Name	Free State of Bavaria
German name	Freistaat Bayern
State coa	Coat of arms of Bavaria.svg
Coa size	110
Map	Deutschland Lage von Bayern.svg
Flag	Flag of Bavaria (lozengy).svg
Flag link	Flag of Bavaria
Capital	Munich
Area	70549.44
Key	09
Population	12542365
Pop ref
Pop date	2010-11
Gdp	442.39
Gdp year	2010
Gdp ref
Gdp per capita	33,200
Gdp per capita year	2006
Ppp per capita	32,200
Ppp per capita year	2006
Gdp percent	18
Website	bayern.de
Leader	Horst Seehofer
Leader party	CSU|Christian_Social_Union_of_Bavaria
Ruling party1	CSU
Ruling party2	FDP
Votes	6
Nuts	DE2
Iso region	DE-BY
Date	November 2010}}

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria (, ), is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany. Bavaria is Germany's second most populous state (after North Rhine-Westphalia), with almost 12.5 million inhabitants, more than any of the three sovereign states on its borders. Bavaria's capital is Munich.

One of the oldest states of Europe, it was established as a duchy in the mid first millennium. In the 17th century, the Duke of Bavaria became a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kingdom of Bavaria existed from 1806 to 1918, and Bavaria has since been a free state (republic). Modern Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia and Swabia.

History[link]

The Bavarians emerged in a region north of the Alps, originally inhabited by the Gauls, which had been part of the Roman provinces of Raetia and Noricum. The Bavarians spoke Old High German but, unlike other Germanic groups, probably did not migrate from elsewhere. Rather, they seem to have coalesced out of other groups left behind by Roman withdrawal late in the 5th century. These peoples may have included the Celtic Boii, some remaining Romans, Marcomanni, Allemanni, Quadi, Thuringians, Goths, Scirians, Rugians, Heruli. The name "Bavarian" ("Baiuvarii") means "Men of Baia" which may indicate Bohemia, the homeland of the Celtic Boii and later of the Marcomanni. They first appear in written sources c. 520. Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in the early-8th century. Bavaria was, for the most part, unaffected by the Protestant Reformation.

From about 554 to 788, the house of Agilolfing ruled the Duchy of Bavaria, ending with Tassilo III who was deposed by Charlemagne.

Three early dukes are named in Frankish sources: Garibald I may have been appointed to the office by the Merovingian kings and married the Lombard princess Walderada when the church forbade her to King Chlothar I in 555. Their daughter, Theodelinde, became Queen of the Lombards in northern Italy and Garibald was forced to flee to her when he fell out with his Frankish overlords. Garibald's successor, Tassilo I, tried unsuccessfully to hold the eastern frontier against the expansion of Slavs and Avars around 600. Tassilo's son Garibald II seems to have achieved a balance of power between 610 and 616.

After Garibald II little is known of the Bavarians until Duke Theodo I, whose reign may have begun as early as 680. From 696 onwards he invited churchmen from the west to organize churches and strengthen Christianity in his duchy (it is unclear what Bavarian religious life consisted of before this time). His son, Theudebert, led a decisive Bavarian campaign to intervene in a succession dispute in the Lombard Kingdom in 714, and married his sister Guntrud to the Lombard King Liutprand. At Theodo's death the duchy was divided among his sons, but reunited under his grandson Hucbert.

At Hucbert's death (735) the duchy passed to a distant relative named Odilo, from neighbouring Alemannia (modern southwest Germany and northern Switzerland). Odilo issued a law code for Bavaria, completed the process of church organisation in partnership with St. Boniface (739), and tried to intervene in Frankish succession disputes by fighting for the claims of the Carolingian Grifo. He was defeated near Augsburg in 743 but continued to rule until his death in 748.

Middle Ages[link]

Tassilo III (b. 741 - d. after 794) succeeded his father at the age of eight after an unsuccessful attempt by Grifo to rule Bavaria. He initially ruled under Frankish oversight but began to function independently from 763 onwards. He was particularly noted for founding new monasteries and for expanding eastwards, fighting Slavs in the eastern Alps and along the River Danube and colonising these lands. After 781, however, his cousin Charlemagne began to pressure Tassilo to submit and finally deposed him in 788. The deposition was not entirely legitimate. Dissenters attempted a coup against Charlemagne at Tassilo's old capital of Regensburg in 792, led by his own son Pépin the Hunchback, and the king had to drag Tassilo out of imprisonment to formally renounce his rights and titles at the Assembly of Frankfurt in 794. This is the last appearance of Tassilo in the sources and he probably died a monk. As all of his family were also forced into monasteries, this was the end of the Agilolfing dynasty.

For the next 400 years numerous families held the duchy, rarely for more than three generations. With the revolt of duke Henry the Quarrelsome in 976, Bavaria lost large territories in the south and south east. Among them a mark called "Ostarrichi" which was elevated to a duchy out of own right and given to the Babenberger family. This event marks the birth of Austria. The last, and one of the most important, of these dukes was Henry the Lion of the house of Welf, founder of Munich, de facto the second most powerful man in the empire as the ruler of two duchies. When in 1180, Henry the Lion was deposed as Duke of Saxony and Bavaria by his cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (aka "Barbarossa" for his red beard), Bavaria was awarded as fief to the Wittelsbach family, counts palatinate of Schyren ("Scheyern" in modern German), which ruled from 1180 to 1918. The Electorate of the Palatinate by Rhine ("Kurpfalz" in German) was also acquired by the House of Wittelsbach in 1214.

The first of several divisions of the duchy of Bavaria occurred in 1255. With the extinction of the Hohenstaufen in 1268 also Swabian territories were acquired by the Wittelsbach dukes. Emperor Louis the Bavarian acquired Brandenburg, Tirol, Holland and Hainaut for his House but released the Upper Palatinate for the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach in 1329. In 1506 with the Landshut War of Succession the other parts of Bavaria were reunited and Munich became the sole capital.

17th and 18th centuries[link]

In 1623 the Bavarian duke replaced his relative, the Electorate of the Palatinate in the early days of the Thirty Years' War and acquired the powerful prince-electoral dignity in the Holy Roman Empire, determining its Emperor thence forward, as well as special legal status under the empire's laws. The country became one of the Jesuit supported counter-reformation centers. During the early and mid-18th century the ambitions of the Bavarian prince electors led to several wars with Austria as well as occupations by Austria (Spanish succession, election of a Wittelsbach emperor instead of a Habsburger). From 1777 onwards and after the old Bavarian branch of the family had died out with elector Max III Joseph, Bavaria and the Electorate of the Palatinate were governed once again in personal union, now by the Palatinian lines.

Kingdom of Bavaria[link]

When Napoleon abolished the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, and its area doubled. Tirol was temporarily united, Salzburg temporarily reunited with Bavaria but finally ceded to Austria. In return the Rhenish Palatinate and Franconia were annexed to Bavaria in 1815. Between 1799 and 1817 the leading minister count Montgelas followed a strict policy of modernisation and laid the foundations of administrative structures that survived even the monarchy and are (in their core) valid until today. In 1808 a first and in 1818 a more modern constitution (by the standards of the time) was passed, that established a bicameral Parliament with a House of Lords (''Kammer der Reichsräte'') and a House of Commons (''Kammer der Abgeordneten''). The constitution would last until the collapse of the monarchy at the end of World War I.

Bavaria as a part of the German Empire[link]

After the rise of Prussia to prominence Bavaria managed to preserve its independence by playing off the rivalries of Prussia and Austria. Allied to Austria, it was defeated in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War and did not belong to the North German Federation of 1867, but the question of German unity was still alive. When France attacked Prussia in 1870, the south German states Baden, Württemberg, Hessen-Darmstadt and Bavaria joined the Prussian forces and ultimately joined the Federation, which was renamed ''Deutsches Reich'' (German Empire) in 1871. Bavaria continued as a monarchy, and it even had some special rights within the federation (such as an army, railways and a postal service of its own).

In the early-20th century Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Henrik Ibsen, and other notable artists were drawn to Bavaria, notably to the Schwabing district of Munich, later devastated by World War II.

20th century[link]

On November 12, 1918, Ludwig III signed a document, the Anif declaration, releasing both civil and military officers from their oaths; the newly-formed republican government of Socialist premier Kurt Eisner interpreted this as an abdication. To date, however, no member of the house of Wittelsbach has ever formally declared renunciation of the throne. On the other hand, none has ever since officially called upon their Bavarian or Stewart claims. Family members are active in cultural and social life, including the head of the house, HRH Duke Franz in Bavaria. They step back from any announcements on public affairs, showing approval or disapproval solely by HRH's presence or absence.

Eisner was assassinated in February 1919 ultimately leading to a Communist revolt and the short-lived Bavarian Socialist Republic being proclaimed 6 April 1919. After violent suppression by elements of the German Army and notably the Freikorps, the Bavarian Socialist Republic fell in May 1919. The Bamberg Constitution ('''') was enacted on 12 or 14 August 1919 and came into force on 15 September 1919 creating the Free State of Bavaria within the Weimar Republic. Extremist activity further increased, notably the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch led by the National Socialists, and Munich and Nuremberg became Nazi strongholds under the Third Reich. As a manufacturing center, Munich was heavily bombed during World War II and occupied by U.S. troops. The Rhenish Palatinate was detached from Bavaria in 1946 and made part of the new state Rhineland-Palatinate.

Since World War II, Bavaria has been rehabilitated from a poor agrarian province into a prosperous industrial hub. A massive reconstruction effort restored much of Munich's and other places historic cores. The state capital hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics and matches of the Football World Cups of 1974 and 2006 as well as European Track & Field championships. More recently, former state minister-president Edmund Stoiber was the CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor in the 2002 federal election which he lost, and native son Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

Coat of arms[link]

The modern coat of arms of Bavaria was designed by Eduard Ege in 1946, following heraldic traditions.

The Golden Lion: At the dexter chief, sable, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued gules. This represents the administrative region of Upper Palatinate.

The "Franconian Rake": At the sinister chief, per fess dancetty, gules and argent. This represents the administrative regions of Upper, Middle and Lower Franconia.

The Blue Panther: At the dexter base, argent, a panther rampant azure, armed Or and langued gules. This represents the regions of Lower and Upper Bavaria.

The Three Lions: At the sinister base, Or, three lions passant guardant sable, armed and langued gules. This represents Swabia.

The White-And-Blue inescutcheon: The inescutcheon of white and blue fusils askance was originally the coat of arms of the Counts of Bogen, adopted in 1247 by the Wittelsbachs House. The white-and-blue fusils are indisputably the emblem of Bavaria and these arms today symbolize Bavaria as a whole. Along with the People's Crown, it is officially used as the Minor Coat of Arms.

The People's Crown: The coat of arms is surmounted by a crown with a golden band inset with precious stones and decorated with five ornamental leaves. This crown first appeared in the coat of arms to symbolize sovereignty of the people after the royal crown was eschewed in 1923.

Geography[link]

Bavaria shares international borders with Austria and the Czech Republic as well as with Switzerland (across Lake Constance). Neighbouring states within Germany are Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony. Two major rivers flow through the state, the Danube (''Donau'') and the Main. The Bavarian Alps define the border with Austria, (including the Austrian federal-states of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg) and within the range is the highest peak in Germany, the Zugspitze. The Bavarian Forest and the Bohemian Forest form the vast majority of the frontier with the Czech Republic and Bohemia.

The major cities in Bavaria are Munich (''München''), Nuremberg (''Nürnberg''), Augsburg, Regensburg, Würzburg, Ingolstadt, Fürth and Erlangen.

Population and area[link]

Administrative region	Population (2010)		Area (km2)		No. municipalities
Lower Bavaria
Lower Franconia
Upper Franconia
Middle Franconia
Upper Palatinate
Upper Bavaria
! Total	12,531,925	100.0%	70,549	100.0%	2,056	100.0%

Major cities[link]

City	! Inhabitants 31 December 2000	! Inhabitants 31 December 2005	! Inhabitants 31 December 2008
Munich
Nuremberg
Augsburg
Regensburg
Würzburg
Ingolstadt
Fürth
Erlangen
Bayreuth
Bamberg
Aschaffenburg
Landshut
Kempten (Allgäu)
Rosenheim
Neu-Ulm
Schweinfurt
Passau
	Freising
	Straubing

Administrative divisions[link]

(administrative districts)

Bavaria is divided into 7 administrative districts called '''' (singular '''').

# Upper Franconia () # Middle Franconia ('''') # Lower Franconia ('''') # Swabia ('''') # Upper Palatinate ('''') # Upper Bavaria ('''') # Lower Bavaria ('''')

'''' (districts) are the third communal layer in Bavaria; the others are the '''' and the '''' or ''''. The '''' in Bavaria are territorially identical with the '''' (e.g. ), but are a different form of administration, having their own parliaments, etc.

In the larger states of Germany (including Bavaria), there are '''' which are only administrative divisions and not self-governing entities as the '''' in Bavaria.

Landkreise/kreisfreie cities

These administrative regions consist of 71 administrative districts (called '''', singular '''') and 25 independent cities ('''', singular '''').

Landkreise: {| |- | width="34%" valign="top" | # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # | width="33%" valign="top" |

44. München ('''')

|}

Kreis-free Cities: {| |- | width="33%" valign="top" | # Amberg # Ansbach # Aschaffenburg # Augsburg # Bamberg # Bayreuth # Coburg # Erlangen # Fürth # Hof # Ingolstadt # Kaufbeuren # Kempten | width="33%" valign="top" |

14. Landshut
15. Memmingen
16. Munich (''München'')
17. Nuremberg (''Nürnberg'')
18. Passau
19. Regensburg
20. Rosenheim
21. Schwabach
22. Schweinfurt
23. Straubing
24. Weiden
25. Würzburg

|}

(municipalities)

The 71 administrative districts are on the lowest level divided into 2031 municipalities (called '''', singular ''''). Together with the 25 independent cities ('''', which are in effect municipalities independent of '''' administrations), there are a total of 2056 municipalities in Bavaria.

In 44 of the 71 administrative districts, there are a total of 215 unincorporated areas (as of January 1, 2005, called '''', singular ''''), not belonging to any municipality, all uninhabited, mostly forested areas, but also four lakes (-without islands, -without island , , which are the three largest lakes of Bavaria, and ).

Government and politics[link]

Government[link]

Bavaria has a unicameral '''', or state parliament, elected by universal suffrage. Until December 1999, there was also a '''', or Senate, whose members were chosen by social and economic groups in Bavaria, but following a referendum in 1998, this institution was abolished.

The Bavarian State Government consists of the Minister-President of Bavaria, 11 Ministers and 6 Secretaries of State. The Minister-President is elected for a period of 5 years by the State Parliament and is head of state. With the approval of the State Parliament he appoints the members of the State Government. The State Government is composed of the:

Ministry of the Interior ('''') Ministry of Education and Culture ('''') Ministry of Finance ('''') Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transportation and Technology ('''', MWIVT) Ministry of Environment and Health ('''') Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Family and Women ('''') Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection ('''') Ministry of Science, Research and Art ('''', MWFK) Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry ('''') Ministry of Federal and European Affairs ('''')

Political processes also take place in the 7 regions ('''' / '''') in Bavaria, in the 71 administrative districts ('''') and the 25 towns and cities forming their own districts (''''), and in the 2,031 local authorities ('''').

In 1995 Bavaria introduced direct democracy on the local level in a referendum. This was initiated bottom-up by an association called ''Mehr Demokratie'' (More Democracy). This is a grass-roots organization which campaigns for the right to citizen-initiated referendums. In 1997 the Bavarian Supreme Court aggravated the regulations considerably (e.g. by introducing a turn-out quorum). Nevertheless, Bavaria has the most advanced regulations on local direct democracy in Germany. This has led to a spirited citizens' participation in communal and municipal affairs—835 referenda took place from 1995 through 2005.

Politics[link]

Bavaria has a multi-party system where the biggest parties are the conservative Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), which has dominated politics since 1945 and won every election since then, and the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The German green party, Alliance '90/The Greens is represented in the parliament as well. Since 2008 Germany's liberal party, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Free Voters are represented in Bavaria's parliament as well. CSU and FDP agreed in October 2008 to form a coalition, while SPD, Free Voters and the Greens form the opposition.

In the 2003 elections the CSU won more than two thirds of the seats in Landtag—something no party had ever achieved in post-war German history. In the following 2008 elections the CSU lost its absolute majority in the Landtag for the first time in 46 years.

This loss is probably attributed to its push for an anti-smoking law, the most stringent in Germany, which became one of the most controversial laws ever enacted in Bavaria. As result, the CSU changed its stance and weakened the anti-smoking law to allow some more loopholes. However, the citizens held a successful petition drive in November–December 2009 to call for a total smoking ban. The CSU dismissed the petition and demands as unnecessary and frivolous, but the referendum proceeded and the voters voted for the smoking ban.

Minister-presidents of Bavaria since 1945[link]

style="background:#EEEEFF" align="center" colspan="6"	Minister-presidents of Bavaria
		! Name	! Born-Died	! Party affiliation	! Begin of Tenure	! End of Tenure
	1		align="center">1888–1967	align="center"
	2		align="center"	1887–1980
	3		align="center"	1887–1980
	4		align="center"	1887–1980
	5		align="center"	1901–1961
	6		align="center"	1887–1980
	7		align="center"	1905–1991
	8		align="center"	1915–1988
	9		align="center"	1932–1998
	10		align="center"	*1941
	11		align="center"	*1943
	12

German-Bavarian relations[link]

The ''Bayernpartei'' (Bavaria Party) advocates Bavarian independence from Germany. Bavaria was the only state to reject the West German constitution in 1949, but this did not prevent its implementation. One of Germany's principal political parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is replaced in Bavaria by the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), but in practice the two parties cooperate fully in the Bundestag. Bavaria had its own border police force, separate from the Federal Border Guard, until Austria's EU accession in 1995.

Furthermore, the people from the three northern districts of Bavaria known as Franconia (Mittelfranken, Oberfranken and Unterfranken), do not all consider themselves as Bavarian. They have their own history and celebrate their own identity, which is distinct from southern Bavaria, and symbolized by the Franconian rake (Fränkischer Rechen). The flag is often seen during local festivals. Some Franconians would also like to see their own Bundesland Franken "Federal State of Franconia".

Economy[link]

Bavaria has long had one of the largest and healthiest economies of any region in Germany, or Europe for that matter. Its GDP in 2007 exceeded 434 billion Euros (about 600 bn US$). This makes Bavaria itself one of the largest economies in Europe and only 17 countries in the world have higher GDP. Some large companies headquartered in Bavaria include BMW, Siemens, Rohde & Schwarz, Audi, Munich Re, Allianz, Infineon, MAN, Wacker Chemie, Puma, and Adidas. Bavaria has a GDP per capita of over $48 000 US, meaning that if it were its own independent country it would rank 7th or 8th in the world.

Company names[link]

The motorcycle and automobile makers BMW (''Bayerische Motoren-Werke'', or Bavarian Motor Works) and Audi, Allianz, Grundig (consumer electronics), Siemens (electricity, telephones, informatics, medical instruments), Continental (Automotive Tire and Electronics), Adidas, Puma, HypoVereinsbank (UniCredit Group), Infineon and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have (or had) a Bavarian industrial base.

Bavaria has also given its name to the largest Colombian brewery (Cervecería Bavaria) and a major Dutch brewery (Bavaria Bier).

Culture[link]

Some features of the Bavarian culture and mentality are remarkably distinct from the rest of Germany. Noteworthy differences (especially in rural areas, less significant in the major cities) can be found with respect to:

Religion[link]

While 56.4% of the population adhere to the Catholic Church, 21% are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.

Most of Bavaria is predominantly Roman Catholic, but the Evangelical Lutheran Church has a strong presence in large parts of Franconia. Only Saarland has a higher percentage of Catholics among the German states.

The current pope, Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger), was born in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria and was Cardinal-Archbishop of Munich and Freising.

Traditions[link]

Bavarians commonly emphasize pride in their traditions. Traditional costumes collectively known as Tracht are worn on special occasions and include in Altbayern Lederhosen for males and Dirndl for females. Centuries-old folk music is performed. The Maibaum, or Maypole (which in the Middle Ages served as the community's yellow pages, as figurettes on the pole represent the trades of the village), and the bagpipes in the Upper Palatinate region bear witness to the ancient Celtic and Germanic remnants of cultural heritage of the region. There are a lot of traditional Bavarian sports disciplines, e.g. the Aperschnalzen is an old tradition of competitive whipcracking.

Whether actually in Bavaria, overseas or full of citizens from other nations they continue to cultivate their traditions. They hold festivals and dances to keep their traditions alive. In New York the German American Cultural Society is a larger umbrella group for others such as the Bavarian organizations, which represent a specific part of Germany. They proudly put forth a German Parade called Steuben Parade each year. Various affiliated events take place amongst its groups, one of which is the Bavarian Dancers.

Food and drink[link]

Bavarians tend to place a great value on food and drink. In addition to their renowned dishes, Bavarians also consume many items of food and drink which are unusual elsewhere in Germany; for example ("white sausage") or in some instances a variety of entrails. At folk festivals and in many beer gardens, beer is traditionally served by the litre (the so-called ). Bavarians are particularly proud of the traditional , or purity law, initially established by the Duke of Bavaria for the City of Munich (e.g. the court) in 1487 and the duchy in 1516. According to this law, only three ingredients were allowed in beer: water, barley, and hops. In 1906 the made its way to all-German law, and remained a law in Germany until the EU struck it down recently as incompatible with the European common market. German breweries, however, cling to the principle. Bavarians are also known as some of the world's most beer-loving people with an average annual consumption of 170 litres per person, although figures have been declining in recent years.

Bavaria is also home to the Franconia wine region, which is situated along the Main River in Franconia. The region has produced wine (''Frankenwein'') for over 1,000 years and is famous for its use of the Bocksbeutel wine bottle. The production of wine forms an integral part of the regional culture, and many of its villages and cities hold their own wine festivals (Weinfeste) throughout the year.

Language and dialects[link]

Three German dialects are spoken in Bavaria: Austro-Bavarian in Old Bavaria (South-East and East), Swabian German (an Alemannic German dialect) in the Bavarian part of Swabia (South West) and East Franconian German in Franconia (North).

Ethnography[link]

Bavarians consider themselves to be egalitarian and informal. Their sociability can be experienced at the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, which welcomes around six million visitors every year, or in the famous beer gardens. In traditional Bavarian beer gardens, patrons may bring their own food but only buy beer from the brewery that runs the beer garden.

In the United States, particularly among German Americans, Bavarian culture is viewed somewhat nostalgically, and many "Bavarian villages", most notably Frankenmuth, Michigan and Leavenworth, Washington, have been founded. Since 1962, the latter has been styled with a Bavarian theme; it is also home to "one of the world's largest collections of nutcrackers" and an Oktoberfest celebration it claims is among the most attended in the world outside of Munich.

Historical buildings[link]

Neuschwanstein[link]

Neuschwanstein was built for King Ludwig II, as a second home. It remains unfinished.

Famous people[link]

There are many famous people who were born or lived in present-day Bavaria:

Popes Pope Benedict XVI (baptismal name: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger)—the current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church; Pope Damasus II and Pope Victor II.

Painters such as Hans Holbein the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, Albrecht Altdorfer, Lucas Cranach, Carl Spitzweg, Franz von Lenbach, Franz von Stuck, Franz Marc, Paul Klee, Erwin Eisch, Gabriele Münter.

Musicians such as Johannes Heesters, Orlando di Lasso, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Richard Wagner (originally from Saxony), Richard Strauss, Carl Orff, Johann Pachelbel and Theobald Boehm, the inventor of the modern flute, and countertenor Klaus Nomi.

Modern musicians Klaus Doldinger, Barbara Dennerlein, Hans-Jürgen Buchner, Sportfreunde Stiller.

Opera singers like Jonas Kaufmann and Diana Damrau.

Writers, poets and playwrights like Hans Sachs, Jean Paul, Frank Wedekind, Christian Morgenstern, Oskar Maria Graf, Bertolt Brecht, Lion Feuchtwanger, Thomas Mann and his sons Klaus and Golo Mann, Karl Marx lived in Munich for a few years, Ludwig Thoma.

Scientists such as Max Planck, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, and Werner Heisenberg, as well as Adam Ries, Joseph von Fraunhofer, Georg Ohm, Johannes Stark, Carl von Linde, Ludwig Prandtl, Rudolf Moessbauer, Lothar Rohde and Hermann Schwarz, Helmut Hirt and Robert Huber.

Well-known inventors such as Martin Behaim, Levi Strauss and Rudolf Diesel.

Physicians like Max Joseph von Pettenkofer, Sebastian Kneipp and the neurologist Alois Alzheimer, who first described Alzheimer's Disease.

Football players like Max Morlock, Karl Mai, Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Gerd Müller, Paul Breitner, Bernd Schuster, Klaus Augenthaler, Lothar Matthäus, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber, Thomas Müller, Dietmar Hamann and Stefan Reuter

Other sportspeople such as golfer Bernhard Langer and basketball player Dirk Nowitzki

Actors like Werner Stocker, Helmut Fischer, Walter Sedlmayr, Gustl Bayrhammer, Ottfried Fischer, Ruth Drexel, Elmar Wepper, Fritz Wepper, Uschi Glas, Yank Azman, Wilfried Klaus(Soko 312), Jeanna de Waal.

Entertainers Siegfried Fischbacher

Film directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Joseph Vilsmaier, Werner Herzog, Franz Xaver Bogner.

Mysterious people: Kaspar Hauser (the famous foundling), The Smith of Kochel (legend).

Legendary outlaws such as Mathias Kneißl, the legendary robber or Matthias Klostermayr, better known as Bavarian Hiasl

Noted automobile designer Peter Schreyer, born in Bad Reichenhall

Fictional characters such as X-Men's Nightcrawler (comics)

See also[link]

Outline of Germany

List of rulers of Bavaria

List of Premiers of Bavaria

Former countries in Europe after 1815

Extensive pictures of Bavaria in addition to those shown below are linked from in :Category:Bavaria, where they are organized (predominantly) by locale.

References[link]

External links[link]

Churches

Official Tourism Board

Official government website

Platform with additional information about many cities in Bavaria

Tradition and Culture

Foreign Trade

statistics

Category:States of Germany Category:States of the Weimar Republic Category:Boii

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name	Fernando Torres
fullname	Fernando José Torres Sanz
birth date	March 20, 1984
birth place	Fuenlabrada, Spain
height
position	Striker
currentclub	Chelsea
clubnumber	9
youthyears1	1995–2001
youthclubs1	Atlético Madrid
years1	2001–2007
years2	2007–2011
years3	2011–
clubs1	Atlético Madrid
clubs2	Liverpool
clubs3	Chelsea
caps1	214
caps2	102
caps3	44
goals1	82
goals2	65
goals3	7
nationalyears1	2000
nationalyears2	2001
nationalyears3	2001
nationalyears4	2002
nationalyears5	2002
nationalyears6	2002–2003
nationalyears7	2003–
nationalteam1	Spain U15
nationalteam2	Spain U16
nationalteam3	Spain U17
nationalteam4	Spain U18
nationalteam5	Spain U19
nationalteam6	Spain U21
nationalteam7	Spain
nationalcaps1	1
nationalcaps2	9
nationalcaps3	4
nationalcaps4	1
nationalcaps5	5
nationalcaps6	10
nationalcaps7	91
nationalgoals1	0
nationalgoals2	11
nationalgoals3	1
nationalgoals4	1
nationalgoals5	6
nationalgoals6	3
nationalgoals7	27
club-update	14:45, 29 April 2012 (UTC)
nationalteam-update	14:45, 29 April 2012 (UTC) }}

Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984), nicknamed (''The Kid'' in Spanish), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his first team debut in 2001 and finished his time at the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances. Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División for Atlético Madrid, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Premier League club Liverpool in 2007 after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season to score more than 20 league goals in a season. Torres became the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals after scoring against Aston Villa in December 2009. He left the club in January 2011 to join Chelsea for a record British transfer fee of £50 million, which also made him the most expensive Spanish player in history.

Torres is a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in four major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Torres did not score at Euro 2004, but netted three at the 2006 World Cup. He scored twice at UEFA Euro 2008, including the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the Final. He won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, but did not score any goals during the tournament.

Early career[link]

Born in Fuenlabrada, Community of Madrid, Torres became interested in football as a child and joined his first team, Parque 84, at the age of five. His father José Torres worked during Torres' childhood, and his mother Flori Sanz traveled daily with him to training sessions. His grandfather was not a passionate football fan, but took pride in being an Atlético Madrid supporter, and Torres inherited his love for the club.

Torres started playing football as a goalkeeper, the position his brother played in. When he was seven years old, however, he started playing regularly as a striker in an indoor league for the neighborhood club, Mario's Holland, using the characters from the anime Captain Tsubasa as inspiration. Three years later, aged 10, he progressed to an 11-side team, Rayo 13. He scored 55 goals in a season and was one of three Rayo 13 players to earn a trial with Atlético. He impressed the scouts and joined the club's youth system at the age of 11 in 1995.

Club career[link]

Atlético Madrid[link]

thumb|right|upright|150px|Torres arguing with referee Ralf Frubel during a match with Atlético Madrid in July 2006 After progressing through the ranks, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998. Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup, in Spain and Europe, to play against youth teams from other clubs; Atlético won the tournament. He was later voted the best player in Europe for the age group. The 2000–01 season had started badly, as Torres suffered from a cracked shinbone which kept him out until December. Torres trained with the first team to get prepared for pre-season, but eventually made his debut for the team on 27 May 2001, at Vicente Calderón, against CD Leganés. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club against Albacete Balompié and the season finished with Atlético narrowly missing out on promotion to La Liga. Atlético were promoted to La Liga at the end of the 2001–02 season, although Torres did not perform well in the season, as he netted only six times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División. Torres' first season in La Liga, 2002–03, was better, however, as he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances, with Atlético finishing in 11th place. In the 2003–04 season, his second in La Liga, Torres made further strides, scoring 19 league goals in 35 appearances, meaning he finished as joint third highest scorer in the league. At the age of 19, Torres was named Atlético's captain. He scored two goals in the two fourth round matches against OFK Beograd, with one coming in each leg. Atlético reached the Final, but lost 3–1 on a penalty shoot-out to Villarreal CF following a 2–2 draw on aggregate. FA Premier League champions Chelsea were believed to be interested in signing Torres during the summer of 2005, but Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said that they had "no chance" of signing him. Cerezo later said in January 2006 that the club was willing to listen to offers for Torres, and Torres claimed Newcastle United of the FA Premier League had made a bid to sign him in March.

He stated after the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he had turned down an offer to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005–06 season. Torres scored 14 league goals in the 2006–07 season. The English media reported that he was the main transfer target of Premier League Liverpool, but Cerezo stated "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player". However, a few days later, new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres; the fee was rumored to be £25 million with Luis García moving to Atlético in a separate transfer deal. On 30 June, Atlético announced a deal to sign Diego Forlán from Villarreal, in what was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure became official. On 2 July, it was reported that Torres had cut short a vacation to fly back to Madrid to finalise the move to Liverpool. The following day, Torres passed a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground. He held a press conference in Madrid on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético fans, before completing his move to Liverpool on a six-year contract. The transfer fee was the highest in Liverpool's history. In March 2008, manager Rafael Benítez stated in an interview with ''The Times'' that Torres was acquired for around £20 million, although this figure takes into account García's move to Atlético.

Liverpool[link]

2007–08 season[link]

Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days later in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute. His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup in September, with all of his goals coming in the second half. His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat Porto 4–1, as he scored twice. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for February, during which he scored four goals in four appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008. Later in March, after he scored a 47th minute header against Reading at Anfield, becoming the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season campaign to score 20 league goals in a season. In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final. This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions, On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.

On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt. After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer ever in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals. He ended the season in joint second place with Emmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot. Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing to pay £50 million to sign him but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool. Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.

2008–09 season[link]

Torres made a promising start to the 2008–09 Premier League season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Sunderland. He suffered what was later confirmed as a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks. Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score two goals in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September to give Liverpool a 2–0 win. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two goal deficit. The first of these was the thousandth Liverpool goal to be scored in the Premier League. Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool. On 22 October, Liverpool played Torres' former club Atlético in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón, but his injury meant he missed out on the game. The Atlético president, Enrique Cerezo, had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to recover his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside. He was named in the FIFPro World XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October. Torres made his return for Liverpool after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion (West Brom). He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do." He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain, which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists. He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December, and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End; his first in the FA Cup. He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February. Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in ''The Times'''s list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.

Torres faced his old rivals Real Madrid on 10 March in the Champions League last 16 and due to an ankle injury, he had a painkilling injection before the game to enable him to play. He scored the first goal of the game, which ended as a 4–0 victory, meaning Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals 5–0 on aggregate. Four days later he lined up against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the equaliser in a game that finished as a 4–1 victory. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009. Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2008–09 season, which was his 84th appearance.

2009–10 season[link]

Following the end of the season, he agreed a new contract with Liverpool, which he signed on 14 August. By signing this contract, Liverpool increased his wage to £110,000 a week and included the option of a one-year extension after its expiry in 2013. Torres scored two goals in a 3–2 win over West Ham United on 19 September 2009, a result that took Liverpool to third in the Premier League. A week later he scored his first hat-trick of the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 6–1 victory over Hull City at Anfield. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, after scoring five goals during the month and becoming the Premier League's top goalscorer. On 25 October, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory for Liverpool over Manchester United, after which Benítez praised Torres' performance, saying "We were waiting for that final pass. When it came we knew he would score." Torres was named in the FIFPro World XI for the second successive season in December. His stoppage-time winning goal against Aston Villa on 29 December 2009 made him the fastest Liverpool player ever to score 50 league goals. He was substituted on 65 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Birmingham City on 4 April 2010, which Benítez justified by saying Torres was "exhausted". Torres made his last appearance of the season scoring twice in a 4–1 victory over S.L. Benfica in the UEFA Cup on 8 April, This meant that Torres finished the season with 22 goals in 32 games in all competitions, finishing as Liverpool's top scorer for the second time.

2010–11 season[link]

Following Roy Hodgson's appointment as Liverpool manager he stated that Torres would not be sold by the club, saying "He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him." Hodgson dismissed reports Torres was set to leave Liverpool by saying "He has told us that he is looking forward to Monday, to getting back to work and looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That is what I know so other reports, I would suggest, are erroneous." Torres stated his commitment to Liverpool on 3 August, saying "My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed." He made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season in the opening game, a 1–1 draw with Arsenal on 14 August, entering the game as a substitute in the 74th minute. He scored his first goal of the season with the winner in a 1–0 victory over West Brom on 29 August, which was his 50th goal in all competitions to be scored at Anfield. Torres scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on 24 October, which was his first goal since August. He followed this up by scoring both goals in Liverpool's 2–0 win at home to Chelsea on 7 November. On 1 January 2011, Torres scored the equaliser in a 2–1 win at home to Bolton Wanderers. He scored his final goals for Liverpool in a 3–0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 January.

Chelsea[link]

On 27 January, Torres was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool. He subsequently handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected. Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract on 31 January for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the sixth most expensive footballer in history. He made his Chelsea debut on 6 February in a 1–0 home defeat to former club Liverpool. On 23 April, Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without a goal.

2011–12 season[link]

Torres got the 2011–12 season underway in Chelsea's 0–0 draw away against Stoke City, in which his "link-up play was sharp, plus he was willing to make intelligent runs into space to receive the ball". He scored his second goal at Chelsea, and his first of the season, on 18 September, during an away game against Manchester United, which was the side's only goal in a 3–1 defeat. He scored his second goal of the season against Swansea City in a 4–1 victory. However, 10 minutes after his goal, a two-footed challenge on Mark Gower resulted in his first red card in English football and a three-match domestic suspension. On 19 October, Torres scored two goals in a 5–0 victory against Genk in the Champions League, his first in Europe since the quarter-final of the 2008–09 Champions League with his old club Liverpool, against Chelsea. His next Chelsea goals came after scoring twice and also assisting two others against Championship side Leicester City in an FA Cup quarter-final on 18 March 2012, ending a goal drought that stretched 24 games. On 31 March 2012, Torres scored his first Premier League goal since 24 September 2011 against Aston Villa in a 4–2 away win. Torres came on as a substitute for Didier Drogba on 24 April 2012 to score a last-minute goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, which gave Chelsea a 2–2 draw, and also eliminated Barcelona from the tournament, as Chelsea won 3–2 on aggregate. He scored the first hat-trick of his Chelsea career in a 6–1 win against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge on 29 April.

International career[link]

In February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain national under-16 team. The under-16s took part in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in May, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the Final, as well as finishing as the tournament's leading scorer, and was also named the player of the tournament.}}

Torres made his debut for the senior Spanish national team on 6 September 2003 in a friendly against Portugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on 28 April 2004. He was selected for the Spanish squad for UEFA Euro 2004. After appearing as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, he started for the deciding game against Portugal. Spain were losing 1–0 and, towards the end of the game, he hit the post. He scored seven goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, making him Spain's top scorer for qualification, including a vital two goals against Belgium and his first international hat-trick against San Marino. At his first ever appearance in a FIFA World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory over Ukraine with a volley. In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, first in the 76th minute to take Spain 2–1 into the lead, and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th. With three goals, he finished the tournament as Spain's top scorer along with fellow striker David Villa. He was called up for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 squad, where he set up Villa to score Spain's first goal of the tournament in the first game in the group stage against Russia. Torres came under criticism for apparently refusing to shake the hand of Spanish manager, Luis Aragonés, after being substituted. He subsequently denied being angry with the coaching, saying that he was actually "irritated with himself". He scored his first goal of the tournament in Spain's next game, a 2–1 win over Sweden. Torres scored the winner and was named the man of the match in the Final against Germany in a 1–0 victory. He said "It's just a dream come true. This is my first title and I hope it's the first of many. Victory in a Euro, it is almost as big as a World Cup. We are used to watching finals on television, but today we were here and we won. My job is to score goals. I want to win more titles and be the most important player in Europe and the world." He was later named as a striker along with his striking partner Villa in the Team of the Tournament.

Torres made his 60th appearance for Spain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Turkey on 28 March 2009, becoming the youngest player to reach this milestone. He was named in Spain's team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in June. He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into a Confederations Cup game against New Zealand on 14 June, thus recording the fastest hat-trick by a player for Spain. He played for Spain as they were defeated 2–0 by the United States in the semi-final, as well as the third-place play-off, which Spain won 3–2 against South Africa after extra time. Having undergone knee surgery on 18 April 2010, and missed the end of the Premier League season, Torres' rehabilitation and fitness was closely monitored by Spain manager Vicente del Bosque. On 8 June, Torres made his first appearance on the field in exactly two months, coming on as a substitute on 66 minutes against Poland in a pre-World Cup friendly. He came on as a substitute on 61 minutes in Spain's opening World Cup game on 16 June, a 1–0 defeat to Switzerland. He started the next two games against Honduras and Chile and although his performances in the group stage were described as below-par, he received backing from manager Vicente del Bosque. Torres came on as a substitute on 105 minutes in the Final as Spain won the FIFA World Cup for the first time following a 1–0 victory over the Netherlands on 11 July 2010.

Personal life[link]

Torres' parents are José and Flori, and he has two older siblings, Israel (born 1977) and Maria Paz (born 1976). He married Olalla Domínguez Liste, with whom he had been in a relationship since 2001, on 27 May 2009 in a private ceremony with just two guests at the local town hall in El Escorial, Madrid. They had been an item for eight years and are thought to have met in the Galician seaside town of Estorde, where Torres would go on family holidays each year to escape the Spanish capital. The couple have two children, a daughter, Nora, born on 8 July 2009 at the Hospital La Rosaleda, in Santiago de Compostela, and a son, born on 6 December 2010 at Liverpool Women's Hospital, with Torres missing the fixture against Aston Villa at Anfield.

In 2009, it was reported that Torres has a personal fortune of £14 million. He features in the video for "Ya Nada Volverá A Ser Como Antes" by Spanish pop rock group El Canto del Loco, whose singer, Dani Martín, shares a strong friendship with the footballer. He makes a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy film ''Torrente 3: El protector''. In 2009, he released an autobiography entitled ''Torres: El Niño: My Story''.

Style of play[link]

He has been described as a world-class striker and is "quick, strong, impressive in the air, blessed with expert technique and is cool and collected in front of goal".

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

1 6 13 19 16 13 14 24 14 18 9 6

Club	Season	League	Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="8"	Atlético Madrid		4	|	2	0	–		–		6	1
2001–02 Segunda División	2001–02	36	|	1	1	–		–		37	7
2002–03 Atlético Madrid season	2002–03	29	|	2	1	–		–		31	14
2003–04 Atlético Madrid season	2003–04	35	|	5	2	–		–		40	21
2004–05 Atlético Madrid season	2004–05	38	|	6	2	–		5	2	49	20
2005–06 Atlético Madrid season	2005–06	36	|	4	0	–		–		40	13
2006–07 Atlético Madrid season	2006–07	36	|	4	1	–		–		40	15
!Total	–!!5!!2!!243!!91
rowspan="5"	Liverpool		33	|	1	0	1	3	11	6	46	33
2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season	2008–09	24	|	3	1	2	0	9	2	38	17
2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season	2009–10	22	|	2	0	0	0	8	4	32	22
2010–11 Liverpool F.C. season	2010–11	23	|	1	0	0	0	2	0	26	9
!Total	!102!!65!!7!!1!!3!!3!!30!!12!!142!!81
rowspan="3"	Chelsea		30	|	6	2	1	0	9	3	46	11
!Total	!44!!7!!6!!2!!1!!0!!13!!3!!64!!12
Career total	!360!!154!!37!!10!!4!!3!!48!!17!!449!!184

International appearances[link]

0 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 1 !37

National team	Season	Friendly	Competitive	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals
rowspan="9"	Spain	2003	1	|	2	0	3	0
2004	6	|	5	0	11	1
2005	3	|	9	7	12	8
2006	6	|	7	4	13	5
2007	2	|	4	1	6	1
2008	6	|	7	2	13	3
2009	3	|	10	3	13	5
2010	3	|	8	2	11	3
2011	7	|	2	0	9	1
Career total	|	8	54	19	91	27

International goals[link]

Estádio Capitão Josino da Costa, Lagoa Municipality (Algarve) rowspan=2>Estadio de Lagos, Lagos, Portugal 27 February 2001 22 April 2001 rowspan=2>New Ferens Park, Durham 29 April 2001 rowspan=2>Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough 6 May 2001

+	U16 international goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	24 February 2001	Lagoa ||			2–1	2001 Algarve Tournament
2.		Lagos ||			4–0	2001 Algarve Tournament
3.
4.	|	Estádio do Portimonense, Portimão	<			1–1	2001 Algarve Tournament
5.	|	New Ferens Park, Durham		3–0	3–0	2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship#Group A>2001 Under-16 Football Championship
6.		|		2–0	5–0	2001 Under-16 Football Championship
7.	3–0
8.	|	Stadium of Light, City of Sunderland>Sunderland	<		1–0	1–1	2001 Under-16 Football Championship
9.		|		1–0	3–0	2001 Under-16 Football Championship
10.	3–0
11.	|	Stadium of Light, Sunderland		1–0	1–0	2001 Under-16 Football Championship

Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva

+	U17 international goal
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	15 September 2001	|		1–1	2–1	2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship#Group C>2001 U-17 World Championship

Complexo Desportivo Monte da Forca, Vila Real, Portugal

+	U18 international goal
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	16 May 2001	Vila Real ||			3–1	2001 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship>2001 Under-18 Football Championship qualifier

rowspan=2> 23 July 2002 rowspan=2>Marienlyst Stadion, Drammen 28 July 2002

+	U19 international goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.		Estadio de La Condomina, Murcia	|	2–0	4–0	2002 Under-19 Football Championship qualifier
2.	3–0
3.	|	AKA Arena>Hønefoss Stadion, Hønefoss	<		2–0	3–0	2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship#Group A>2002 Under-19 Football Championship
4.		|		2–1	3–1	2002 Under-19 Football Championship
5.	3–1
6.	|	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo		1–0	1–0	2002 Under-19 Football Championship

Estadio Alfonso Murube, Ceuta rowspan=2>Mourneview Park, Lurgan

+	U21 international goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	16 April 2002	|		2–0	2–1	Exhibition game>Friendly
2.		|		1–0	4–1	rowspan=2
3.	2–0

Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa 10 February 2005 26 March 2005 rowspan=2>King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels rowspan=3 12 November 2005 7 June 2006 14 June 2006 rowspan=2>Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart 2 September 2006 12 September 2007 14 June 2008 29 June 2008 19 November 2008 9 June 2009 rowspan=3>Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg 12 August 2009 8 June 2010 rowspan=2>Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz 4 June 2011

+	Senior team international goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	28 April 2004	|		1–0	1–1	Friendly
2.	|	Estadio Mediterraneo, Almería		2–0	5–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7>2006 World Cup qualifier
3.	|	Estadio El Helmántico, Salamanca		1–0	3–0	Friendly
4.		|		1–0	2–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
5.	2–0
6.		Stadio Olimpico, Rome ||	<	San Marino	2–0	6–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
7.	5–0
8.	6–0
9.	|	Vicente Calderón, Madrid		3–1	5–1	2006 World Cup qualifier
10.	|	Stade de Genève, Geneva		2–1	2–1	Friendly
11.	|	Zentralstadion, Leipzig		4–0	4–0	2006 FIFA World Cup Group H#Spain vs Ukraine>2006 World Cup
12.		|		2–1	3–1	2006 World Cup
13.	3–1
14.	|	Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz	<		1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F>Euro 2008 qualifier
15.	|	Estadio Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo		2–0	2–0	Euro 2008 qualifier
16.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck		1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Sweden vs Spain>Euro 2008
17.	|	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Final>Euro 2008
18.	|	El Madrigal, Villarreal		2–0	3–0	Friendly
19.	|	Tofik Bakhramov, Baku		6–0	6–0	Friendly
20.		|		1–0	5–0	rowspan=3
21.	2–0
22.	3–0
23.	|	Philip II Arena, Skopje	<		1–2	3–2	Friendly
24.	|	Estadio de La Condomina, Murcia		5–0	6–0	Friendly
25.		|	Liechtenstein	1–0	4–0	rowspan=2
26.	3–0
27.	|	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts>Foxborough		4–0	4–0	Friendly

Honours[link]

Atlético Madrid[link]

Segunda División (1): 2001–02

International[link]

UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship (1): 2001 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship (1): 2002 UEFA European Championship (1): 2008 FIFA World Cup (1): 2010

Individual[link]

Nike Cup top scorer (1): 1999

Algarve Tournament Player of the Tournament (1): 2001

Algarve Tournament top scorer (1): 2001

UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship Player of the Tournament (1): 2001

UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship top scorer (1): 2001

UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship Player of the Tournament (1): 2002

UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship top scorer (1): 2002

UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament (1): 2008

FIFPro World XI (2): 2008, 2009

PFA Team of the Year (2): 2007–08, 2008–09

Premier League Player of the Month (2): February 2008, September 2009

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

;General

;Specific

External links[link]

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Fuenlabrada Category:Spanish footballers Category:Spain youth international footballers Category:Spain under-21 international footballers Category:Spain international footballers Category:Spanish expatriate footballers Category:Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Association football forwards Category:Atlético Madrid footballers Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Chelsea F.C. players Category:La Liga footballers Category:Premier League players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA European Football Championship-winning players Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players

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playername	Roberto Di Matteo
fullname	Roberto Di Matteo
dateofbirth	May 29, 1970
cityofbirth	Schaffhausen
countryofbirth	Switzerland
height
position	Midfielder
currentclub	Chelsea (Caretaker Mananger)
years1	1988–1991 |clubs1 Schaffhausen |caps1 50 |goals1 2
years2	1991–1992 |clubs2 Zürich |caps2 34 |goals2 6
years3	1992–1993 |clubs3 Aarau |caps3 33 |goals3 1
years4	1993–1996 |clubs4 Lazio |caps4 87 |goals4 7
years5	1996–2002 |clubs5 Chelsea |caps5 119 |goals5 15
totalcaps	323 |totalgoals 31
nationalyears1	1994–1998 |nationalteam1 Italy |nationalcaps1 34 |nationalgoals1 2
manageryears1	2008–2009 |managerclubs1 Milton Keynes Dons
manageryears2	2009–2011 |managerclubs2 West Bromwich Albion
manageryears3	2012– |managerclubs3 Chelsea (caretaker) }}

Roberto Di Matteo (; born 29 May 1970) is a Swiss-born Italian former footballer and the caretaker manager of Chelsea for the remainder of the 2011-12 season. As a midfielder, he enjoyed spells at Schaffhausen, Zürich, Aarau, Lazio, and Chelsea. He was capped 34 times for Italy, scoring two goals, and played in Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup. He retired as a player in February 2002 at the age of 31 following injury problems. He has since managed Milton Keynes Dons, West Bromwich Albion, and Chelsea.

Club career[link]

Switzerland and Italy[link]

Born in Switzerland to Italian parents from the Abruzzo region, Di Matteo began his career with Swiss club Schaffhausen, before joining Aarau in 1991. He was playing with such football stars as Daniel Rubli. He won the Swiss Nationalliga A with Aarau in 1993 and in the same season achieved Switzerland's Player of the Year award. He signed for Lazio in the summer of 1993 on a free transfer. Di Matteo became a regular in the Lazio side and made his debut for Italy during his three seasons with the Rome club. However, a falling out with coach Zdeněk Zeman over a defensive error which resulted in a loss to Internazionale, ended his career with the Lazio. As a result he was signed by Ruud Gullit for English side Chelsea for a then club record fee of £4.9 million.

Chelsea[link]

Di Matteo made an impressive start to his Chelsea career, scoring the winner against Middlesbrough on his home debut. His passing ability and accurate long-distance shooting saw him become one of the driving forces of Chelsea's resurgence in the late 1990s. He contributed nine goals in his first season, including long-range efforts against both Tottenham Hotspur and Wimbledon. He helped the club finish 6th in the league, their highest placing since 1989–90, and reach the 1997 FA Cup Final at Wembley. Within 42 seconds of the kick-off, Di Matteo scored from 30 yards, to set Chelsea on their way to a 2–0 win versus Middlesbrough. This was the quickest goal scored in a cup final at the old Wembley, although Louis Saha has since broken the record for the fastest goal scored in an FA Cup final - scoring in 25 seconds against Chelsea for Everton in the 2009 final.

The following season he again proved his worth to the team, chipping in with ten goals and numerous assists, as Chelsea went on to claim the Football League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, their first European honour since 1971. In the League Cup final, again against Middlesbrough, Di Matteo scored the second goal in a 2–0 win. The 1998–99 season turned out to be a special season for Chelsea as they went on an unbeaten run of over 20 games to finish third in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. Di Matteo played a pivotal role in midfield next to Gustavo Poyet, Dennis Wise and Dan Petrescu and scored some memorable goals, among them a strike against Coventry City in the dying seconds of the game.

During the 1999–2000, season he was hampered by injury but returned late in the season to score a handful of crucial goals, including his third Cup-winning goal at Wembley, once again in the FA Cup. In a dour match, Di Matteo capitalised on an error by Aston Villa goalkeeper David James to score the winner in the 71st minute, handing Chelsea their fourth major trophy in three years. This lead Di Matteo to comment on the old Wembley Stadium saying "It's a shame they're tearing the old place down – it has been a very lucky ground for me".

Early into the 2000–01 season, Di Matteo sustained a triple leg fracture in a UEFA Cup tie against Swiss side St. Gallen and spent the next eighteen months on the sidelines. He eventually gave up on his comeback and retired in February 2002 at the age of 31. In his six years at Chelsea, he made 175 appearances and scored 26 goals. He never lost at Old Trafford. He was selected in the squad of Chelsea's greatest ever XI, and former manager Claudio Ranieri handed him the honour of leading the Chelsea team out in the 2002 FA Cup Final, which Chelsea went on to lose 2–0 to London rivals Arsenal.

Management career[link]

Milton Keynes Dons[link]

In July 2008, Di Matteo was appointed as Milton Keynes Dons new manager after Paul Ince left to join Blackburn Rovers. He in turn appointed former Chelsea colleague Eddie Newton as his assistant and Ade Mafe, who appeared at the 1984 Summer Olympics and worked at Chelsea during Di Matteo's time there, as his fitness coach. He began qualifying for his UEFA coaching licences while still playing – completing his "B" licence during his time with Chelsea. In his first season with MK Dons, he led them to third place in League One behind Leicester City and Peterborough. They lost in the play-offs semi-finals against Scunthorpe on penalties.

West Bromwich Albion[link]

He was hired as West Bromwich Albion Head Coach. In his first season, the team finished second in the English second division, the Football League Championship, behind favourites Newcastle United, winning automatic promotion to the Premier League.

On the opening day of the 2010–11 Premier League season (14 August 2010) Roberto Di Matteo paid a return visit to Stamford Bridge as head coach of West Brom, but saw his side lose 0-6 to Chelsea. Better results in following matches led to the best start in a Premier League Season by the club, and Di Matteo was also named Premier League Manager of the Month for September 2010. During December 2010 and January 2011, the club had a period of poor form, winning only one of ten matches. The majority of fans were still loyal to Di Matteo but after a 0-3 defeat to Manchester City on 5 February 2011 he was relieved of his duties with immediate effect. and first-team coach Michael Appleton was appointed caretaker manager. West Bromwich finished the season in eleventh position.

Chelsea[link]

After a failed application to become manager of Birmingham City FC , Di Matteo was appointed Assistant Manager to Andre Villas-Boas, the new manager of Chelsea FC, on the 29 June 2011. On 4 March 2012, following the dismissal of Villas-Boas, he became caretaker manager for the club until the end of the season. He started his tenure at Chelsea in winning form, with victories over Birmingham City in a fifth round FA Cup match; Stoke City in the Premiership; and SSC Napoli in the last 16 round of the UEFA Champions League competition - winning the second leg 4-1 (achieving a 5-4 aggregate score) in one of the most thrilling games ever seen at Stamford Bridge.

The formula developed by Di Matteo for team success was set to continue, embracing notable victories over Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final and Benfica in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. On 24th April 2012, Di Matteo led Chelsea to a 3-2 aggregate win over FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final by achieving a 2-2 draw in the second leg game at the Nou Camp. As a result of these further successes Di Matteo would now take his squad to Wembley for the FA Cup Final and to Munich for the UEFA Champions League Final.

Personal life[link]

Di Matteo currently lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

International goals[link]

:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first. Stadio San Paolo, Naples 28 January 1998

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	30 April 1997	|		1–0	3–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 2>1998 World Cup qualifier
2.	|	Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania		3–0	3–0	Exhibition game>Friendly

Honours[link]

Player[link]

;FC Aarau;

Swiss Super League (1): 1993

;Chelsea

FA Cup (2): 1997, 2000

League Cup (1): 1998

UEFA Cup Winner's Cup (1): 1998

UEFA Super Cup (1): 1998

FA Charity Shield (1): 2000

Manager[link]

;West Bromwich Albion

Football League Championship promotion: 2009-10 (Runners-up)

;Individual

Premier League Manager of the Month (1): September 2010

Manager[link]

Team	From	To	Record
!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %
align=left
align=left
align=left
Total

References[link]

External links[link]

National Football Teams Profile

Di Matteo at Chelsea

MK Dons linked with Di Matteo

MK Dons profile

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Schaffhausen Category:Italian footballers Category:Italy international footballers Category:Italian expatriate footballers Category:S.S. Lazio players Category:Chelsea F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:Italian football managers Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. managers Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers Category:Chelsea F.C. managers Category:Premier League managers Category:The Football League managers Category:Expatriate football managers in England Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:UEFA Euro 1996 players Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players Category:FC Schaffhausen players Category:FC Zürich players Category:FC Aarau players Category:Serie A footballers Category:Swiss Super League players Category:Swiss-Italian people Category:Swiss people of Italian descent Category:Italian people of Swiss descent Category:Italian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Category:Italian expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom

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playername	Jimmy Conrad
fullname	James Conrad
dateofbirth	February 12, 1977
cityofbirth	Arcadia, California
countryofbirth	United States
height
position	Centre Back
youthyears1	1994–1995
youthclubs1	San Diego State Aztecs
youthyears2	1996–1997
youthclubs2	UCLA Bruins
years1	1998
clubs1	San Diego Flash
caps1	26
goals1	2
years2	1999–2002
clubs2	San Jose Earthquakes^
caps2	84
goals2	2
years3	2000
clubs3	→ Lech Poznań (loan)
caps3	8
goals3	0
years4	2003–2010
clubs4	Kansas City Wizards
caps4	204
goals4	17
years5	2011
clubs5	Chivas USA
caps5	2
goals5	1
totalcaps	324
totalgoals	22
nationalyears1	2005–2010
nationalteam1	United States
nationalcaps1	27
nationalgoals1	1
medaltemplates	^ Known as San Jose Clash through 1999 season }}

James "Jimmy" Conrad (born February 12, 1977, in Arcadia, California) is a retired American soccer defender who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer. During his 13 year MLS career, he was four-time MLS Best XI and the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year. He also earned 27 caps with the United States men's national soccer team and went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Career[link]

High School and College[link]

Conrad attended Temple City High School in Temple City, California and was a four-year letterman in soccer. Conrad played at San Diego State University in 1994 and 1995, and then transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. While playing for UCLA, he was a member of the 1997 NCAA Championship team.

Professional[link]

Undrafted by MLS, Conrad had an unsuccessful trial with the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, the Galaxy coaching staff recommended he play for one of their affiliated lower division teams. Consequently, Conrad contacted the now-defunct San Diego Flash of the A-League which gave him a contract. In 1999, Brian Quinn became the head coach of the San Jose Clash. When Quinn began searching for an additional defender and goalkeeper for the Clash, Ralf Wilhelms, head coach of the Flash and a former teammate of Quinn on the San Diego Sockers, recommended Conrad and Flash goalkeeper Joe Cannon. The Clash signed Conrad that year. He played with the club, later re-branded as the Earthquakes, for four seasons, helping them to the MLS Cup in 2001. In 2000, he also played for Lech Poznań in Poland.

In 2003, Conrad was traded to the Wizards for a second-round draft pick, which the 'Quakes used to select Arturo Alvarez. Conrad's stock rose while with Kansas City; never a big scorer, he tallied four goals during his first season (he has ten in his MLS career). In 2004, he helped the Wizards to the US Open Cup and the MLS Cup Final as the leader of the league's stingiest defense and was named to the league's Best XI and was a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year Award. He won the award a year later.

Despite rumors of a possible European transfer following the Wizards' disappointing 2006 season, Conrad renewed his contract with the Wizards beginning the 2007 season, and new head coach Curt Onalfo rewarded him the club captaincy.

Conrad was out of contract after the 2010 MLS season and elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. On December 15, 2010 Conrad was selected by Chivas USA in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry draft. He made his debut, and scored his first goal for his new team on March 19, 2011 in their first game of the 2011 MLS season - ironically against his old club, Sporting Kansas City.

After struggling with injury during the 2011 season, and suffering from side effects of six concussions, Jimmy Conrad announced his retirement from professional soccer on August 18, 2011. He will now work for C.D. Chivas USA's youth academy.

International[link]

Conrad received his first cap for the United States national team on July 7, 2005, in a Gold Cup match against Cuba. Less than one year later, Conrad made the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In Germany, Conrad came in as a substitute against Italy in the team's 1–1 draw with the eventual champions, and played all ninety minutes against Ghana. On January 20, 2007, Conrad captained the national team for the second time, where the United States hosted an international friendly with Denmark. The U.S. won that match 3–1. On February 7, 2007, in an international friendly with Mexico, Conrad was named the Man of the Match. He scored his first-ever goal for the U.S. in the fifty-second minute of that match. On June 25, 2009, after not having played with the national team in previous qualifying, Conrad was named to the U.S. squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup.

International goals[link]

Glendale, Arizona

Goal !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1	February 7, 2007	|		1–0	2–0	Exhibition game>International friendly

Media Work[link]

Conrad wrote soccer columns for ''Sports Illustrated's'' website for several years before switching to ESPN's ''Soccernet'' in 2005. As of 2007, Conrad also serves as a co-host of MLS Radio, a weekly hour-long show, and has hosted several audio and video features during 2007 national team training camp for USSoccer.com, the official site of the United States Soccer Federation and the national teams. He also hosted a weekly radio show, ''The Jimmy Conrad Show'', about the Wizards with Wizards play-by-play man, Sean Wheelock.

Honors[link]

San Jose Clash/Earthquakes[link]

Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2001

Kansas City Wizards/Sporting KC[link]

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2004

Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2004

United States[link]

CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (1): 2005

Individual[link]

MLS Defender of the Year: 2005

MLS Best XI: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

References[link]

External links[link]

MLS player profile

Jimmy Conrad current news, pics and bio at San Diego MLS Project

Articles by Jimmy Conrad on ESPN Soccernet

Jimmy Conrad articles on Yanks Abroad

FIFA: Jimmy Conrad

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Arcadia, California Category:American soccer players Category:American expatriate soccer players Category:Soccer players from California Category:San Jose Clash players Category:San Jose Earthquakes players Category:Kansas City Wizards players Category:C.D. Chivas USA players Category:Major League Soccer All-Stars Category:Lech Poznań players Category:UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Category:San Diego State Aztecs men's soccer players Category:CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Category:2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2007 Copa América players Category:2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:United States men's international soccer players Category:USL First Division players Category:San Diego Flash players Category:Expatriate footballers in Poland Category:American expatriates in Poland

de:Jimmy Conrad es:Jimmy Conrad fr:Jimmy Conrad it:Jimmy Conrad pl:Jimmy Conrad pt:Jimmy Conrad fi:Jimmy Conrad