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.
Overview
Olaf Thon (born 1 May 1966) is a German former professional football player and coach. Mainly a central midfielder, Thon's 19-year professional career was solely associated to Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, having amassed more than 500 official games and 100 goals for both combined. Later in his career, Thon played as a sweeper.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 170 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player / association football coach / sports commentator / sports columnist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
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 items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.