Olaf Thon
Olaf Thon (born 1 May 1966 in Gelsenkirchen) is a German retired footballer, and a current coach.
Mainly a central midfielder, his 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. Nicknamed The Professor, he also collected more than 50 caps for the German national team.
Club career
Thon made his professional debuts at the age of only 17, with local powerhouse FC Schalke 04. His impact was immediate, as he scored 14 goals in 38 games to help the Gelsenkirchen side return to the Bundesliga in 1984, as runners-up. Also during that season, he scored a hat-trick against FC Bayern Munich in the domestic cup, in a 6–6 home thriller in the semifinal stage; the Bavarians eventually won the replay and the tournament.
On 24 August 1984, Thon made his first appearance in the German top level, a 1–3 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach. During that and the following three seasons, he only scored once in single digits, rarely missing a match for the team.