1. Early life
Roland Wohlfarth was born on January 11, 1963, in Bocholt, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia. He began his football journey in his youth, playing for the local team Borussia Bocholt.
2. Club career
Roland Wohlfarth's professional club career spanned from 1981 to 2000, primarily in Germany and with a period in France. He established himself as a prominent forward, consistently demonstrating his goal-scoring prowess across different leagues.
2.1. MSV Duisburg
Wohlfarth began his professional career at MSV Duisburg in 1981. He played for Duisburg in both the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. During his time there, he made 74 appearances and scored 39 goals. Notably, he was the top scorer of the 2. Bundesliga in the 1983-84 season, a performance that attracted attention from larger clubs.
2.2. FC Bayern Munich
Wohlfarth's most successful and impactful period was with FC Bayern Munich, where he played for nine seasons from 1984 to 1993. During his tenure, he became a key player and an ace striker, contributing significantly to the club's dominance in German football. He recorded double-digit goals in eight consecutive league seasons. With Bayern Munich, he secured five Bundesliga championships (1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89, and 1989-90). He also won the DFB-Pokal in the 1985-86 season, famously scoring a hat-trick in the final against VfB Stuttgart in a commanding 5-2 victory. Additionally, he won the DFB/DFL-Supercup in 1987 and 1990. Despite facing constant competition from new, top-class forwards joining the club, Wohlfarth consistently fought for and maintained his place in the first-team squad. His efforts were rewarded with individual accolades as he twice became the Bundesliga top scorer, first in 1989 with 17 goals and again in 1991 with 21 goals. In total, he made 259 appearances for Bayern Munich, scoring 125 goals in the league.
2.3. AS Saint-Étienne
In the 1993-94 season, Wohlfarth moved to France to play for AS Saint-Étienne. He performed well in Ligue 1, scoring 12 goals in his first season. He continued his form into the 1994-95 season, where he scored 8 goals in 12 league matches at a faster pace than the previous year. However, he returned to Germany midway through that season. In his time at Saint-Étienne, he played 39 matches and scored 20 goals.
2.4. Later career and retirement
After his spell in France, Wohlfarth returned to Germany in 1995, joining VfL Bochum. He played 41 matches for VfL Bochum across various competitions, scoring 8 goals. Following his time at Bochum, he moved to Lokomotive Leipzig (which had been renamed VfB Leipzig in 1991) for the 1997-98 season, where he made 15 appearances and scored 4 goals in the 2. Bundesliga. He then played for Wuppertaler SV Borussia from 1998 to 1999, making 14 appearances and scoring 4 goals. His professional career effectively concluded at Wuppertaler SV Borussia, though he briefly played for 1. FC Bocholt in 1999-2000, making 4 appearances without scoring, before his full retirement from football in 2000.
3. International career
Despite his significant club success and consistent goal-scoring record, Roland Wohlfarth had a surprisingly brief international career with the West Germany national football team. He earned only two caps for his country. His first appearance was in 1986, and his second followed in 1989. He did not score any goals in either of his international appearances.
4. Controversy
Roland Wohlfarth's career was marked by a doping incident in 1995. On February 16, 1995, in the first doping judgment of the Bundesliga, Wohlfarth was convicted of having taken forbidden substances, specifically anorectics. As a result of this conviction, he received a two-month ban from football.
5. Career statistics
The following tables detail Roland Wohlfarth's club and international career statistics, showcasing his appearances and goals throughout his professional tenure.
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duisburg | 1981-82 | Bundesliga | 17 | 1 |
| 1982-83 | 2. Bundesliga | 19 | 8 | |
| 1983-84 | 2. Bundesliga | 35 | 30 | |
| Total | 71 | 39 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 1984-85 | Bundesliga | 32 | 12 |
| 1985-86 | Bundesliga | 25 | 13 | |
| 1986-87 | Bundesliga | 27 | 11 | |
| 1987-88 | Bundesliga | 33 | 17 | |
| 1988-89 | Bundesliga | 34 | 17 | |
| 1989-90 | Bundesliga | 24 | 13 | |
| 1990-91 | Bundesliga | 34 | 21 | |
| 1991-92 | Bundesliga | 29 | 17 | |
| 1992-93 | Bundesliga | 21 | 4 | |
| Total | 259 | 125 | ||
| Saint-Étienne | 1993-94 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 12 |
| 1994-95 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 8 | |
| Total | 39 | 20 | ||
| Bochum | 1994-95 | Bundesliga | 11 | 0 |
| 1995-96 | 2. Bundesliga | 24 | 7 | |
| 1996-97 | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 41 | 8 | ||
| Lokomotive Leipzig | 1997-98 | 2. Bundesliga | 15 | 4 |
| Total | 15 | 4 | ||
| Wuppertaler SV Borussia | 1998-99 | Regional | 14 | 4 |
| Total | 14 | 4 | ||
| 1. FC Bocholt | 1999-2000 | Regional | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||
5.2. International statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Germany | 1986 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
6. Honours
Roland Wohlfarth achieved numerous team and individual accolades during his football career, primarily with FC Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90
- DFB-Pokal: 1985-86
- DFB/DFL-Supercup: 1987, 1990
Individual
- 2. Bundesliga top scorer: 1983-84
- Bundesliga top scorer: 1988-89, 1990-91