Under its head coach Steffen Baumgart, 1. FC Köln has developed into one of the hottest clubs in the Bundesliga. The courageous, bold and intense way of playing football in Cologne is not always crowned with success, but demands respect from fans and opponents of the club alike. The trainer at Effzeh has long since become a cult figure himself.
Wearing the flat cap has established itself as Baumgart’s most important trademark, in addition to his permanent loud instructions during the games and the sleeveless outfits even at the lowest winter temperatures.
A real hype has now arisen around the cathedral city around the fashion accessory. As the Bundesliga bottom reported, 6,500 of the hats have already been sold in the 1. FC Köln fan shop. Another 7000 units have already been ordered.
Especially crazy: the flat cap has been available in the Cologne range for years. Until the Baumgart hype, however, a maximum of 500 pieces per year were sold, as reported by “Sport Bild”.
“I’ve never experienced that an article apart from the jerseys and especially the limited carnival jerseys is in such high demand,” said FC Managing Director Alexander Wehrle to the specialist magazine.
Crazy swap with Manuel Neuer from FC Bayern
In the meantime, the Baumgart caps are sold to Effzeh fans even more often than the jerseys worn by Cologne snapper Anthony Modeste.
A crazy development that didn’t even stop at the German record champions FC Bayern. The photo of the scene in which Bayern captain Manuel Neuer swapped his jersey for a flat cap with Baumgart after the league game at 1. FC Köln (4-0) was clicked millions of times on social media.
The sporting development should not be ignored in all the hype about Cologne’s new cult coach. After the 20th matchday, Effzeh is currently only two points short of a place in the European Cup.