He had 422 appearances between 1972 and 1987 for the club. During his senior career, he played for five different clubs between 1972 and 1996 with more than 500 appearances. Schumacher is perhaps best remembered for his international play with the West German national team. He played in 76 matches, winning the 1980 European Championship. The team advanced twice to the FIFA World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986, but lost both championship matches.
During the 1982 World Cup, Schumacher was embroiled in controversy after colliding with French player Patrick Battiston trying to track down a ball. Battiston fell into a coma after the hit; Schumacher denied any wrongdoing. The two teams faced off again in the 1986 World Cup. Following his playing career, Schumacher coached for a number of years before SC Fortuna Koln's chairman fired him at halftime of a 1999 match. He wrote his autobiography, "Anpfiff", in 1987. He and his wife, Jasmin, have one daughter together. Schumacher has two other children from a previous marriage.
