On Friday, SC Paderborn dropped the bomb: With Max Kruse, the second division soccer team signed a real star player and landed what is probably the biggest coup since Stefan Effenberg’s short-term commitment as head coach over seven years ago. In the afternoon, the ex-Bundesliga star appeared on the training ground for the first time.
The “Bild” reported on the first easy exercise session that the 35-year-old completed on Friday afternoon in East Westphalia.
After his previous first-division stints with SV Werder Bremen, 1. FC Union Berlin and most recently VfL Wolfsburg, the attacker now wants to do it again in the 2nd Bundesliga. I’m hungry for success and want to attack with SC Paderborn 07.”
He was accompanied on the training ground by Paderborn’s new assistant coach and long-time player Uwe Hünemeier, who also has a past at Borussia Dortmund.
Max Kruse played over 300 games in the Bundesliga
Hünemeier controlled the former national player’s relaxed and individual training session, which lasted a total of 40 minutes, according to the newspaper report. It was initially about running elements, then some passing and goal-shooting exercises were carried out.
Max Kruse had not played a competitive game since his quarrel with head coach Niko Kovac at VfL Wolfsburg in October 2022 and has kept fit with a private coach in the current calendar year.
Paderborn’s coach Lukas Kwasniok in particular is said to have been directly impressed by the commitment of the 307-time Bundesliga player.
SC Paderborn ended the second division season in sixth place in 2014 and in 2019 the club was promoted to the Bundesliga.