About Bernd Schneider (footballer)
Bernd Schneider (born 17 November 1973) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. After retiring in June 2009, he took up an advisory role at his first club, Carl Zeiss Jena, and a scouting position at Bayer Leverkusen. Nicknamed Schnix by fans and teammates, Schneider started out at his hometown club Carl Zeiss Jena and made a name for himself during his decade-long stint at Bayer Leverkusen. He earned the nickname "The White Brazilian" for his dribbling and passing skills as well as his accurate free kicks and corners. Although mostly a provider of goals rather than a finisher, he was capable of scoring, especially from long distance. Schneider is notable for having multiple second and third place medals from national, continental and international tournaments (including the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup) without ever having won a major tournament. == Club career == Schneider started his professional career at local Carl Zeiss Jena, going on to help the Thuringian outfit to stay five seasons in the second division; his debut came on 13 August 1991, playing close to ten minutes in a 1–3 loss at Darmstadt 98. Schneider then played one season at Eintracht Frankfurt, subsequently moving to Bayer Leverkusen, and establishing himself as an essential player for both club and country. In 1999–2000 and 2001–02, he was instrumental in Bayer's runner-up league finishes, serving 11 decisive passes in the latter season, as well as netting five goals himself; he also appeared 19 times as the side reached the 2002 Champions League Final. More a creator than a finisher, Schneider scored a career-best ten league goals in the 2003–04 season, making him the highest-scoring midfielder in that year's competition, alongside Johan Micoud; Leverkusen finished third and, during the following season, Schneider renewed his link for a further four years.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.