Oliver Neuville

Oliver Patric Neuville (German pronunciation: [ˈɔlivɐ nøːvil], born 1 May 1973) is a German former footballer who played as a striker.

Oliver Neuville
Neuville in 2014
Personal information
Full name Oliver Patric Neuville[1]
Date of birth (1973-05-01) 1 May 1973
Place of birth Locarno, Switzerland
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1979–1990 US Gambarogno
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1992 FC Locarno 14 (8)
1992–1996 Servette 114 (43)
1996–1997 Tenerife 33 (5)
1997–1999 Hansa Rostock 50 (22)
1999–2004 Bayer Leverkusen 165 (42)
2004–2010 Borussia Mönchengladbach 153 (42)
2008–2009 Borussia Mönchengladbach II 2 (0)
2010 Arminia Bielefeld 12 (2)
Total 543 (164)
International career
1998–2008 Germany 69 (10)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Germany
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up2002 Korea/Japan
Third place2006 Germany
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up2008
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

During an 18-year professional career he played mainly for Bayer Leverkusen (five seasons) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (six), amassing Bundesliga totals of 334 games and 91 goals.

Neuville appeared nearly 70 times for the Germany national team during one full decade, representing Germany in two World Cups and at Euro 2008.

Club career
Neuville with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2008

Born in Locarno, Switzerland, to a German father from Aachen and Swiss mother of Italian descent, Neuville started his professional career with Servette FC. In only his second season in the Swiss Super League, he scored a career-best 16 goals[2] to help the club win the national championship after a nine-year wait.

In 1996–97, Neuville played in Spain with CD Tenerife, where he was part of a well-balanced attacking line that also featured Juanele (eight goals), Meho Kodro (six), Antonio Pinilla (seven) and Aurelio Vidmar (one),[3] netting five goals in 1,885 minutes as the Canary Islands team easily retained their La Liga status, and also playing a relatively important part in their semi-final run in the UEFA Cup.[4] Subsequently, he moved to Germany and signed for F.C. Hansa Rostock, scoring eight times in only 17 contests in his debut campaign in the Bundesliga, as the side from the former East Germany finished sixth.

Neuville signed for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 1999 summer, quickly becoming an essential offensive figure for his new club. He scored 28 goals combined from 2000 to 2002 (including a hat-trick against Hamburger SV on 24 November 2001),[5] while also adding five in 15 UEFA Champions League appearances in 2001–02, as Bayer finished second to Real Madrid (he scored one apiece in both legs of the semifinal clash against Manchester United); the club also finished second in the league during this timeframe.

Aged 31, Neuville joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for 2004–05, on a free transfer.[6] On 17 October 2004 he scored an infamous goal with his hand against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in a 2–0 home win, which was widely reviled and landed him a two-match ban.[7] He netted 22 goals in his first two seasons combined, but appeared scarcely as the Foals dropped down a level in 2007, mainly due to injury.[8][9]

Neuville returned to form in 2007–08, scoring 15 goals to help Borussia return to the top flight the immediate campaign after, the competition's sixth-best. He made his last Bundesliga appearance on the final matchday of the 2009–10 season, against former team Bayer Leverkusen.[10]

It was planned that Neuville would start to work as a youth coach for Borussia Mönchengladbach.[10] Instead, he decided to play one more year and signed for Arminia Bielefeld in the 2. Bundesliga.[11] However, after only a couple of months, he left by mutual consent, retiring at the age of 37.[12]

International career
Neuville with Germany in 2005

After electing to represent Germany at international level, Neuville made his international debut on 2 September 1998 against Malta, in a friendly, replacing Mario Basler for the last fifteen minutes of the 2–1 away win. In his first months training with the national team he needed an interpreter to understand coach Erich Ribbeck's message, while getting his across as well.[13]

Subsequently, Neuville went on to collect 69 caps with ten goals.[14] He was picked for the squad that finished second at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring the game's only goal in the round-of-16 win against Paraguay.[15]

After missing selection for UEFA Euro 2004, in the second group stage match of the 2006 World Cup against Poland, Neuville, who had replaced Lukas Podolski, buried a desperate injury-time cross from fellow substitute David Odonkor, beating goalkeeper Artur Boruc on the way to a 1–0 victory.[16] He did not score again for the national team until 31 May 2008, when he slid in a Marcell Jansen cross in a Euro 2008 warm-up against Serbia,[17] appearing in the tournament's final stages in the Group B match against Austria as a late substitute, and retiring from international play at the age of 35.

Personal life

Along with Bernd Schneider, Neuville was one of the two known smokers in the Germany national team.[18] His name (properly pronounced in French – not German – fashion) stemmed from his Belgian grandfather.

In 1997, Neuville fathered son Lars-Oliver.

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FC Locarno 1991–92[19] Swiss Challenge League 148–148
Servette 1992–93[19] Nationalliga A 284–284
1993–94[19] 3116303416
1994–95[19] 21820238
1995–96[19] 3415–3415
Total 114435011943
Tenerife 1996–97[20] La Liga 3352080435
Hansa Rostock 1997–98[19] Bundesliga 17800–178
1998–99[19] 331420203714
Total 502220205422
Bayer Leverkusen 1999–2000[19] Bundesliga 3341072416
2000–01[19] 341520814416
2001–02[19] 3313511775521
2002–03[19] 33450100484
2003–04[19] 3263200358
Total 16542163421022355
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2004–05[19] Bundesliga 321210003312
2005–06[19] 341010003510
2006–07[19] 16410–174
2007–08[19] 2. Bundesliga 341520–3615
2008–09[19] Bundesliga 2511000261
2009–10[19] 1202000140
Total 15342800016142
Borussia Mönchengladbach II 2008–09[19] Regionalliga West 10––10
2009–10[19] 10––10
Total 20000020
Arminia Bielefeld 2010–11[19] 2. Bundesliga 1221000132
Career total 5431642935710629177

International
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Neuville goal.
List of international goals scored by Oliver Neuville
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
131 March 1999Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany Finland2–02–0UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
214 November 2001Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany Ukraine2–04–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification
327 March 2002Ostseestadion, Rostock, Germany United States2–14–2Friendly
415 June 2002Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo, South Korea Paraguay1–01–02002 FIFA World Cup
58 October 2005Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Turkey1–21–2Friendly
622 March 2006Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany United States2–04–1Friendly
727 May 2006Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany Luxembourg4–07–0Friendly
84–0
914 June 2006Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany Poland1–01–02006 FIFA World Cup
1031 May 2008Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany Serbia1–12–1Friendly

Honours

Servette[21]

Bayer Leverkusen[22]

Borussia Mönchengladbach[22]

Germany[22]

References
  1. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Germany" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. Matthias Arnhold (24 July 2014). "Oliver Neuville – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. "El día que el 'EuroTete' goleó a la Lazio" [The day 'EuroTete' routed Lazio]. Marca (in Spanish). 18 February 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  4. "¿Qué fue del CD Tenerife semifinalista de la UEFA?" [What happened to UEFA semi-finalists CD Tenerife?] (in Spanish). Sphera Sports. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. "Germany: Bayer extend lead". UEFA. 24 November 2001. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  6. "New start for Neuville". UEFA. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  7. "Neuvilles Handtor sorgt für Diskussionen" [Neuville's handball generates discussion] (in German). kicker. 15 October 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  8. "Neuville out for two months". UEFA. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  9. "Leistenbruch bei Neuville" [Inguinal hernia for Neuville]. UEFA. 28 April 2007. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  10. "Neuville bleibt Borusse" [Neuville remains Borusse] (in German). Bundesliga. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  11. "Neuville geht nach Bielefeld" [Neuville goes to Bielefeld] (in German). Focus. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  12. "Neuville beendet Kapitel Arminia – und die Karriere!" [Neuville ends Arminia chapter – and career!] (in German). kicker. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  13. "Oliver Neuville". World Soccer News. 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  14. Matthias Arnhold (25 March 2010). "Oliver Neuville – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  15. "Germany edge out Paraguay". BBC Sport. 15 June 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  16. "Germany 1–0 Poland". BBC Sport. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  17. "Germany beat Serbia in last Euro test". German Football Association. 31 May 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  18. "Wie im Rausch" [Feeling high] (in German). Stern. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  19. "Oliver Neuville » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  20. Oliver Neuville at BDFutbol
  21. "Oliver Neuville Biography". History Of Soccer. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  22. "O. Neuville". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
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