[2] He is most associated with Dynamo Dresden, with whom he had two successful spells, playing top level football in East Germany and after reunification.

[3] A strong and instinctive goalscorer, Gütschow was top scorer in each of the last three seasons of the DDR-Oberliga,[4] and was the last East German Footballer of the Year.

[4] His seven goals in the 1988-89 UEFA Cup made him the competition's top scorer and in 1991 he was named as the last East German Footballer of the Year.

[9] The last season of the DDR-Oberliga (now renamed the NOFV-Oberliga) saw Dynamo Dresden finish second, behind Hansa Rostock,[10] and with German reunification they qualified for the Bundesliga.

[12][13] The following season, he played eight matches, scoring twice,[14] before leaving in December 1992, joining Galatasaray of the Turkish Süper Lig.

[15] Gütschow only spent six months in Turkey, returning to Germany in summer 1993[3] but remains a popular figure with Galatasaray fans.

[3] Gütschow was called up to the East Germany national team in February 1984, making his debut in a 3–1 away win against Greece.

[23] Gütschow was approached by the authorities at the age of 18, and feared that he would be prevented from playing football and separated from his fiancee if he refused to co-operate.