DFB.de regularly features a Germany international who is likely to have a special weekend for one reason or another. Today it's the turn of Max Kruse ahead of Borussia Mönchengladbach's trip to Hamburg (Sunday, 15:30 CET). The attacker is heading to his hometown for the match.
Gladbach played well, got a lot of things right and created chances. Nevertheless, Thursday night ended in disappointment. Sevilla grabbed a 70th minute winner in the first-leg of their Europa League clash. Gladbach failed to take their chances and have an uphill task ahead of them.
The Gladbach players struggled to come to terms with the result. “Football isn’t always fair,” commented Christoph Kramer. “We deserved to draw at least. We did a lot of what we aimed to do: We kept possession well and dominated despite the atmosphere. Unfortunately, we failed to take our chances and conceded an unnecessary goal.”
Gladbach need to clear their heads now and focus on the next challenge awaiting. Perhaps it will be a little easier to do so for Max Kruse. It’s a trip down memory lane for him. When Borussia travel to Hamburg on Sunday (15:30 CET) Kruse will be heading home. The city brings back many happy memories, including his his first steps as a footballer for TSV Reinbek and SC Vier- und Marschlande, the birth of his son and participating in the Hamburg triathlon.
Roy Präger is his role model
Kruse was born and bred near the Alster River. He knows the area inside out but he knows the stadium especially well. Many of his memories start their: He often visited as a little boy and he claims his heart had the shape of the HSV diamond. He especially admired Roy Präger. Kruse's most treasured possession was his Präger shirt, which he rarely took off. What did he find so fascinating about his role model? “He had a great right foot and was a free kick specialist. I loved his playing style,” explained Kruse.
It’s no surprise that Kruse was wearing that very Präger shirt on 13th September 2000 when Juventus visited the Volksparkstadion for a Champions League fixture. It was Hamburg’s return to the international stage, 17 years after beating the Italians 1-0 in the European Cup winners’ Cup final. The glorious return turned out to be a true thriller. Hamburg were 3-1 but fought backto lead 4-3. However, a late Inzaghi penalty broke Kruse’s diamond-shaped heart. “It was an unforgettable experience for everyone,” Kruse remembered.
15 years on, little boys wear shirts with Kruse’s name on the back and he has become a role model to kids. After stints with Werder Bremen and St. Pauli, he moved to Freiburg, where he developed into the footballer that he is and got his first international call-up. He’s a a Gladbach star now but Kruse hasn’t forgotten what he dreamed of as a boy. One day he’d like to play for Hamburg. He dreamed of playing for them, while he was wearing the shirt of city rivals St. Pauli and he still had his mind on Hamburg, when he moved to Freiburg. Even after signing for Borussia, he made no secret of the fact that Hamburg is still in his heart. “Of course it’s my dream to play for Hamburg one day,” he said. However, he added that this would happen in the “distant future”, because he’s “very happy at Gladbach.”
DFB.de regularly features a Germany international who is likely to have a special weekend for one reason or another. Today it's the turn of Max Kruse ahead of Borussia Mönchengladbach's trip to Hamburg (Sunday, 15:30 CET). The attacker is heading to his hometown for the match.
Gladbach played well, got a lot of things right and created chances. Nevertheless, Thursday night ended in disappointment. Sevilla grabbed a 70th minute winner in the first-leg of their Europa League clash. Gladbach failed to take their chances and have an uphill task ahead of them.
The Gladbach players struggled to come to terms with the result. “Football isn’t always fair,” commented Christoph Kramer. “We deserved to draw at least. We did a lot of what we aimed to do: We kept possession well and dominated despite the atmosphere. Unfortunately, we failed to take our chances and conceded an unnecessary goal.”
Gladbach need to clear their heads now and focus on the next challenge awaiting. Perhaps it will be a little easier to do so for Max Kruse. It’s a trip down memory lane for him. When Borussia travel to Hamburg on Sunday (15:30 CET) Kruse will be heading home. The city brings back many happy memories, including his his first steps as a footballer for TSV Reinbek and SC Vier- und Marschlande, the birth of his son and participating in the Hamburg triathlon.
Roy Präger is his role model
Kruse was born and bred near the Alster River. He knows the area inside out but he knows the stadium especially well. Many of his memories start their: He often visited as a little boy and he claims his heart had the shape of the HSV diamond. He especially admired Roy Präger. Kruse's most treasured possession was his Präger shirt, which he rarely took off. What did he find so fascinating about his role model? “He had a great right foot and was a free kick specialist. I loved his playing style,” explained Kruse.
It’s no surprise that Kruse was wearing that very Präger shirt on 13th September 2000 when Juventus visited the Volksparkstadion for a Champions League fixture. It was Hamburg’s return to the international stage, 17 years after beating the Italians 1-0 in the European Cup winners’ Cup final. The glorious return turned out to be a true thriller. Hamburg were 3-1 but fought backto lead 4-3. However, a late Inzaghi penalty broke Kruse’s diamond-shaped heart. “It was an unforgettable experience for everyone,” Kruse remembered.
15 years on, little boys wear shirts with Kruse’s name on the back and he has become a role model to kids. After stints with Werder Bremen and St. Pauli, he moved to Freiburg, where he developed into the footballer that he is and got his first international call-up. He’s a a Gladbach star now but Kruse hasn’t forgotten what he dreamed of as a boy. One day he’d like to play for Hamburg. He dreamed of playing for them, while he was wearing the shirt of city rivals St. Pauli and he still had his mind on Hamburg, when he moved to Freiburg. Even after signing for Borussia, he made no secret of the fact that Hamburg is still in his heart. “Of course it’s my dream to play for Hamburg one day,” he said. However, he added that this would happen in the “distant future”, because he’s “very happy at Gladbach.”
Kruse has never lost against his favourite team
Apart from the defeat to Sevilla, Kruse and Gladbach are in a good run of form and may still qualify for the Champions League. On Sunday, the odds are in their favour once more. Hamburg lost 8-0 in Munich last weekend and Gladbach are in great shape, especially Kruse, who emerged victorious from the derby against Cologne last weekend, before winning a televised poker game against German TV show host Stefan Raab and four other celebrity guests.
Gladbach are the clear favourites to win in Hamburg and that can partially be credited to Kruse, who has been a thorn in the side of his boyhood club recently. He has never lost to his favourite team, but beaten them five times and drawn twice – Kruse was a bit shocked when he was confronted with those numbers. Usually, he’s never shy of a witty a reply, but he had to give it a pass this time. “I really don’t know why I’ve got such a good record against Hamburg,” he admitted.
