News blog about 1. FC Cologne
Curious debut at the age of 36: double honor for the FC world champion
Updated 10/30/2025 – 9:09 amReading time: 24 minutes
1. FC Köln is playing first class again this season. In the news ticker on t-online you will find all the important reports about the “billy goats”.
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Ron-Robert Zieler celebrated a strange debut on Wednesday evening. The 36-year-old was on the pitch for 1. FC Köln at the RheinEnergieStadion for the first time in his career. And this despite the fact that the goalkeeper had come through the Billy Goats’ youth ranks and had already returned to FC on loan for a season in 2020/21.
But Zieler has only played two competitive games for the FC professionals so far: in 2020/21 after coming on as a substitute for Timo Horn in Bremen and at the beginning of this season in the DFB Cup against Jahn Regensburg. Now the home debut in Müngersdorf against FC Bayern: The world champion even led his team onto the pitch as captain because he is also vice-captain behind the regular number one, Marvin Schwäbe. A double honor for the 2014 world champion.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
The fans of 1. FC Cologne greeted the seriously injured Timo Hübers with a banner before the home game against FC Bayern Munich. “Togetherness means that no one is left behind. Fight, Timo!” was written across the entire width of the south curve in the RheinEnergieStadion before the second round game in the DFB Cup began.
Hübers suffered a serious knee injury in the Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, which may have put his career in jeopardy. The 29-year-old underwent surgery on Monday. In addition to greeting Hübers, the Billy Goats players wore special shirts with the number 4, Hübers’ number, to warm up. FC had already done that with Luca Kilian when he tore his cruciate ligament.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
1. FC Cologne is worried about Cenk Özkacar before the home game in the 2nd round of the DFB Cup against FC Bayern Munich. The central defender initially trained with the team on Tuesday, but was then sent for an MRI. “He has a little knee issue,” reported FC coach Lukas Kwasniok at the midday press conference. But he hoped “that Cenk will be in the squad.”
Meanwhile, Timo Hübers survived his knee operation well on Monday. The FC confirmed that the operation was successful. “I had brief contact with him before the operation and offered him that – if he felt like it, had the strength – he could contact me at any time and I would be open to hearing it,” said Kwasniok. “He’s had the operation behind him. Now it’s about looking positively into the future. We know it’s going to be a long, rocky road, but if anyone can do it, it’s Hübi.” The defender will be out for months.