Footballer Ulf Kirsten
GDR legend receives trophy after 35 years
12/27/2025 – 3:16 a.mReading time: 1 min.
The former national player Ulf Kirsten was one of the last GDR footballers of the year. But he had to wait 35 years for the trophy.
It was the turning point year of 1989/1990. The GDR Footballer of the Year will be chosen for the penultimate time. Ulf Kirsten wins the race. But the “Silver Football Boot” is only given to him for the photo. That was common, reports the “Bild” newspaper. Players later received a smaller edition. But Kirsten waited in vain.
“I took a photo when I was presented with the trophy,” remembers Kirsten in “Bild”. “Afterwards they said I would be sent a different version. But it never arrived. At some point I asked again and then it was forgotten.”
But now he has to make room in the trophy cabinet. At the Walter Fritzsch tournament for traditional teams in the Dresden Ballsport Arena, his former teammate Heiko Scholz had a surprise in store. He presented him with a replica of the award in front of 2,500 spectators – 35 years later. Kirsten was visibly overwhelmed. “This is really something very special. A huge surprise that I didn’t expect at all,” he said.
Apparently the Eastern Club’s traditional representative, Jens Genschmar, spared no expense or effort. Together with tournament organizer Niels Grell, he contacted the Dresden University of Fine Arts. Their professor Ulrich Eißner agreed to recreate the trophy. The template was the challenge cup, which was still held by ex-Dresden player Torsten Gütschow. He also has the original because he was the last GDR footballer in 1991.