{{short description|German footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Thomas Helmer | image = UEFA TT 8090 Thomas-Helmer.jpg | image_size = | caption = Helmer in 2010 | full_name = | height = 1.85 m | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|4|21|df=y}} | birth_place = Herford, West Germany | position = Centre-back, sweeper | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1984 | youthclubs1 = SC Bad Salzuflen | years1 = 1984–1986 | clubs1 = Arminia Bielefeld | caps1 = 39 | goals1 = 5 | years2 = 1986–1992 | clubs2 = Borussia Dortmund | caps2 = 190 | goals2 = 16 | years3 = 1992–1999 | clubs3 = Bayern Munich | caps3 = 191 | goals3 = 24 | years4 = 1999–2000 | clubs4 = Sunderland | caps4 = 2 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 1999 | clubs5 = → Hertha BSC (loan) | caps5 = 5 | goals5 = 1 | totalcaps = 427 | totalgoals = 46 | nationalyears1 = 1990–1998 | nationalteam1 = Germany | nationalcaps1 = 68 | nationalgoals1 = 5 | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's football}} {{MedalCountry|{{fb|GER}}}} {{MedalCompetition|UEFA European Championship}} {{medal|W|1996 England|}} {{medal|Runner-up|1992 Sweden|}} }}
'''Thomas Helmer''' (born 21 April 1965) is a German former footballer. His preferred playing position was sweeper, but he was primarily deployed as a centre-back.<ref name="Radnedge">Radnedge, Keir ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of European Football'' (1997, Carlton Books) 153–154</ref>
Helmer spent most of his club career with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich – appearing in nearly 400 Bundesliga games in 15 seasons – and won the European Championship in 1996.
==Club career== Born in Herford, West Germany, Helmer began his professional career with Arminia Bielefeld, playing four games late in 1984–85, in a season that ended in relegation. In the following season, he netted five goals in 35 second division matches, prompting interest from Borussia Dortmund, which signed him in 1986. A key element from the start, Helmer also scored 16 goals during his six-season stint.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/helmerdata.html | title = Thomas Helmer – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 23 September 2015 | access-date = 9 October 2015 | publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation}}</ref>
In 1992, he joined FC Bayern Munich in controversial circumstances. Dortmund did not wish to sell Helmer, one of its best players, to a rival Bundesliga team, and sent him to France's Olympique Lyonnais instead. However, only three months later, Lyon sold Helmer to Bayern Munich for 7.5 million marks, at the time a record transfer fee paid by the Bavarian club. The resulting furore became so heated that the Germany national side coach Berti Vogts threatened to drop Helmer from the UEFA Euro 92 squad because of the distraction the affair was causing.<ref name="Radnedge"/>
Helmer was also an integral part (scoring seven goals in his debut season) and, eventually, captain of an ascendant Bayern Munich team of the late-1990s, winning three league titles, one cup and three League cups), adding the 1995–96 UEFA Cup, where he scored once (against FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the final's first leg) in 12 games. Defensively, the team would also include, during Helmer's stay, internationals Olaf Thon, Lothar Matthäus and Markus Babbel.
Upon leaving Bayern in 1999, Helmer opted to move to the Premier League. He was offered a contract by Liverpool, but chose instead to join newly promoted Sunderland on a free transfer.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/players/4696/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717212815/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/players/4696/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 July 2012|magazine=Sports Illustrated| title=Thomas Helmer|date=1 November 2001|access-date=20 April 2008}}</ref> Sunderland manager Peter Reid hardly used him, however, making just two league appearances against Leeds United and Arsenal<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/420267.stm|title=Sunderland scrap for point |publisher=BBC|date=14 August 1999 |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> and he returned to Germany on loan with Hertha BSC. Although he had appeared in the UEFA Champions League for Hertha, upon his return to Sunderland, Reid judged that "his legs had gone", and the club bought-out his contract,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/1037113.stm|title=Helmer heads home|publisher=BBC Sport|date=23 November 2000|access-date=20 April 2008}}</ref> with the player retiring immediately afterwards.
==International career== Helmer made his full international debut for Germany on 10 October 1990, a 3–1 win in a friendly match with Sweden in Stockholm.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/helmer-intl.html | title = Thomas Helmer – International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 23 September 2015 | access-date = 9 October 2015 | publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation}}</ref> He enjoyed great success in the UEFA European Football Championships, starting in consecutive finals. In 1992, Germany lost surprisingly to Denmark, which had been called at the last hour, but four years later went one better, defeating the Czech Republic in extra-time at Wembley.
Helmer also appeared in two FIFA World Cups, bowing out of international football in the second round clash of the 1998 edition against Mexico, when he was replaced before half-time by Christian Ziege.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8777/report.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708214540/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=1013/results/matches/match=8777/report.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 July 2007|title=Germany – Mexico|publisher=FIFA|date=29 June 1998|access-date=20 April 2008}}</ref> He was known for tripping Josip Weber during the 1994 world cup in the penalty area but Kurt Röthlisberger, the referee, did not make a call.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/05/sports/world-cup-94-notebook-mistakes-also-cost-referees.html|title=WORLD CUP '94: NOTEBOOK; Mistakes Also Cost Referees|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 July 1994}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-03-sp-11502-story.html|title = WORLD CUP USA '94 ROUND OF 16 : Germany Clean as a Non-Whistle : Soccer: Voeller scores twice in 3-2 victory, but lack of a call has Belgians crying foul| website=Los Angeles Times |date = 3 July 1994}}</ref>
==Post-retirement== thumb|upright|Helmer during a charity match in 2012 After retiring, Helmer worked as a sports journalist and television presenter with DSF. Additionally, he served as Germany's ambassador to children's charity "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages", first undertaking it in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/cgi-bin/sos/jsp/retrieve.do?lang=en&site=CA&nav=6.5&cat=/655_other_partner1&fn=6568_helmer_en.xml|title=Germany: Thomas Helmer|publisher=SOS Children's Villages|access-date=20 April 2008}}</ref>
Helmer was a member of the Supervisory board of Arminia Bielefeld from 19 July 2011 to 15 December 2015.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.nw-news.de/sport/dsc_arminia/4747063_Thomas_Helmer_in_Arminias_Aufsichsrat_gewaehlt.html | title = Thomas Helmer in Arminias Aufsichtsrat gewählt | website = nw-news.de | language = de | date = 19 July 2011 | access-date = 15 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Gremien | url = http://www.arminia-bielefeld.de/startseite/verein/der-verein/gremien/ | website = Arminia Bielefeld | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151214230158/http://www.arminia-bielefeld.de/startseite/verein/der-verein/gremien/ | archive-date = 14 December 2015 | access-date = 15 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sport1.de/fussball/2-bundesliga/2015/12/thomas-helmer-beendet-arbeit-in-aufsichtrat-von-arminia-bielefeld | title = Thomas Helmer beendet Arbeit in Aufsichtsrat von Arminia Bielefeld | website = sport1.de | language = de | date= 15 December 2015 | access-date = 15 May 2025}}</ref>
==Career statistics== :''Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first.'' {| class="wikitable" align=center ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1. || 21 June 1995 || Letzigrund, Zürich || {{fb|ITA}} || '''1'''–0 || 2–0 || Friendly |- | 2. || 8 October 1995 || Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, Leverkusen || {{fb|MDA}} || '''2'''–0 || 6–1 || Euro 1996 qualifier |- | 3. || 11 October 1997 || AWD-Arena, Hanover || {{fb|ALB}} || '''1'''–1 || 4–3 || 1998 World Cup qualifier |- | 4. || 22 February 1998 || King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh || {{fb|SAU}} || '''2'''–0 || 3–0 || Friendly |- | 5. || 5 June 1998 || Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim || {{fb|LUX}} || '''3'''–0 || 7–0 || Friendly |- |}
==Honours== '''Borussia Dortmund''' *DFB-Pokal: 1988–89 *DFL-Supercup: 1989<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfb.de/supercup/das-spiel/?spieledb_path=%2Fmatches%2F1969426 |title=Deutscher Supercup, 1989, Finale |date=16 October 2014 |publisher=dfb.de |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref>
'''Bayern Munich''' *Bundesliga: 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99 *DFB-Pokal: 1997–98; runner-up 1998–99 *DFB-Ligapokal: 1997, 1998 *UEFA Cup: 1995–96 *UEFA Champions League: runner-up 1998–99
'''Germany''' *UEFA European Championship: 1996; runner-up 1992 *US Cup: 1993
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Fussballdaten|helmerthomas}} * {{Soccerbase}} * {{NFT player|14102}} * {{WorldFootball.net|thomas-helmer}}
{{Navboxes colour |title = Germany squads |bg = white |fg = black |bordercolor=black |list1= {{Germany squad UEFA Euro 1992}} {{Germany squad 1994 FIFA World Cup}} {{Germany squad UEFA Euro 1996}} {{Germany squad 1998 FIFA World Cup}} }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmer, Thomas}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Herford Category:Footballers from Detmold (region) Category:German men's footballers Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Bundesliga players Category:2. Bundesliga players Category:Premier League players Category:Arminia Bielefeld players Category:Borussia Dortmund players Category:FC Bayern Munich footballers Category:Hertha BSC players Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players Category:Germany men's international footballers Category:UEFA Euro 1992 players Category:UEFA Euro 1996 players Category:1994 FIFA World Cup players Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA European Championship–winning players Category:German expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:German expatriate sportspeople in England Category:UEFA Europa League–winning players Category:West German men's footballers