Coordinates	51°46′18″N5°38′30 }}″N
Common name	Liechtenstein
Native name
Conventional long name	Principality of Liechtenstein
Image coat	Coat of arms of Liechtenstein.svg
Map caption
Image map2	Location Liechtenstein.png
Map caption2
Map2 width	250px
National motto	Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland For God, Prince and Fatherland
National anthem	''Oben am jungen Rhein''"Up on the Young Rhine"
Official languages	German
Capital	Vaduz
Largest city	Schaan
Government type
Leader title1	Prince
Leader name1	Hans-Adam II
Leader title2	Regent
Leader name2	Alois
Leader title3	Prime Minister
Leader name3	Klaus Tschütscher
Leader title4	Landtag Speaker
Leader name4	Arthur Brunhart
Area km2	160.475
Area sq mi	61.960
Area rank	211th
Area magnitude	1 E8
Percent water	negligible
Population estimate	35,789
Population estimate year	2009
Population estimate rank	206th
Population density km2	221
Population density sq mi	572
Population density rank	52nd
Population census	33,307
Population census year	2000
Gdp nominal year	2008
Gdp nominal	$5.101 billion
Gdp nominal rank	na
Gdp nominal per capita	$147,200
Gdp nominal per capita rank	2
Gdp ppp year	2008
Gdp ppp	$5.028 billion
Gdp ppp rank	na
Gdp ppp per capita	$141,100
Gdp ppp per capita rank	2
Hdi	0.891
Hdi rank	6th
Hdi year	2010
Hdi category	very high
Sovereignty type	Independence as principality
Established event1	Treaty of Pressburg
Established date1	1806
Established event2	Independence from the German Confederation
Established date2	1866
Currency	Swiss franc
Currency code	CHF
Time zone	CET
Utc offset	+1
Time zone dst	CEST
Utc offset dst	+2
Demonym	Liechtensteiner (male), Liechtensteinerin (female)
Drives on	right
Cctld	.li
Calling code	+423
Footnote1	}}

The Principality of Liechtenstein ( ; , ) is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz; the biggest town is Schaan. Liechtenstein has the second highest gross domestic product per person in the world and has the world's lowest external debt.

Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest (by measure of GDP per capita) German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. It is the only predominantly German-speaking country not to share a common border with Germany and the only predominantly German-speaking nation to have a monarch. It is known as a ''principality'' as it is a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince. Liechtenstein is divided into 11 municipalities. Much of its terrain is mountainous, making it a winter sports destination. Many cultivated fields and small farms characterize its landscape both in the south (Oberland, ''upper land'') and in the north (Unterland, ''lower land''). The country has a strong financial sector located in the capital, Vaduz, and has been identified as a tax haven. It is a member of the European Free Trade Association and part of the European Economic Area but not of the European Union.

History

At one time, the territory was part of the ancient Roman province of Raetia. For centuries this territory, geographically removed from European strategic interests, had little impact on European history. Prior to the reign of its current dynasty, the region was enfeoffed to a line of the counts of Hohenems.

The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the principality takes its name, comes from Castle Liechtenstein in Lower Austria, which the family possessed from at least 1140 until the 13th century, and from 1807 onward. Through the centuries, the dynasty acquired vast tracts of land, predominantly in Moravia, Lower Austria, Silesia, and Styria, though these territories were all held in fief under other more senior feudal lords, particularly under various lines of the Habsburg family, whom several Liechtenstein princes served as close advisers. Thus, without any territory held directly under the Imperial throne, the Liechtenstein dynasty was unable to meet a primary requirement to qualify for a seat in the Imperial diet (parliament), the ''Reichstag''. The family yearned for the added power a seat in the Imperial government would bring and therefore sought to acquire lands that would be ''unmittelbar'', or held without any feudal personage other than the Holy Roman Emperor having rights on the land. After some time, the family was able to arrange the purchase of the minuscule ''Herrschaft'' ("Lordship") of Schellenberg and county of Vaduz (in 1699 and 1712 respectively) from the Hohenems. Tiny Schellenberg and Vaduz had exactly the political status required: no feudal lord other than their comital sovereign and the suzerain Emperor.

On 23 January 1719, after the lands had been purchased, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, decreed that Vaduz and Schellenberg were united and elevated the newly formed territory to the dignity of ''Fürstentum'' (''principality'') with the name "Liechtenstein" in honour of "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein". It was on this date that Liechtenstein became a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It is a testament to the pure political expediency of the purchases that the Princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot in their new principality for over 120 years.

As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, by 1806 much of the Holy Roman Empire was under the effective control of French emperor Napoleon I. When the empire was dissolved, this had broad consequences for Liechtenstein: imperial, legal and political mechanisms broke down. The state ceased to owe obligations to any feudal lord beyond its borders.

Modern publications generally attribute Liechtenstein's ''sovereignty'' to these events. Its prince ceased to owe obligations to any suzerain. From 25 July 1806 when the Confederation of the Rhine was founded, the Prince of Liechtenstein was a member, in fact a vassal of its hegemon, styled ''protector'', French Emperor Napoleon I, until the dissolution of the confederation on 19 October 1813.

Soon afterward, Liechtenstein joined the German Confederation (20 June 1815 24 August 1866) which was presided over by the Emperor of Austria.

Then, in 1818, Johann I granted the territory a limited constitution. 1818 also saw the first visit of a member of the house of Liechtenstein, Prince Alois; however, the first visit by a sovereign prince would not occur until 1842.

Developments during the 19th century included:

In 1836, the first factory was opened, making ceramics.

In 1861, the Savings and Loans Bank was founded, as was the first cotton-weaving mill.

Two bridges over the Rhine were built in 1868, and in 1872 a railway line across Liechtenstein was constructed.

20th century

Until the end of World War I, Liechtenstein was closely tied first to the Austrian Empire and later to Austria-Hungary; the ruling princes continued to derive much of their wealth from estates in the Habsburg territories, and they spent much of their time at their two palaces in Vienna. The economic devastation caused by this war forced the country to conclude a customs and monetary union with its other neighbour, Switzerland. Liechtenstein's army was disbanded in 1868 for financial reasons.

At the time of the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was argued that Liechtenstein, as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire, was no longer bound to the emerging independent state of Austria, since the latter did not consider itself as the legal successor to the empire. This is partly contradicted by the coeval Liechtenstein perception that the dethroned Austro-Hungarian Emperor still maintained an abstract heritage of the Holy Roman Empire.

In early 1938, just after the annexation of Austria into Greater Nazi Germany, 84 year old Prince Franz I abdicated, naming his 31-year-old third cousin, Prince Franz Joseph, as his successor. His wife Elisabeth von Gutmann, whom he had married in 1929, was a wealthy Jewish woman from Vienna, and local Liechtenstein Nazis had already identified her as their Jewish "problem". Although Liechtenstein had no official Nazi party, a Nazi sympathy movement had been simmering for years within its National Union party.

During World War II, Liechtenstein remained officially neutral, looking to neighboring Switzerland for assistance and guidance, while family treasures within the war zone were taken to Liechtenstein for safekeeping. At the close of the conflict, Czechoslovakia and Poland, acting to seize what they considered to be German possessions, expropriated the entirety of the Liechtenstein dynasty's hereditary lands and possessions in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia – the princes of Liechtenstein lived in Vienna until the Anschluss of 1938. The expropriations (subject to modern legal dispute at the International Court of Justice) included over of agricultural and forest land, and several family castles and palaces.

Citizens of Liechtenstein were forbidden to enter Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. More recently the diplomatic conflict revolving around the controversial post-war Beneš decrees resulted in Liechtenstein not sharing international relations with the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Diplomatic relations were established between Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic on 13 July 2009, and with Slovakia on 9 December 2009.

Liechtenstein gave asylum to about 501 soldiers of the First Russian National Army (a collaborationist Russian force within the German Wehrmacht) at the close of World War II. About 200 of the group somewhat voluntarily agreed to return to the USSR. They departed in a train to Vienna and nothing was ever heard of them again. The remainder stayed in Liechtenstein for another year, resisting with support of Liechtenstein further pressure by the Soviet government to participate in the repatriation program. Eventually the government of Argentina offered asylum, and about a hundred people left. This is commemorated by a monument at the border town of Hinterschellenberg. In contrast, the British and Americans repatriated the Russians who had fought for Germany to the USSR, and many of them perished in the Gulag.

In dire financial straits following the war, the Liechtenstein dynasty often resorted to selling family artistic treasures, including the priceless portrait "Ginevra de' Benci" by Leonardo da Vinci, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Art of the United States in 1967. Liechtenstein prospered, however, during the decades following, as it used its low corporate tax rates to draw many companies to the country.

The Prince of Liechtenstein is the world's sixth wealthiest leader with an estimated wealth of USD $5 billion. The country's population enjoys one of the world's highest standards of living.

Government

Liechtenstein is governed under a Constitutional monarchy. It has a form of mixed constitution, in which power is shared by the monarch and an elected parliament. The Constitution of Liechtenstein was adopted in March 2003, replacing the previous 1921 constitution which had established Liechtenstein as a constitutional monarchy headed by the reigning prince of the Princely House of Liechtenstein. A parliamentary system had been established, although the reigning Prince retained substantial political authority.

The reigning Prince is the head of state and represents Liechtenstein in its international relations (although Switzerland has taken responsibility for much of Liechtenstein's diplomatic relations). The Prince may veto laws adopted by parliament. The Prince can call referendums, propose new legislation, and dissolve parliament, although dissolution of parliament may be subject to a referendum.

Executive authority is vested in a collegiate government comprising the head of government (prime minister) and four government councilors (ministers). The head of government and the other ministers are appointed by the Prince upon the proposal and concurrence of parliament, thus reflecting the partisan balance of parliament. The constitution stipulates that at least two members of the government be chosen from each of the two regions. The members of the government are collectively and individually responsible to parliament; parliament may ask the Prince to remove an individual minister or the entire government.

Legislative authority is vested in the unicameral Landtag made up of 25 members elected for maximum four-year terms according to a proportional representation formula. Fifteen members are elected from the "Oberland" (Upper Country or region) and ten members are elected from the "Unterland" (Lower Country or region). Parties must receive at least 8% of the national vote to win seats in parliament. Parliament proposes and approves a government, which is formally appointed by the Prince. Parliament may also pass votes of no confidence in the entire government or individual members.

Parliament elects from among its members a "Landesausschuss" (National Committee) made up of the president of the parliament and four additional members. The National Committee is charged with performing parliamentary oversight functions. Parliament can call for referendums on proposed legislation. Parliament shares the authority to propose new legislation with the Prince and with the number of citizens required for an initiative referendum.

Judicial authority is vested in the Regional Court at Vaduz, the Princely High Court of Appeal at Vaduz, the Princely Supreme Court, the Administrative Court, and the State Court. The State Court rules on the conformity of laws with the constitution and has five members elected by parliament.

On 1 July 1984, Liechtenstein became the last country in Europe to grant women the right to vote. The referendum on women's suffrage, in which only men were allowed to participate, passed with 51.3% in favor.

New constitution

In a national referendum in March 2003, nearly two-thirds of the electorate voted in support of Hans-Adam II's proposed new constitution to replace the 1921 one. The proposed constitution was criticised by many, including the Council of Europe, as expanding the powers of the monarchy (continuing the power to veto any law, and allowing the Prince to dismiss the government or any minister). The Prince threatened that if the constitution failed, he would, among other things, convert some of the royal property for commercial use and move to Austria. The royal family and the Prince enjoy tremendous public support inside the nation, and the resolution passed with about 64% in favour.

Geography

Liechtenstein is situated in the Upper Rhine valley of the European Alps and is bordered to the east by Austria and to the south and west by Switzerland. The entire western border of Liechtenstein is formed by the Rhine. Measured south to north the country is about long. Its highest point, the Grauspitz, is . Despite its Alpine location, prevailing southerly winds make the climate of Liechtenstein comparatively mild. In winter, the mountain slopes are well suited to winter sports.

New surveys using more accurate measurements of the country's borders in 2006 have set its area at , with borders of . Thus, Liechtenstein discovered in 2006 that its borders are longer than previously thought.

Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world—being a landlocked country wholly surrounded by other landlocked countries (the other is Uzbekistan). Liechtenstein is the sixth-smallest independent nation in the world by land area.

The principality of Liechtenstein is divided into 11 communes called ''Gemeinden'' (singular ''Gemeinde''). The Gemeinden mostly consist only of a single town or village. Five of them (Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Ruggell, and Schellenberg) fall within the electoral district ''Unterland'' (the lower county), and the remainder (Balzers, Planken, Schaan, Triesen, Triesenberg, and Vaduz) within ''Oberland'' (the upper county).

Economy

Despite (or perhaps because of) its limited natural resources, Liechtenstein is one of the few countries in the world with more registered companies than citizens; it has developed a prosperous, highly industrialized free-enterprise economy and boasts a financial service sector as well as a living standard which compares favorably with those of the urban areas of Liechtenstein's large European neighbours.

Very low business taxes (lowest in Europe)—the maximum tax rate is 20%—as well as easy Rules of Incorporation have induced about 73,700 holding (or so-called 'letter box') companies to establish registered offices in Liechtenstein. This provides about 30% of Liechtenstein's state revenue. Liechtenstein also generates revenue from ''Stiftungen'' ("foundations"), which are financial entities created to increase the privacy of nonresident foreigners' financial holdings. The foundation is registered in the name of a Liechtensteiner, often a lawyer.

Recently, Liechtenstein has shown strong determination to prosecute international money-launderers and has worked to promote the country's image as a legitimate finance center. In February 2008, the country's LGT Bank was implicated in a tax-fraud scandal in Germany, which strained the ruling family's relationship with the German government. Crown Prince Alois has accused the German government of trafficking in stolen goods. This refers to its $7.3 million purchase of private banking information illegally offered by a former employee of LGT Group. However, the United States Senate's subcommittee on tax haven banks said that the LGT bank, which is owned by the royal family, and on whose board they serve, "is a willing partner, and an aider and abettor to clients trying to evade taxes, dodge creditors or defy court orders."

Liechtenstein participates in a customs union with Switzerland and employs the Swiss franc as national currency. The country imports about 85% of its energy. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Union) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe. Since 2002, Liechtenstein's rate of unemployment has doubled. In 2008, it stood at 1.5%. Currently, there is only one hospital in Liechtenstein, the Liechtensteinisches Landesspital in Vaduz. The gross domestic product (GDP) on a purchasing power parity basis is $5.028 billion, or $141,100 per person which in the second highest in the world.

Liechtenstein is a large producer of ceramics and is the world's largest producer of sausage casings, potassium storage units and false teeth. Other industries include electronics, textiles, precision instruments, metal manufacturing, power tools, anchor bolts, calculators, pharmaceuticals, and food products. Its most recognizable international company and largest employer is Hilti, a manufacturer of direct fastening systems and other high-end power tools. Liechtenstein produces wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, dairy products, livestock, and wine. Tourism accounts for a large portion of the country's economy.

Taxation

The government of Liechtenstein taxes both personal and business income and principal (wealth). The basic rate of personal income tax is 1.2%. When combined with the additional income tax imposed by the communes, the combined income tax rate is 17.82%. An additional income tax of 4.3% is levied on all employees under the country's social security program. This rate is higher for the self-employed, up to a maximum of 11%, making the maximum income tax rate about 29% in total. The basic tax rate on wealth is 0.06% per annum, and the combined total rate is 0.89%. The maximum business income tax rate is 18–20%.

Liechtenstein's gift and estate taxes vary depending on the relationship the recipient has to the giver and the amount of the inheritance. The tax ranges between 0.5% and 0.75% for spouses and children and 18% to 27% for non-related recipients. The estate tax is progressive.

The 2008 Liechtenstein tax affair is a series of tax investigations in numerous countries whose governments suspect that some of their citizens may have evaded tax obligations by using banks and trusts in Liechtenstein; the affair broke open with the biggest complex of investigations ever initiated for tax evasion in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was also seen as an attempt to put pressure on Liechtenstein, then one of the remaining uncooperative tax havens along with Andorra and Monaco — as identified by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2007. On 27 May 2009 the OECD removed Liechtenstein from the blacklist of uncooperative countries.

In August 2009, the British Government Department, HM Revenue & Customs, agreed with the Alpine tax haven to start exchanging information. It is believed that up to 5,000 British investors have roughly £3 billion stashed in accounts and trusts in the country.

Demographics

Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country of Europe, after Vatican City, Monaco, and San Marino. Its population is primarily Alemannic-speaking, although its resident population is approximately one third foreign-born, primarily German speakers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, other Swiss, Italians, and Turks. Foreign-born people make up two-thirds of the country's workforce.

The official language is German; most speak Alemannic, a dialect of German that is highly divergent from Standard German but closely related to those dialects spoken in neighbouring regions such as Vorarlberg, Austria. In Triesenberg, a dialect promoted by the municipality is spoken. According to the 2000 census, 87.9% of the population is Christian, of whom 78.4% adhere to the Roman Catholic faith, while about 8% are Protestant. Compared to the 1990 census, the percentage of Christians fell, whereas Muslims and the undeclared more than doubled in size. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center report, Muslims constitute approximately 4.8% of the population.

Religion	2000
Catholics	78.4 %
Reformed Church	7.9%
Christian-Orthodox Churches	1.1%
Other Christian Churches	0.4%
Muslims	4.8%
Jews	0.1%
Other religions	0.3%
Undeclared / no religion	7.0 %
Total:	100%

Liechtensteiners have an average life expectancy at birth of 79.68 years (76.1 for males; 83.28 for females). The infant mortality rate is 4.64 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to recent estimates. The literacy rate of Liechtenstein is 100%. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Liechtenstein's education as the 10th best in the world.

Transport

There are about of paved roadway within Liechtenstein, with of marked bicycle paths.

of railway connects Austria and Switzerland through Liechtenstein. The country's railways are administered by the Austrian Federal Railways as part of the route between Feldkirch, Austria, and Buchs, Switzerland. Liechtenstein is nominally within the Austrian Verkehrsverbund Vorarlberg tariff region. There are four stations in Liechtenstein, namely Schaan-Vaduz, Forst Hilti, Nendeln, and Schaanwald, served by an irregularly stopping train service that runs between Feldkirch and Buchs provided by the Austrian Federal Rail Service. While EuroCity and other long distance international trains also travel along the route, they do not normally stop at the stations within the borders of Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein Bus is a subsidiary of the Swiss Postbus system, but separately run, and connects to the Swiss bus network at Buchs and at Sargans. Buses also run to the Austrian town of Feldkirch.

Liechtenstein has no airport; the nearest large airport is Zürich Airport near Zürich, Switzerland. There is a small heliport at Balzers available for chartered helicopter flights.

Culture

As a result of its small size, Liechtenstein has been strongly affected by external cultural influences, most notably those originating in the southern German-speaking areas of Europe, including Austria, Bavaria, Switzerland, and specifically Tirol and Vorarlberg. The "Historical Society of the Principality of Liechtenstein" plays a role in preserving the culture and history of the country.

The largest museum is the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, an international museum of modern and contemporary art with an important international art collection. The building by the Swiss architects Morger, Degelo and Kerez is a landmark in Vaduz. It was completed in November 2000 and forms a "black box" of tinted concrete and black basalt stone. The museum collection is also the national art collection of Liechtenstein.

The other important museum is the Liechtenstein National Museum (''Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum'') showing permanent exhibition on the cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein as well as special exhibitions. There is also a stamp museum and a ski museum.

The most famous historical sites are Vaduz Castle, Gutenberg Castle, the Red House and the ruins of Schellenberg.

Music and theatre are an important part of the culture. There are numerous music organizations such as the Liechtenstein Musical Company, the annual Guitar Days and the International Josef Gabriel Rheinberger Society, which play in two main theatres.

"In all my travels, there is no country better than Liechtenstein, and no music better than that made by Liechtenstein's Lords." - Sir John Mandeville, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

The Private Art Collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, one of the world's leading private art collections, is shown at the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna.

Amateur radio is a hobby of some nationals and visitors. However, unlike virtually every other sovereign nation, Liechtenstein does not have its own ITU Prefix. It uses Switzerland's callsign prefixes (typically "HB") followed by a zero.

Sports

Liechtenstein football teams play in the Swiss football leagues. The Liechtenstein Football Cup allows access for one Liechtenstein team each year to the UEFA Europa League; FC Vaduz, a team playing in the Swiss Challenge League, the second division in Swiss football, is the most successful team in the Cup, and scored their greatest success in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1996 when they tied and defeated the Latvian team FC Universitate Riga by 1–1 and 4–2, to go on to a lucrative fixture against Paris St Germain, which they lost 0–4 and 0–3.

The Liechtenstein national football team is regarded as an easy target for any team drawn against them; this was the basis for a book about Liechtenstein's unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup by British author, Charlie Connelly. In one surprising week during autumn 2004, however, the team managed a 2–2 draw with Portugal, who only a few months earlier had been the losing finalists in the European Championships. Four days later, the Liechtenstein team traveled to Luxembourg, where they defeated the home team 4-0 in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match. In the qualification stage of the European Championship 2008, Liechtenstein beat Latvia 1-0, a result which prompted the resignation of the Latvian coach. They went on to beat Iceland 3-0 on 17 October 2007, which is considered one of the most dramatic losses of the Icelandic national football team. On 7 September 2010, they came within seconds of a famous 1–1 draw against Scotland in Glasgow, having led 1–0 for most of the second half. They lost 2–1 thanks to a Scotland goal by Stephen McManus in the 97th minute. On 3 June 2011, Liechtenstein defeated Lithuania 2-0.

As an alpine country, the main sporting opportunity for Liechtensteiners to excel is in winter sports such as downhill skiing: the country's single ski area is Malbun. Hanni Wenzel won two gold medals and one silver medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics (she won bronze in 1976), and her brother Andreas won one silver medal in 1980 and one bronze medal in 1984 in the giant slalom event. With nine medals overall (all in alpine skiing), Liechtenstein has won more Olympic medals per capita than any other nation. It is the smallest nation to win a medal in any Olympics, Winter or Summer, and the only nation to win a medal in the Winter Games but not in the Summer Games. Other notable skiers from Liechtenstein are Marco Büchel, Willi Frommelt, Paul Frommelt and Ursula Konzett.

Security and defense

The Liechtenstein National Police is responsible for keeping order within the country. It consists of 87 field officers and 38 civilian staff totaling 125 employes. All officers are equipped with small arms. The country has one of the world's lowest crime rates. Liechtenstein's prison holds few, if any, inmates, and those with sentences over two years are transferred to Austrian jurisdiction. The Liechtenstein National Police maintains a trilateral treaty with Austria and Switzerland that enables close cross-border cooperation among the police forces of the three countries.

Liechtenstein follows a policy of neutrality and is one of few countries in the world that maintains no military. The army was abolished soon after the Austro-Prussian War in which Liechtenstein fielded an army of 80 men, although they were not involved in any fighting. The demise of the German Confederation in that war freed Liechtenstein from its international obligation to maintain an army, and parliament seized this opportunity and refused to provide funding for an army. The Prince objected, as such a move would leave the country defenseless, but relented on 12 February 1868 and disbanded the force. The last soldier to serve under the colours of Liechtenstein died in 1939 at age 95. --

References

External links

The Principality of Liechtenstein

The Princely House of Liechtenstein

Statistics Liechtenstein

Parliament

Tourism Liechtenstein

National Art Museum of Liechtenstein

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Coordinates	51°46′18″N5°38′30 }}″N
{{infobox football biography | playername	Alan McInally | image | fullname Alan Bruce McInally | height | dateofbirth February 10, 1963 | cityofbirth Ayrshire | countryofbirth Scotland | currentclub | position Striker (Retired) | youthyears1 | youthclubs1 | years1 1980–1984
years2	1984–1987
years3	1987–1989
years4	1989–1992
years5	1993–1994 | clubs1 Ayr United
clubs2	Celtic
clubs3	Aston Villa
clubs4	Bayern Munich
clubs5	Kilmarnock | caps1 93
caps2	65
caps3	59
caps4	40
caps5	8
caps6	265
goals1	32
goals2	17
goals3	18
goals4	10
goals5	0
goals6	77 | nationalyears1 1989–1990 | nationalteam1 Scotland | nationalcaps1 8
nationalgoals1	3 }}

Alan Bruce McInally (born 10 February 1963, Ayrshire) is a former professional footballer in Scotland, England and Germany. Since retiring from football, he is best known for his work at Sky Sports as a football analyst.

Early life

McInally variously went by the nicknames of Rambo and Big Mac and he is the son of Jackie McInally, who played in Kilmarnock's title-winning side of 1965.

Club career

Ayr United

He began his career with his local side Ayr United, making his debut in the 1980–81 season in the Scottish League Division One. His early style was as a bustling "up and at 'em" type centre forward, and during his time at Ayr, he had the more than respectable goal ratio of almost exactly one in three. A great season in 1983–84, when McInally got his best haul to date of 15 goals in 35 games, earned him a move to Glasgow giants Celtic in the Scottish Premier Division. Strangely, McInally had his best personal season here, while Ayr only survived relegation by one point.

Celtic

With Celtic, he was mainly used as a reserve, but was a respected member of the squad, weighing in with important goals when called upon. He also experienced European football for the first time with Celtic, and even then the continentals found the raw McInally's rough and tumble style hard to counter – indeed, McInally was sent off against Rapid Vienna in the first leg of this soon to be notorious tie, in the European Cup Winners Cup 1984–85. Celtic won the Scottish Cup in 1985, but McInally wasn't involved on the day. He did play in the Scottish League Cup Final in 1986, but was on the losing side as Celtic lost against Rangers.

He won his first medal in the 1985–86 season, when Celtic won the title on goal difference from Heart of Midlothian. Although he played only 16 games (with one goal scored), he was a valued member of the team, getting a more regular place the following season. McInally really came into his own in his third season at the club in 1986–87, scoring 15 goals in his 38 league games. This was his last season at the club, as the new manager Billy McNeil decided to make a clean sweep of the playing staff, and the three main strikers all went abroad – Mo Johnston to Nantes in France, Brian McClair to Manchester United and McInally followed him to England, ending up at Aston Villa, in the Second Division.

Aston Villa

In his first season at Villa, McInally helped them to get promoted back to the top flight, scoring four goals in his 26 league games as Villa finished second behind Millwall, McInally, now used to the rigours of English football, took his game up a level as he added technical finesse to his tough style. He helped Villa survive by netting 14 league goals in his 33 games, scoring 23 goals in all competitions.

Bayern Munich

McInally's form for Aston Villa and Scotland caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich, who were sufficiently impressed by McInally's overall season to bid a record fee for them at the time of £1.2 Million to take McInally to the Bundesliga. The Bayern attack was revamped for this up coming 1989–90 season, with the Yugoslav Radmilo Mihajlović also bought in expensively as Bayern went to defend their Bundesliga crown and make headway in the European Cup.

McInally – now nicknamed Big Mac by the Bayern fans – began well in the Bundesliga, proving a handful for the defences, but then the referees clamped down on his style and his disciplinary record suffered. He was a regular throughout this season, but halfway through, the Bayern management decided that this strikeforce was not what they wanted and began to look for replacements for McInally and Mihajlović. At the end of his first season, McInally helped Bayern to the league title, and scored ten goals in his 31 league games, a respectable tally in his first season abroad. He also helped Bayern to the semi finals of the European Cup, where they fell to AC Milan, despite McInally's goal in the second leg in Munich.

In the 1990–91 season, McInally was now deemed a reserve at Bayern (Mihailjovic had now been sold), but he was regularly given a run out in Europe, where he scored some goals in the early rounds of the European Cup. Bayern were willing to let him go, and Chelsea came in for him, but McInally turned them down, preferring to fight on in Munich. This season, he only played 7 goalless games in the league, and was unable to help Bayern to get past Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup semi final, despite a battering ram cameo performance in the first leg in Munich. This season was effectively McInally's last as a top level professional, as he began to succumb to injury.

McInally only managed two league games for Bayern in the 1991/92 season, before suffering a long term knee injury. This injury ended his time with the German giants, who supported McInally until his contract ran out with them at the end of the 1992–93 season.

Kilmarnock

On the expiry of this contract, and back to a semblance of fitness, McInally returned to Scotland in 1994 and signed for Kilmarnock, a club at which his father Jackie had become a hero by helping them to win the Scottish title in 1965. McInally managed to turn out for Kilmarnock eight times in the 1993–94 season, but failed to score and retired at the end of the season, aged 31, due to an injury.

International career

McInally made his debut in the Scottish national team, in February 1989 in a World Cup qualifier against Cyprus as a substitute, which the Scots won 3–2.

McInally's second cap – his full debut – against Chile in May 1989 resulted in his first goal (the Scots won 2–0).

McInally was still playing well enough to warrant further selections with Scotland on their way to the 1990 World Cup, playing against Yugoslavia and France.

A couple of McInally goals against Malta in a friendly in May 1990 effectively earned McInally a place in the Scotland squad for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. He started the first game against Costa Rica, which was a humiliating 1–0 defeat, McInally failing to make his height and power work against the Costa Rican defence during the 90 minutes. That was the end of McInally's international career. He didn't play in any more of the Scottish games in the World Cup (they went out in the first phase), and indeed never played for Scotland again, finishing with three goals in his eight caps.

Post-retirement

He currently works on Soccer Saturday as a pundit, alongside the likes of Phil Thompson and Jeff Stelling, and contributes to the BETDAQ Exchange Views blog. On 10 February 2007, Jeff Stelling revealed the middle name of Alan McInally, live on Soccer Saturday which prompted Alan to ring in during the commercial break (from home on his birthday) and jokingly vowed to get even with Jeff.

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Scottish footballers Category:Celtic F.C. players Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:Ayr United F.C. players Category:Kilmarnock F.C. players Category:FC Bayern Munich players Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players Category:Scotland international footballers Category:The Football League players Category:Fußball-Bundesliga players Category:Scottish Football League players Category:Scottish expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany

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