He moved on from the German Democratic Republic second division club BSG Bergmann-Borsig to Aston Villa in the Premier League and finished runner-up in 1992/93. The king of the dead ball at corners and free kicks joined Bayer 04 in 1997 and was our first goalscorer in the Champions League. He converted a penalty for the opening goal against Lierse SK in the first match in Europe's premier club competition. It was the only goal of the game where Paule was sent off on 77 minutes after a second yellow card.
He made 80 Bundesliga appearances and scored 24 goals in his three years under the Bayer Cross. He played for the national team with five international appearances under three different coaches: Berti Vogts, Erich Ribbeck and Rudi Völler. After his time at Bayer 04, Stefan Beinlich spends three years at both Hertha Berlin and Hamburg SV and then ends his playing career at Hansa Rostock at the age of 35.
The father of three daughters is now the CEO at the Rostock Athletics Club. Paule will be 50 on 13 January and I maintain he could still find the top corner at the BayArena with his eyes closed from 23 metres out. Many happy returns on your birthday, Paule. I'll raise a glass to you.
The video shows a few goals from his time at Bayer 04.
Wolfgang Vöge was born on 15 September 1955 in Ahlen, Westphalia and he was the fourth of seven children of a miner. His father, Erich Vöge, was a football referee as well. At an early age, Wolle, as he was called by his friends and teammates, developed a great passion for football and was an enthusiastic fan of BVB. His first success in football was achieved in the amateur game at his hometown club of SV Ahlen. He scored 26 goals in the first season and he came to the attention of scouts. That led to his move to Borussia Dortmund in 1975.
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Andreas Thom was born on 7 September 1965 in Rüdersdorf near Berlin in Brandenburg. Andreas displayed an exceptional talent on the ball even as a child. Early on, he joined the youth section at BFC Dynamo Berlin, one of the leading football clubs in the German Democratic Republic. There he received targeted, performance-oriented training as part of the GDR sports system. His talent, his vision and his technique led him to make his debut in the first team at BFC Dynamo at the age of 17.
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Jens Melzig was born in Cottbus on 28 September 1965. Melle, as he was called at Leverkusen, started his playing career at his hometown club Energie Cottbus. As a young player there he soon stood out thanks to his strength in challenges and his ability to read the game. He was in the Energie Cottbus first team in 1984 and he played for the club in the GDR league and the Oberliga. With 144 appearances and twelve goals he became one of the big players in defence. He made a major contribution to the club during this period – as a strong-tackling central defender who also displayed leadership qualities.
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Lucio, full name Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, was born on 8 May 1978 in Planaltina, a suburb of the Brazilian capital Brasília. He showed his passion for football even as a child. On the dusty streets of his neighbourhood he spent hours chasing the ball – often in bare feet like many Brazilian children. Despite the simple conditions he grew up in, his family always supported his dream of one day becoming a great football player. He made his first steps in club football at small local clubs before moving onto the youth set-up at the club Guará and later he singed for the big club Internacional Porto Alegre. Bayer 04 signed the internationally completely unknown defender from there in January 2000.
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In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of September. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
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