Dynamo Dresden in 1989 Kirsten began playing football for local team BSG Chemie Riesa in 1972. He joined BSG Stahl Riesa in 1978 before joining the youth academy of Dynamo Dresden in 1979. Dynamo Dresden was a center of excellence () and the most prominent club in
Bezirk Dresden. It was also the most successful club in East Germany at the time. Kirsten made his professional debut for Dynamo Dresden in the
1983–84 DDR-Oberliga season. Kirsten played 154 matches and scored 57 goals for Dynamo Dresden in the
DDR-Oberliga. He won the DDR-Oberliga with Dynamo Dresden in two consecutive seasons:
1988–88 and
1989–90. Kirsten became the Footballer of the Year in East Germany in 1990. Kirsten had an unusual build: measuring only , but weighing . He therefore had an unusually low centre of gravity, which enabled him to protect the ball in the box against much bigger defenders and turn around quickly for close-range shots. His playing style was often compared to that of
Gerd Müller. In addition, despite his small height, Kirsten was also a feared header.
Bayer Leverkusen Kirsten was one of the first East German men's footballers to enter the
Bundesliga after the
German reunification. In the German Bundesliga he played 350 matches for
Bayer 04 Leverkusen and scored 182 goals (ranked #7 in the Bundesliga all-time top scorer list). He established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in the Bundesliga, but Bayer Leverkusen regularly ended as runner-up to either
Bayern Munich or
Borussia Dortmund. He stayed there until his retirement in 2003. He also played in the
2002 UEFA Champions League Final, although his team lost to
Real Madrid. In the 1999–2000 season, Kirsten won the EFFIFU award for being the most efficient striker in the league. Off the pitch, Kirsten was famous for his strong beard growth, which earned him a sponsorship by
Braun, who used him to advertise their electrical shavers. ==International career==