Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

German football legend and executive, two-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup runner-up captain.

Karl-Heinz 'Kalle' Rummenigge (born 25 September 1955) is a German football executive and former professional footballer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest German footballers of all time, he served as Chairman of Executive Board of FC Bayern München AG. As a player, he won the Intercontinental Cup, two European Cups, two league titles, and two domestic cups with Bayern Munich, and two Ballon d'Or awards (1980, 1981). He was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list in 2004. With West Germany, he won the 1980 European Championship and captained the team to runner-up finishes in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Born: 25 September 1955
Birthplace: Lippstadt, West Germany
Height: 182 cm / 6 ft
Position: Forward
Total caps: 424
Total goals: 220

Facts from the source article.

Background

Rummenigge was born in Lippstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia. He joined Bayern Munich in 1974 from Borussia Lippstadt for about €10,000. He won the European Cup in 1975 (did not play in the final) and 1976 (played after a glass of brandy). He also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1976. With coach Pál Csernai, he formed a partnership with Paul Breitner, nicknamed 'Breitnigge'. Bayern won the Bundesliga in 1980 and 1981, and the DFB-Pokal in 1982 and 1984. He was sold to Inter Milan in 1984 for a record €5.7m, then moved to Servette FC in 1987, ending his career in 1989 as Swiss league top scorer.

Did You Know?

In April 1983, the British pop duo Alan & Denise recorded a tribute song about his 'sexy knees' called 'Rummenigge', which reached number 43 in German charts.
His brother Michael Rummenigge also played for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and was capped twice by West Germany.
Rummenigge worked as a TV co-commentator for German national team matches from 1990 to 1994.
He supports ending the 50+1 rule in German football.