Goalkeeper Vitus Eicher came to the Sechzgern from FC Langengeisling, with 1. FC Heidenheim he finally became 2nd Bundesliga team.
In the district he is among the top 100 athletes of all time.
Erding
- “My path was actually mapped out,” says Vitus Eicher, meaning that he would one day become a goalkeeper.
After all, his father Manfred was number one in the goal of FC Langengeisling for years, was one of the best keepers in the wide area during the district league - at that time the fifth highest league - and was in the Upper Bavaria selection several times.
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"I always watched and then at some point I went in the gate," explains Vitus Eicher.
The now 30-year-old came to the two-tier club 1. FC Heidenheim via FCL and TSV 1860 Munich, where he has been under contract since 2017.
His start in the FCL gate is bumpy.
"I did so badly at an F-youth indoor tournament that coach Dieter Prechtl changed me," remembers Vitus Eicher.
But then he becomes a first-class support in the team in the F and E youth.
not least because he gets additional training units from Adi Maier.
In 2000, Eicher won the district final of the Merkur CUP with the FCL E-Jugend - and was discovered by the TSV 1860 Munich scouts at the district final.
In the U 10, the Geislinger moves to the Munich team and is supported by the family.
Parents and grandparents take him alternately to training and games on Grünwalder Straße.
When he was 15 years old, he attended school in Taufkirchen near Munich, where many athletes are taught.
Champion in the B-Youth Bayern League
"It was all very exhausting in terms of effort," remembers Vitus Eicher.
“But it was such a great time and I got to know an incredible number of people.” His teammates in the Löwen junior team include Christopher Schindler (now Huddersfield Town), Tobias Strobl and Florian Niederlechner (both FC Augsburg), and as him In the senior year, the Bender twins (Bayer Leverkusen) and the long-time Löwen midfield ace Timo Gebhart help out.
He achieved his greatest success with the B 2 juniors: "We became U16 champions in the U17 Bavarian League." The Langengeislinger describes the many tournaments that we played abroad as further highlights of his early career in Löwen to have".
Vitus Eicher then went on to be a goalkeeper in the Junior Bundesliga for three years.
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Once a lion, always a lion: Vitus Eicher (left) in conversation with EA / DA editor Wolfgang Krzizok.
© lilpics
When the young lad was supposed to join the armed forces, he decided to do community service, which he completed in the TSV 1860's youth training center.
"I was responsible for the boarding school and was a girl for everything on the club premises," he remembers.
“I didn't have a driver's license, so my mom always drove me to the train station at 5 a.m., from there I took the S-Bahn to Munich, because at 6 a.m. I had to do that for the boys from the boarding school - including Kevin Volland Prepare breakfast. ”And of course he also trains“ on the side ”, moves up to the U23, which plays in the regional league, and belongs to the extended professional squad of the then second division team.
His rivals are Philipp Tschauner, who is the second goalkeeper for the pros, and Björn Bussmann.
“He came from England as a highly praised talent,” recalls Eicher, who prevailed in the internal duel.
When Tschauner leaves, Eicher can get a taste of the professional squad, is now officially the third goalkeeper behind Gabor Kiraly and Timo Ochs and sits on the second division bench for the first time in December 2011 against Karlsruher SC.
With the U 23 Eicher gets the captain's armband.
“After four match days I already had four yellow cards,” he says with a laugh.
"I first had to learn that you shouldn't approach the referee like that." He received the fifth yellow card in the derby against FC Bayern 2: "I messed with a player."
In April 2012, the then 21-year-old signed his first professional contract - and experienced a real career highlight.
Coach Rainer Maurer puts him in goal on the penultimate matchday at Eintracht Frankfurt, which has already been promoted to the Bundesliga.
“That was on April 29th, I remember that,” he says proudly.
"That was cool and simply sensational - in front of 54,000 spectators." What is even more sensational: The lions win 2-0 and Eicher is named "Player of the Game" by the specialist magazine Kicker.
Backup for Gabor Kiraly
When Timo Ochs leaves Munich, Eicher is number two behind Gabor Kiraly.
“We were roommates - that was a very special guy, but really nice,” Eicher remembers.
"I was able to learn a lot of little things from him." He admired "the suck-my-ass mentality and the experience" of the Hungarian.
What he also remembered positively: "He never treated me from above and never let me feel that I was the boy."
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In the regional league, however, things are going perfectly for Geislinger, who in 2013 was even nominated for “Goal of the Month” April.
In the game against TSV Buchbach, the keeper hits a wide ball over around 70 meters forward, Buchbach's goalkeeper Florian Preusser calculates the shot incorrectly, and the leather jumps over him into the goal.
“The nice thing about it was that I have a lot of guys in the Buchbach team and that it just happened against them.
It's perfect for winding up - it couldn't be better, ”he says with a laugh.
“I always told them that it was on purpose because I saw that Flo was too far in front of his goal, but actually I just wanted to play a long ball on our striker.” Bastian Schweinsteiger was ultimately the goal scorer of the month.
“I didn't have a chance, there were four professional goals, mine was recorded with a mobile phone camera,” says Eicher.
The season itself comes to a bitter end.
TSV 1860 2 becomes regional league champion and is in the promotion games to the 3rd league.
The opponent is SV Elversberg.
In Saarland, the lions lose 2: 3.
“That was stupid, because we were the better team,” Eicher looks back.
In the second leg in the Allianz Arena in front of 15,000 spectators, the clear game-determining Lions lead 1-0, that would be enough for promotion, but shortly before the end Elversberg succeeds 1: 1.
"That was such a shame because we really had a good team back then," said Eicher, mourning this great opportunity.
"Brutal blow on the neck"
After a year as number two behind Kiraly, Eicher has “the most formative and extreme season 2014/15, because everything was turned upside down”.
Gerhard Poschner comes as the sports director, who installs Ricardo Moniz as trainer.
His predecessor (and later successor) Markus von Ahlen brought goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from Bielefeld, "and I found out from the newspaper that I should be loaned out," Eicher looks back.
Nevertheless, he is fully committed to the lions and delivers first-class preparation.
"When I left for Kaiserslautern at the start of the season, I put my bag in the luggage compartment and got on the bus. I was told that I should get off because the club had different ideas," said Eicher, describing one of the worst moments of his Career: "That was a brutal blow in the neck, I never expected that."
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It was a long, long time ago: Vitus Eicher (center) as goalkeeper in the Löwen youth team with Florian Niederlechner (left) and Christopher Schindler (with microphone).
© Private
The icing on the cake in a “shitty year”, according to Eicher, is then the so-called “taxi affair”.
“The way we were treated at the time was absolutely unfair,” he says.
On Monday after the embarrassing 0: 3 against RB Leipzig, Eicher goes on tour with his teammates Daniel Adlung, Yannick Stark and Julian Weigel.
“We had the next day off and ran through Munich,” recalls Eicher.
A taxi driver reports to the Löwen officials the next day and says that four of his guests had made derogatory comments about 1860.
Sports director Gerhard Poschner then suspended the players who were temporarily “transferred” to the amateurs.
“We did not express ourselves disparagingly,” asserts Eicher.
“We were the pawn sacrifice.
So then nobody talked about the bad game against Leipzig. "
In the following season, however, the tide turned - initially.
Markus von Ahlen will be retired as coach for the second time in February 2015 and this time will be replaced by Torsten Fröhling.
The first game after the winter break is against FC St. Pauli.
At the meeting two hours before kick-off, the Löwen coach stated: "Vitus is playing!" Ortega is now number two, but there are no trench warfare between the keepers.
“Our relationship was characterized by rivalry, but it was good,” Eicher describes the situation.
"We are still in contact today."
Relegation in front of 57,000 spectators
At the end of the second division season, TSV 1860 is on the relegation place and has to fight against Holstein Kiel to stay in the league.
The game in the far north ends 0-0, with 57,000 spectators in the Munich arena for the second leg.
Kiel takes the lead early (16th), the lions equalize through Daniel Adlung (78th).
With a fantastic save in the 87th minute, Vitus Eicher keeps his team in the game, and when Kai Bülow scores 2-1 in added time, relegation is assured.
“That was the highlight, it was all worth it, you don't experience that very often in your footballing life,” enthuses the Geislinger.
“Everyone who has been to the stadium, including my entire family, will never forget that atmosphere.
To play such a game for the club I love - I still get goose bumps today. "
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Anyone who thinks that the TSV 1860 will calm down is mistaken.
"In the end it couldn't work because we had too many groups in the team and too many dissatisfied people," says Eicher in retrospect.
"Once there were all the Spaniards that Poschner had brought in, who were actually really nice, good guys, then there were the other newcomers and finally the long-time residents who felt they were no longer needed." not one, and a lively "coach-change-yourself game" begins: When Fröhling is released, Benno Möhlmann comes for six months, followed by interim coaches Daniel Bierofka and Denis Bushuev from his own staff for one month, followed by Costa Runjaic, who has to leave after four months.
Bierofka and Bushuev step in again for a short time until Vitor Pereira arrives in January 2017 (who is released after only four months).
“That January was actually the low point.
In terms of behavior, what happened there was in the bottom drawer ”, Eicher comments critically.
With Jan Zimmermann there is a new goalkeeper, and Vitus Eicher is only number three with the Lions after 16 years.
Second division 1. FC Heidenheim knocks.
Once a lion, always a lion
“The Löwen officials have made no move to extend my stay or even talk to me.
No coach, sports director or president was approachable. ”Eicher signs with Heidenheim during the lion training camp in Troia, Portugal - and then has to pay for the flight home out of his own pocket.
Does he still feel anything for the lions after this bitter parting?
"The farewell hurt terribly," admits the keeper.
“But my heart still beats for the blues.
You were born with that - you will not get by. "
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Merkur CUP district final winner in 2000: FC Langengeisling with (back, from left) Marc Pointner, Burim Cakolli, Benedikt Schimschal, Daniel Ackermann, Markus Linz, Andreas Rauscher and (front, from left) Christoph Ranninger, Martin Linz, Vitus Eicher, Philipp Pfeiffer and trainer Manfred Eicher.
© Private
With Heidenheim Vitus Eicher is opening a new chapter in his footballer's life.
In terms of environment, “the exact opposite pole to the lions.
Just the fact that Frankie Schmidt has always been the same coach on the sidelines since 2007. "He is happy that he took this step," even if - to be honest - I had slightly different expectations and would like to see more appearances.
Geislinger cannot ignore number one, Kevin Müller.
"But I still enjoy it, the mentality and atmosphere are great, and it's honest football that is played here."
Although he is “only” number two, “I have the feeling that I am an important part of the team”.
The relationship between the two goalkeepers is good, "and I've already had cool experiences".
As an example, the 30-year-old cites the most recent Bundesliga relegation against Werder Bremen, where Heidenheim only failed because of fewer away goals (0-0, 2-2).
Twelve years in league two?
Vitus Eicher is particularly pleased that the club is offering him a contract extension until 2023, which he accepts immediately.
“For me that was a great sign of the appreciation that I enjoy here, and it shows me that they are super satisfied with me.
And if I fulfill the contract, then I'll be under contract in the second division for a total of twelve years, and I think that is impressive. "
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The 30-year-old is far from thinking about quitting.
“I'm in the prime goalkeeping age and have been injured so far,” the 30-year-old stated.
He sends a big compliment to his family, who have always supported him.
Above all, Mama Bärbel, father Manfred and Grandpa Sepp had "neither praised nor criticized him", which he always appreciated, "because as a goalkeeper you know whether you played a good or bad game".
Vitus Eicher does not want to say who has been his best or worst coach so far.
Only one thing: "The trainer who scolded me the most was Dieter Prechtl."
Wolfgang Krzizok
You can find more portraits from our series on our overview page.
