Florian Gothe
German footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Florian Gothe (born 9 August 1962 in Bochum) is a retired German football defender.[1][2] and current president of the Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler (VDV).[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Florian Gothe | ||
| Date of birth | 9 August 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Bochum, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1978 | SV Blau-Weiss Weitmar 09 | ||
| 1978–1981 | VfL Bochum | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1983 | VfL Bochum II | ||
| 1983–1985 | VfL Bochum | 27 | (1) |
| 1985–1988 | Rot-Weiß Oberhausen | 93 | (12) |
| 1988–1991 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 76 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Gothe, who started playing football at the age of eight at Post SV Bochum, played a total of 196 games in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga between 1983 and 1991, in which he scored 16 goals.[4]
In 1999, the former VfL Bochum professional was elected President of the Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler (VDV) to succeed Jürgen Sparwasser.[5] Under his leadership, the organization was able to emerge from what was then an existential crisis. When he was re-elected in 2006, he was unanimously confirmed in office.[6]
In November 2009, Gothe appeared publicly when, in connection with the suicide of the German soccer goalkeeper Robert Enke, he spoke out in favour of greater support for soccer players in overcoming personal psychological problems.[7]