He represented East Germany at youth level, and was part of the squad that finished third at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.

After Fall of the Berlin Wall, Zimmerling moved west, joining Hannover 96 during the 1989-90 season.

However, he failed to establish himself in the first team, and returned to Leipzig, briefly rejoining FC Chemie (now renamed FC Sachsen).

He played out the 1990s with a succession of clubs in the former DDR, playing for FC Berlin, Union Berlin (two spells), Energie Cottbus (two spells), Carl Zeiss Jena, Sachsen Leipzig for a third time, and VfL Halle 96.

He returned to German football in April 2009, when he was appointed manager of FSV Zwickau.