Alexander Zickler is a German retired footballer who played as a striker. He spent 12 years of his professional career with Bayern Munich, appearing in more than 300 official games and winning 19 major titles, notably seven Bundesliga championships and the 2001 Champions League. He also played six years in Austria with two clubs. Zickler was a German international for four years, but did not attend any major international tournament.
Born in Bad Salzungen, East Germany, Zickler began his career with Dynamo Dresden, having joined the club's youth system in 1980 as a six-year-old. In the 1992–93 season, he played with the first team in the Bundesliga, making his debut in the competition on 23 October 1992 in a 1–2 home loss against 1. FC Nürnberg and eventually helping them narrowly avoid relegation.
Bayern Munich
In July 1993, Zickler transferred to FC Bayern Munich for €1,187,300, initially playing with the reserves. From his second season onwards he became a first-team regular, helping the Bavarians capture seven German championships and four German cups, adding the 1996UEFA Europa League. Zickler played in 24 league games – scoring three goals – in 2000–01 as Bayern won the league. In the campaign's UEFA Champions Leaguefinal, against Valencia CF, he entered the game as a substitute and successfully converted his penalty kick in the shootout, which ended in win. During his time in the top flight, he broke the record as the highest goal-scoring substitute of all-time, scoring 18 times in 102 appearances off the bench; however, his career was often hampered by injuries and medical conditions: in 2002, he had surgery to remove a tumor from his right shin bone which caused him to miss out on participation in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. One year later, he was again hospitalized with a break in his previously operated leg, followed by another shin break only a few days before the start of 2003–04. Shortly before his return into Bayern's first team, Zickler broke his shin for the third time while playing with Bayern Munich II.
Austria
In June 2005, Zickler tried his chances at Austrian Bundesliga's FC Red Bull Salzburg, signing on a "performance-related" deal alongside former Bayern teammate Thomas Linke. In his first season, he helped the club to the second position, adding nine goals in 31 matches. In the 2006–07 campaign, in the return leg of the Champions League second qualifying round, Zickler scored through a penalty to give the Red Bulls a 2–0 victory over FC Zürich and advance them into the next stage, where they lost to Valencia. On 30 November 2006, he was voted the APA Footballer of the Year by the league's managers, and finished the domestic campaign with 22 goals, being instrumental, with Linke, in the side's national league conquest. In the 2010 off-season, Zickler joined fellow league clubLASK Linz as a free agent. He made his debut on 21 August, replacing Florian Hart in the 61st minute in a 0–2 away defeat against FC Wacker Innsbruck. On 25 September 2010, Zickler scored his first and only goal for LASK, in a 3–3 draw at SV Mattersburg. He retired from football at the end of 2010–11 aged 37, as his team also suffered relegation.
