Stielike was a West Germany youth international for hometown club SpVgg Ketsch when he got signed by UEFA Cup runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1973, first coming to action as a full back for the then two-times German Bundesliga champion.

Following representatives votes of Spanish paper Don Balón, Stielike was four times in a row selected 'Best Foreign Player' in La Liga between 1978 and 1981.

[4] Stielike was capped in 42 internationals with West Germany from 1975 to 1984[5] with whom he won 1980 UEFA European Football Championship and the runner-up medal at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

A central figure for the defence of Real Madrid in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Stielike could only partially live up to those expectations in his duties for West Germany.

[2][7] After his retirement from his playing career, Stielike was the coach of the Switzerland national football team from 1989 to 1991 as successor of Daniel Jeandupeux and predecessor of Roy Hodgson.

In 1998, Stielike had been interviewed by Egidius Braun, the then chairman of the German Football Association, following a vacancy occurred through the resignation of Berti Vogts from the head coaching job of Germany in 1998.

Shortly before 2000 UEFA European Championship, which ended in a disaster for the Germans, Stielike stepped down from his role as assistant due to differences in some respects with Ribbeck.

[8] On 1 February, Michael Stielike, 23, died after failing to receive a lung transplant, with his health gradually deteriorating until he was eventually put on life support.

[12] On 5 September 2014, Stielike was named manager of the South Korea national team, signing a four-year contract running through the 2018 World Cup.

Though the game remained scoreless for the first 90 minutes, two goals from Son Heung Min in extra time helped South Korea reach the semi-finals against Iraq.

[15][16] In an interview after the disclosures, Shin Tae-yong, the assistant manager at the time, testified that the South Korea's result in the 2015 Asian Cup was achieved by him, not by Stielike.

[citation needed] Borussia Mönchengladbach Real Madrid Neuchâtel Xamax West Germany Individual Al-Sailiya South Korea