Photo: Frank Schwichtenberg / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I admire most about Olaf Thon is his loyalty. In an era of constant transfers, building a 19-year career around just Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, with over 500 games and 100 goals, says everything about his character. At 170 cm he was never going to win on size, so he won with his mind, evolving from a creative central midfielder into a reliable sweeper late in his career. That tactical intelligence clearly carried over, since he became a coach, commentator and columnist. He strikes me as a thinker of the game, the kind of footballer whose value you only fully appreciate in hindsight.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Olaf Thon
- Name (Japanese)
- オラフ・トーン
- Reading
- おらふ・とーん
- Born
- May 1, 1966 (age 60)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
- Origin
- Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Height
- 170 cm
- Occupation
- association football player / association football coach / sports commentator / sports columnist
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Olaf Thon born?
Born May 1, 1966 (age 60).
Where is Olaf Thon from?
Olaf Thon is from Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
What does Olaf Thon do?
Olaf Thon works as association football player, association football coach, sports commentator, sports columnist.
How tall is Olaf Thon?
Olaf Thon is 170 cm.
Association football player — see all → · Association football coach — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.