Top clubs chased him, but Chris Rickhoff again chose a club with intact club life
Finsing - FC Finsing still has six games to play in the District League North.
He would have to catch up 14 points to at least reach the relegation place.
In other words: The relegation for the club, which has only won once in the previous 24 games, is certain.
That's why Christian Rickhoff can already switch to SV Anzing with a clear conscience. As reported, the 30-year-old will be the player-coach for the Ebersberg district league team.
This was actually planned for the summer of this year, says Rickhoff.
But then the corona crisis intervened.
“I wanted to finish the district league round with Finsing,” he explained.
The Plieninger has been playing there for eight years now, has scored the club with his goals in the district league, has been assistant coach there in recent years - first at Thomas Eckmüller's side, then with Bernd Häfele.
But then the series of bankruptcies continued after the restart.
At most, nerdy probability calculators doubt the descent.
That's why he decided to take the next step now.
The Finsinger club management have already tried to keep their top striker until the end of the season.
"But you understand my decision."
The FCF made this clear in a statement.
“Of course we're not happy that Christian is leaving us for winter.
For years he was one of the players who was largely responsible for the athletic advancement of FC Finsing. ”On the other hand, there are situations in which a sporting change represents an important step towards personal development.
“Of course we don't want to put any obstacles in the way of such a deserving player.
We wish him a lot of fun and success in his new role.
The doors at FC Finsing are always open to him, ”says board member Robert Hartmann.
Christian Rickhoff and his brother Markus are emblematic of the upswing at FC Finsing in recent years.
The team rose to the district league twice.
The first time it went straight back to the district league.
After the second promotion, the FC played a furious preliminary round.
For a long time Rickhoff was the top scorer in the district league, had numerous offers from other clubs, but always remained loyal to the Finsinger.
Why?
“Because it is important to me that the club life is right.
I want to play soccer.
But I would like to sit down with the boys after the final whistle or after training and have a beer. ”The sporty and the social - at FC Finsing it worked.
And it's no surprise that that's why he ended up in Anzing.
“This is an association with a similar structure,” explains Rickhoff.
A team with 13, 14 players from their own town - he would prefer that to a thrown together pile, in which there might be a few better kickers.
His new club has development potential, the 30-year-old, who got his B license this year, is sure of that.
Since it is his first official coaching station, he is happy that the change can now take place in winter.
“This gives us a six-month introductory phase.
We just have to make sure that we don't slip back in the table and have nothing to do with relegation. "
And then?
Does the SVA want to go up with the district league scorer?
“As a footballer, of course, I always want to be promoted.
But no, advancement at any price is not the aim of Anzinger, "replies Rickhoff.
The club is much more about establishing the young team, which consists of many locals, in the district league.
In the medium term, the relegation battle should no longer be an issue.
"We want to keep looking up," said Rickhoff.
“But there is no pressure to land on one or two,” Success on the pitch, fun in the third half - that was the case in Finsing for many years.
This is how it should be in Anzing.
“In the future I will have as far to the training ground as before.
Now I'm just going in the other direction, ”he says with a laugh.
It has not yet been clarified who Rickhoff's successor will be the playing assistant coach in Finsing.
"We will have initial talks as soon as possible," says the FC statement.