By Kevin Schwank
Max Kruse (34) knows the German national team.
Before the start of the World Cup, the striker blurted out that some of our 2014 world champions had several girlfriends at the same time. Now the ex-Wolfsburger, who has been without a club since Monday, shoots in his podcast with comedian Oliver Pocher (44) against the entire DFB and national coach Hansi Flick (57).
National coach Hansi Flick Photo: AFP
Ex-national player (14 appearances/4 goals) Max Kruse: “It’s been like this for years and it’s not changing now. It doesn’t matter as much whether you’re in the juice or not, but rather the CV you have in the national team.”
The trigger for Kruse’s displeasure is the low deployment time of the in-form Frankfurt star Mario Götze (30/11 minutes so far) and the joker role of Bremen attacker Niclas Füllkrug (29/two substitutions, one goal) at the current Winter World Cup in Qatar.
Especially with “Fülle” Kruse calls for a starting eleven against Costa Rica for Thursday: “If not now, then when?”
Third international match, second goal: Niclas Füllkrug celebrates his important goal to make it 1-1 against Spain Photo: picture alliance/ AP
Incidentally, VfL Wolfsburg also asked themselves this question and managed (finally) to “amicably” terminate the contract with Kruse that ran until the end of the season. For this, last year’s Olympic participant received over one million euros in severance pay.
“I’ve been officially unemployed since Monday,” says Kruse. “An interesting feeling.” But nothing really new.
Even as a VfL employee, he compared himself to the unemployed during his injury break: “If you’re unemployed in quotation marks or you’re no longer needed in your job, it’s not easy for one or the other.”
After his contract was terminated, he also railed against the VfL bosses: “It was the same people who got me back then, who of course have now made the decision not to continue planning with me. But that’s just the way it is. You have to accept that.”
This means Wolfsburg’s managing director Jörg Schmadtke (58) and sports director Marcel Schäfer (38).
Kruse, on the other hand, has nice words for the VfL supporters: “The fans have always supported me. So I can’t blame the fans for that. Thank you for all the support I have received. But it is time for a new chapter.”