Players - Christian Ziege

Christian Ziege
Birthdate: 1 February 1972
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Other clubs: Bayern München (1990-97), AC Milan (1997-99), Middlesbrough (1999-2000), Tottenham Hotspur (2001-04), Borussia Mönchengladbach (2004-05)
Signed from: Middlesbrough
Signed for LFC: £5.5m, 25.08.2000
International debut: 10.06.1993 vs. Brazil
International caps: 72/9 - (7/0 at LFC) - 27.05.2004
Liverpool debut: 09.09.2000
Last appearance: 28.04.2001
Debut goal: 04.11.2000
Last goal: 29.11.2000
Contract expiry: 17.07.2001
Win ratio: 65.63% W:21 D:6 L:5
Games/assists ratio: 5.33
Honours: League Cup 2001
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 2 / 0
League games / goals / assists: 16 / 1 / 2
Total games / goals / assists: 32 / 2 / 6

Player Profile

A veteran international for Germany who featured 72 times for his country, a two-time title winner with Bayern München, and winner of Serie A with Milan. Ziege was certainly an experienced player when Houllier decided he would be the man to fill the left-back position. He arrived in a blaze of controversy from Middlesbrough who claimed Liverpool had made an illegal approach for the player, which they were later fined £20,000 for by the Football Association. Ziege had plenty of experience, but he never fit in at Anfield. No one questioned his potential to deliver pin-point crosses, but something seemed to go wrong when a high-profile club came in for him, Ziege having also experienced difficulties adjusting at Milan. Liverpool were victorious in his sole season at the club, winning a treble, but Ziege was rooted to the bench in four out of the last five games he was in the squad.

Ziege was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2001, hardly worth the trouble it took to get him to Liverpool. He returned in two months with his new club at Anfield determined to show his worth. "I am going to be very motivated for this game and for now it is not necessary to say any more than that. Do I really need to say what this game means to me? No, I don't think so." He played in 47 Premier League matches for Tottenham during a three-year stay, scoring seven times. He suffered a horror injury against Charlton on Boxing Day 2002 that restricted him to 90 minutes of action in thirteen months. Ziege was rushed into hospital after his thigh muscle had blown to twice its normal size after the game that he received his marching orders in after also being sent off on 23 December. Ziege underwent an emergency surgery that saved his right leg from amputation.

In 2004 the left wing-back returned to his homeland, joining Borussia Mönchengladbach, but he only played for a season before announcing his retirement as a player because of injury at the age of thirty-three. In 2006 he became the head coach of Gladbach's under-17 team and a year later was appointed as the club's director of football. Towards the end of 2008 Ziege left Gladbach and 18 months later he became the head coach of Armenia Bielefeld. But Armenia's next season started dreadfully with just one victory from the opening eight matches. After yet another defeat early in November 2010, Ziege was unsurprisingly released from his post. Ziege is currently the coach of Germany's under-18 international side.

In March 2014 Ziege returned to club management when he became the head coach of SpVgg Unterhaching, a club on the outskirts of Munich but a much smaller club than its neighbours Bayern Munich, with whom Christian Ziege enjoyed so much success in the 1990s. He remained there for a year, then had coaching spells with Atletico Baleares in Mallorca and Ratchaburi Mitr Phil in Thailand, before taking over with Austrian third-tier side FC Pinzgau in April 2019. In April 2022 he stepped up to become their sporting director. 
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 16 3 4 9 0 32
2000-2001 16 3 4 9 0 32
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
3 164 Manchester City
2 180 Leicester City
2 180 Slovan Liberec
2 164 Roma
2 143 Ipswich Town
2 125 Chelsea
2 124 Rapid Bucharest
2 105 Leeds United
2 56 Porto
2 49 West Ham United
2 18 Coventry City
1 90 Everton
1 90 Derby
1 90 Stoke City
1 90 Sunderland
1 69 Charlton Athletic
1 61 Wycombe
1 24 Birmingham City
1 14 Crystal Palace
1 13 Olympiacos
Total Started/substitutions
20 Started
5 On the bench
12 Substitute
8 Substituted
Total Venue
16 Home
14 Away
2 Neutral
Total Competition
16 Premier League
9 UEFA Cup
4 League Cup
3 FA Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
32 21 6 5 65.6% Gérard Houllier
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 1 0 0 2
2000-2001 1 0 1 0 0 2
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Stoke City
1 Leeds United
Total Started/substitutions
2 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
1 League Cup
1 Premier League
Total Goal minute period
1 1-15 minutes
1 16-30 minutes
Total Goal origin
2 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 1 1 2 0 6
2000-2001 2 1 1 2 0 6
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 09.09.2000 Manchester City Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 17 04.11.2000 Leeds United Elland Road League
Related Articles
Reds win war of nerves

Liverpool Echo report on Liverpool - Manchester City on 09.09.2000.

Houllier's recruits in 2000-2001

Liverpool's summer signings in the 2000/2001 season raised more than a few eyebrows.

Ziege retires because of injury

Christian Ziege was forced to retire in October 2005 because of persistent ankle injuries.

Related Quotes

"Another language master, he turns up for training some days with a bundle of newspapers — English, German and Italian. Injuries have meant we haven’t seen the best of him since his arrival from Boro but he’s real quality."

Owen in May 2001 on Ziege

Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Bayern Munich 1990-1991 Germany 1 13 1 16 2
Bayern Munich 1991-1992 Germany 1 26 2 29 3
Bayern Munich 1992-1993 Germany 1 28 9 30 11
Bayern Munich 1993-1994 Germany 1 29 3 35 6
Bayern Munich 1994-1995 Germany 1 29 10 38 10
Bayern Munich 1995-1996 Germany 1 33 3 44 4
Bayern Munich 1996-1997 Germany 1 27 7 32 8
AC Milan 1997-1998 Italy 1 22 2 27 2
AC Milan 1998-1999 Italy 1 17 2 20 2
Middlesbrough 1999-2000 England Premier League 29 6 34 7
Tottenham 2001-2002 England Premier League 27 5 33 7
Tottenham 2002-2003 England Premier League 12 2 12 2
Gladbach 2004-2005 Germany 1 13 0 14 0
Total 305 52 364 64