Name the retired German footballer who played as a striker, possessing great aerial ability and finishing skills and considered one of the key players for VfB Stuttgart in the 2003-04 season where they only just failed to finish in the top three for the second season in succession?
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2003–04 VfB Stuttgart season VfB Stuttgart debuted in the modern-era 32-team Champions League with a progression from the group stage and a somewhat surprising victory with 2–1 against English champions Manchester United. Ultimately, the tournament ended with a narrow defeat to Chelsea. Kevin Kurányi, Philipp Lahm and Alexander Hleb were key players in a side that only just failed to finish in the top three for the second season in succession. Following an initial eight clean sheets, the attack suffered from only Kurányi being able to score, despite goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand keeping 18 clean sheets.
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Kevin Kurányi Kevin Dennis Kurányi (] , ] ; born 2 March 1982) is a German retired footballer. He played as a striker and possessed great aerial ability and finishing skills. From 2003 to 2008, Kurányi was part of the German national team, for which he scored 19 goals in 52 games.
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Harry Decheiver Harry Decheiver (born 8 March 1970) is a retired Dutch football striker who played as a professional in the Netherlands and Germany.
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Andreas Kaufmann Andreas Kaufmann (born 6 October 1973) is a retired German football player. He made his debut on the professional league level in the Bundesliga with SC Freiburg on 22 September 2001 when he came on as a substitute in the 90th minute of a game against FC Schalke 04.
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Hans Pflügler Johannes Christian "Hans" Pflügler (born 27 March 1960) is a German retired footballer. He could operate as either a left back or a central defender, and played solely for Bayern Munich, winning eight major titles and appearing in nearly 400 official games.
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Jochen Endreß Jochen Endreß (born 3 November 1972) is a retired German football player.
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2002–03 FC Schalke 04 season FC Schalke 04 had another disappointing season, in which it failed to qualify for the Champions League. New coach Frank Neubarth did not last long, and was sacked and replaced by captain Marc Wilmots in the dugout. Once again, goalscoring was at a premium, with top scorer Victor Agali managing only seven in total. The end result was 7th place in Bundesliga, barely even qualifying for the Intertoto Cup.
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Herwart Koppenhöfer Herwart Koppenhöfer (born 25 May 1946) is a retired German football player. He spent nine seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, FC Bayern Munich, VfB Stuttgart, Kickers Offenbach and Hertha BSC.
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Simon Rolfes Simon Rolfes (born 21 January 1982) is a retired German footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
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Norbert Nachtweih Norbert Nachtweih (born 4 June 1957) is a retired German professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
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Philipp Degen Philipp Degen (born 15 February 1983) is a retired Swiss professional footballer. Degen is usually a right back but can also play at left back or on the right wing. Degen reached the last 16 in the 2006 World Cup with the Switzerland and was selected again for Euro 2008 but did not play any games.
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Michael Rundio Michael Rundio (born 21 January 1983 in Ulm) is a German footballer who plays for SV Lonsee. He spent three seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and also played two games for the club in the UEFA Cup.
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Mario Götze Mario Götze (] ; born 3 June 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. Although his favoured position is that of a playmaker. Götze possesses speed, technique, dribbling skills, and playmaking capabilities. In 2010, German Football Association's then technical director Matthias Sammer described Götze as "one of the best talents Germany has ever had."
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Gerhard Heinze Gerhard Heinze (born 30 November 1948) is a retired German football player. He spent 15 seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and MSV Duisburg. The best result he achieved in the league was fifth place.
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Josef Kaczor Josef Kaczor (born 23 March 1953) is a retired German football striker.
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Franz Schick Franz Schick (born 22 June 1960) is a retired German football forward. Schick, while only making a very limited impact on professional football, playing four times for VfL Bochum in the Fußball-Bundesliga, had his greatest success with third division side TSV Ampfing, where he became the top scorer of the Fußball-Bayernliga on five occasions.
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Fabian Klos Fabian Klos (born 2 December 1987 in Gifhorn) is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Arminia Bielefeld. He is also the current captain of the team. He is often likened to Swedish forward Zlatan ibrahimovic, due to his eye for goals and pure elegance.
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Mikkel Beckmann Mikkel Beckmann (born 24 October 1983) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a forward.
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Karl-Heinz Handschuh Karl-Heinz Handschuh (born 30 November 1947) is a retired German football player. He spent 14 seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Braunschweig.
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Achim Glückler Achim Glückler (born 10 August 1964 in Maulbronn) is a retired German football player. He spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and Karlsruher SC.
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Manuel Friedrich Manuel Friedrich (born 13 September 1979) is a German retired footballer who played as a central defender.
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Özkan Koçtürk Özkan Koçtürk (born 6 November 1974 in Braunschweig, Germany) is a retired Turkish-German footballer. He spent one season in the 2. Bundesliga with Eintracht Braunschweig, as well as four seasons in the Turkish Süper Lig with Fenerbahçe, Çanakkale Dardanelspor, and Altay S.K.