To paraphrase Rudi Völler, I would say: anyone who leaves Union Berlin in this situation has never loved football!
By Alfred Draxler
Max Kruse (33) just left the field. Abandoned club, team-mates and fans mid-season. He is now playing for the VfL Wolfsburg factory club.
Ironically, he does that to Union! The club that, along with SC Freiburg, gives us football fans the nice residual belief that money doesn’t decide everything. That there are always other ways to be successful. With hard, honest work and expertise.
In the third year in the Bundesliga, Union is in a Champions League place. Next season, the “Iron” might play against Real or Liverpool. And victory in the DFB Cup is still possible. A home game against St. Pauli was drawn for the quarter-finals.
Kruse helped. With 16 league goals and ten assists in a year and a half. Union President Dirk Zingler says smugly: “If he consciously decides against the chance to make history this season, we accept that.”
At least he’s honest, Max Kruse. You have to give him credit for that. He only cares about coal! He asks for your understanding that he is accepting an offer that is “long-term and highly remunerated”. Supposedly he collects 3.8 million in Wolfsburg, allegedly twice as much.
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In a mercenary force he would be a general. He now has eight transfers in 14 career years. He came with big words (“I listened to my heart”) and was quickly gone. He only stayed a year at many clubs. As with his first Wolfsburg station in 2015/16. He writes about his old and new sponsors: “An association in which I still have a chapter open.” The common history is not over yet.
Of course, what he means by that remains unclear. Perhaps the €75,000 he allegedly left in a cab early in the morning after a night of poker hasn’t turned up yet. Jogi Löw deleted him from the national team squad a little later.
And the rich VfL Wolfsburg? Wrong decisions and an obviously overwhelmed coach have led the club to the brink of relegation. Now a suitcase full of money from VW is supposed to rip everything out again.
The “Süddeutsche” calls Max Kruse, who can now take advantage of this situation, “cunning”. That may be so. I too know the rules of professional football. I’m not a dreamer. And nothing about this transfer is illegal.
It’s this kiss-my-ass mentality towards clubs and fans that makes people sad and angry. Because if only the money counts and nothing else, football will be ruined.