Kreisliga comeback
Ex-96 captain Halstenberg is back on the lawn
10.08.2025 – 5:48 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Former soccer player Marcel Halstenberg is now running for his youth club Germania Grasdorf. In his debut, he directly converted a penalty.
A few weeks after his end of his career as a professional, Marcel Halstenberg gave his comeback in the district league on Sunday. The 33-year-old ran for his former youth club Germania Grasdorf near Hanover. In the first game of the season against SV Weetzen, he celebrated his debut in subclass football.
Halstenberg scored his first goal after 20 minutes. The ex-professional safely converted a penalty. Although he used to play as a central defender, he was now used in the offensive midfield. He kept his number 23.
The prominent player’s appearance attracted more than 400 spectators. Usually only about 100 fans follow the games in Grasdorf, a district of the city of Laatzen on the edge of Hanover.
Halstenberg only ended his professional career at the second division Hannover 96 in May. The defender completed 165 first division and 138 second division games. He played for RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli, among others. With Leipzig, the nine-time German international won the DFB Cup in 2022 and 2023.