 Linke playing for RB Salzburg in a 2009 charity match | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 December 1969 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sömmerda, East Germany | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1983 | Robotron Sömmerda | ||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 85 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1998 | Schalke 04 | 175 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Bayern Munich | 165 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Red Bull Salzburg | 51 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Bayern Munich II | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 502 | (21) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2004 | Germany | 43 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Thomas Linke (born 26 December 1969) is a retired German professional footballer. He played as a central defender and last worked as the director of football of FC Ingolstadt 04.
Linke was remembered as a hard-nosed tackler with tremendous heading ability, and played in 13 Bundesliga seasons in representation of Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, totalling 340 games. Having gained his first cap for Germany in his late 20s, Linke went on to represent the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.