Biography
Who is Jean-Marie Pfaff?
Early life and family
Jean-Marie Pfaff was born in Lebbeke, located in the East Flanders region of Belgium. He grew up in a large household consisting of twelve children, which included six boys and six girls. His father worked as a salesman, traveling door-to-door to sell various fabrics and carpets.
The family lived in a caravan within Lebbeke during his childhood. During the summer months, the children were required to assist their father with his sales work. His father passed away from cancer when Jean-Marie was approximately twelve years old, an event that significantly impacted the family unit.
Club career in Belgium and Germany
Jean-Marie Pfaff made his professional debut for the Beveren first team during the 1971-72 season at the age of 18. Although the club faced relegation that year, he became a regular starter the following season as the team earned promotion back to the Belgian First Division. He helped the club win the Belgian Cup in 1978 and achieved a national championship during the 1978-79 season.
In 1978, he was awarded the Belgian Golden Shoe. Following the 1982 World Cup, he moved to the German club Bayern Munich for a fee of 400,000 euros. During his time in Munich, he helped the team win multiple Bundesliga titles and DFB Cups. He was recognized by Kicker magazine as a world-class goalkeeper in 1983.
Later career and retirement
At the age of 35, Jean-Marie Pfaff returned to Belgium to play for SK Lierse. After spending one season with the club, he moved to Turkey to join Trabzonspor under the guidance of coach Urbain Braems. He was treated as a major figure at the Turkish club during his time there.
His final professional matches took place during a Turkish Cup final in 1990. At that point, he ended a professional career that had lasted eighteen years. Although he retired at age 36, he later expressed some regret regarding the timing of his departure from professional football due to ongoing injury issues.
Birthday and age
Jean-Marie Pfaff was born on December 4, 1953, which makes Jean-Marie 72 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Jean-Marie shares the date with 24 other famous people.
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