Germany Born in
Weiler im Allgäu,
Swabia, Riedle started his senior career in the
Bayernliga with
FC Augsburg, being club top scorer in the 1985–86 season with a total of 20 goals. His performances attracted interest from newly promoted
Bundesliga side
SpVgg Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin, who signed him for a fee of 33,000
Deutsche Mark; he made his league debut for his new team on 9 August 1986, scoring in a 4–1 home loss against
1. FC Kaiserslautern. After his team's
relegation, as last, Riedle nonetheless signed with
SV Werder Bremen, led by legendary
Otto Rehhagel, and netted 18 times in
his first season (second-best in the league behind
Jürgen Klinsmann, and 24 overall) to help the club win the national title. During his three-year spell with the
Hanseatic he scored 58 goals all competitions comprised, and appeared in back-to-back
German Cup finals, losing both and finding the net in the
1989 edition – opening the score in a 4–1 defeat to
Borussia Dortmund.
Lazio and return home In the 1990 summer, Riedle moved to
S.S. Lazio of Italy for a transfer fee of 13 million DM. During his stint with the
Roman the club failed to win any silverware or reach any final, and his best output occurred in the
1991–92 campaign when he scored 13 goals in 29 games for an eventual 10th-place finish in
Serie A; for two of his three years, he shared teams with countryman
Thomas Doll. Riedle returned to Germany in 1993 and joined
Borussia Dortmund. He was a starter for most of his spell, often partnering
Stéphane Chapuisat, but failed to reproduce his previous form, never scoring in double digits; he was however important in the conquest of the
1995 and
1996 national championships (13 goals combined) and, in the
1996–97 UEFA Champions League, netted twice against
Juventus in
the final for a 3–1 success.
England In 1997, Riedle joined
Liverpool in the
Premier League. He was irregularly used during his stint at
Anfield, especially after the phasing-in of 18-year-old
Michael Owen. In late September 1999, 34-year-old Riedle moved to
Fulham where, along with his old Liverpool manager
Roy Evans, he would serve as
caretaker manager until the end of
1999–2000 after
Paul Bracewell's dismissal. Before the end of
the following season – where he eventually netted once from 14 appearances to help Fulham to top flight promotion – he announced his retirement. ==International career==