Fach, who had been the expected pick of coach Franz Beckenbauer as Klaus Augenthaler's understudy.^[4]

Steiner was not recalled again after the tournament, where Germany defeated Argentina in the final and he did not play a single minute.

Personal life

Steiner was commonly quoted in Germany as stating in a talk show that homosexuals were "too soft" for playing football.^[5]

References

^ Arnhold, Matthias (10 January 2020). "Paul Steiner - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
^ "Auch Steiner zum 1. FC Köln" [Steiner to 1. FC Köln as well]. Rheinische Post (in German). 25 June 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
^ Arnhold, Matthias (10 January 2020). "Paul Steiner - International Appearances". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
^ "Die Klasse von 1990" [The class of 1990]. Die Zeit (in German). July 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
^ ""Football's coming homo"". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 17 May 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2016.