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Goal from the stands: Frida McQueen Grosskreutz, the fan-player who moved Dortmund
He did not miss a game of the team from the age of 4, linked the club to the fans and arranged for Borussia's new players tours around the city.
On the way he won two championships, reached the Champions League final and lifted the World Cup.
The story of one of the most romantic figures in football - despite the damaged image
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Kevin Grosskreutz
Borussia Dortmund
Michael Yochin
Friday, January 29, 2021, 5:00 p.m.
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"What happens if it turns out that your son is a fan of Schalke?"
Kevin Grosskreutz was once asked.
"I will give it up for adoption," he replied without hesitation, causing quite a bit of media uproar.
That was a heartfelt statement from a scorched Dortmund fan, and she defines it well.
Borussia has never had a player who lives and breathes the club like Grosskreutz.
The famous yellow wall did not just feel like it was one of their own.
He truly was one of their own.
He grew up with them.
This is a family of Dortmund fans for at least four generations.
Grandpa did not miss games, and so did Dad Martin who took the little offspring to his first game at Westphalenstadion at the age of four.
Kevin remembers the date well - April 3, 1993. Borussia defeated Cologne 1: 4 from goals by Michael Zurk and Stefan Spoza, and a pair by Matthias Zammer who still played as a midfielder, immediately after the move from Inter.
The first visit was crowned with dizzying success, and since then Grosskreutz has gone to every game.
To travel to the away games, he brought teachers at the school special notes from his father.
Football was most important of all, and the love for the game was total.
If by chance the training in the Kminghausen children's group was canceled due to stormy weather, Quinn burst into tears - then went to kick the ball near the house anyway, alone in the puddles, soaked in water.
And every Christmas he asked his parents for just one gift - a new Borussia shirt.
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Total fan.
Grosskreutz (Photo: GettyImages, Kaz Photography)
First a fan, then an actor
How great was Kevin's joy when he was admitted to Dortmund's academy at the age of 14. How great was his disappointment when he was thrown out of it a year later, because he was not effective enough as a central striker.
The coaches thought he was incapable of producing valley situations for himself and informed him that he would not be able to succeed as a professional.
So the heartbroken Grosskreutz migrated to little Alan.
And maybe even there he was initially placed in the edge, and even scored 14 goals in a single game that he defines to this day as the best in his life, but later shifted to a much more suitable position in the wing.
In 2006 he was promoted to the seniors, and already in his second season he was the main star in Allen's promotion to the second division.
In 2008/09, along with his new friend Marco Royce, also a Dortmund academy refugee, he made an even more positive impression.
And throughout this period he continued to be first and foremost a Dortmund fan.
Grosskreutz went with Dad to the yellow wall in every home game, and tried very hard to be present in all the away games as well.
Sometimes he came back exhausted and tired on Saturdays ahead of the Sunday games, and the coaches forbade him to visit the Dortmund games, but he just did not listen.
With all due respect to his career on the grass, his love for Borussia was most important to him.
One can only imagine what went through his mind when Jürgen Klopp contacted him.
The conversation with him ended in tears of happiness.
Celebrates Championship with Jürgen Klopp (Photo: GettyImages, Christof Koepsel)
Summer vacation with the youth group
Grosskreutz accepted the coveted offer as early as 2009. He had direct conversations with the young boss of the yellow-blacks, who only then began the construction of his dream staff, and the possibility of joining him caused the young midfielder to shed tears of happiness.
Skeptics claimed he would be sent to the reserve team, but Kevin stated: "I will fight and do everything to prove myself."
and so it was.
Already in his first season he was an anchor in Klopp's plans.
In a short time it was impossible to imagine the array without it.
And perhaps the pure talent was not divine, but no one could compete with Grosskreutz when it came to passion.
The ardent fans, who knew him personally, were in the clouds - and he continued to celebrate with them the victories after the games.
And there was something to celebrate.
In his second season, Grosskreutz contributed eight goals and seven assists en route to a sensational championship.
In 2011/12 he had a similar personal balance on the way to a historic double.
And guess how he took advantage of the vacation after that grueling season?
Grosskreutz joined the training camp of the boys' team up to the age of 15 because the coach was his best friend.
"I want to help our young people. I will be there, and I hope they will not hesitate to ask questions and ask for advice. I promised them I would do it, and this is not the first time. I enjoy traveling with them and seeing how they get better," he explained.
Linking Link (Photo: GettyImages, Lars Baron)
Renault sleeps with a Dortmund scarf
Yes, to a large extent he was already then a mentor.
He also served as the fan representative within the team because he knew exactly the requirements of the crowd - he was a part of it.
"Kevin conveys to us the messages from the stands," Klopp said.
At the same time, he was also responsible for the integration of young actors, with an emphasis on foreigners.
When the Japanese Shinji Kagawa landed straight from Osaka in 2010, Grosskreutz made a tour around the city in his old Renault car with a Dortmund scarf in the rear window.
Henrich Mahitrian also received a similar tour after signing in 2013.
The Armenian then joined a team that qualified for the Champions League final, and was not far from winning.
Grosskreutz was a key player in the magical journey and completed 90 minutes at Wembley against Bayern.
The following season, he even scored the late Marseille victory, in the final round of the home leg, which dramatically lifted Borussia to the last eight - and more from the right-back position.
Because in 2013 Klopp chose to deflect him to the defense, and the result exceeded all expectations.
With a high percentage of successful tackles and plenty of sacrifice along the wing, Grosskreutz has adapted great in a lesser-known role.
In fact, he just made quite a few holes when required, and showed extraordinary flexibility.
Some saw him as a not very intelligent player, and there is something in this claim, but his ability to understand the tactical subtleties in the various positions was impressive.
Grosskreutz helped him adapt.
Kagawa in Dortmund uniform (Photo: Reuters)
Crashed without Klopp
This is also the reason why Yogi Lev included him in the squad for the 2014 World Cup. Grosskreutz, who had only six international appearances, was not really destined for the squad, but was a backup for a wide range of roles.
In the end, he was not even a second on the grass in Brazil, but came back with the gold medal.
The satisfaction received by the fans in the yellow wall was even greater compared to the winning goal of the "traitor" Mario Getze in the final against Argentina.
He was the most authentic actor imaginable.
Therefore, for the people of Borussia the crash was painful and frustrating.
Here you can list all the yellow headlines Grosskreutz has made in the last six years, but it's boring.
Since Klopp left Dortmund in 2015, his outstanding apprentice has also left - and found himself nowhere.
At first there was talk of the possibility of reuniting with maestro Banfield, but the reality was 180 degrees different.
Bizarre fights, scandals and conflicts accompanied his rapid deterioration.
This week, several months after leaving Ordingen from the third division, he officially announced his retirement at the age of 32. Once, when he was in all his glory in Borussia, he expressed a wish to hang up his 35-year-old shoes in the yellow-and-black uniform, then return straight to the stands.
The first part of the dream did not come true, but the second part is definitely relevant.
Grosskreutz is back to being a fan.
The happiest moment in his career, followed by skydiving.
After winning the World Cup (Photo: GettyImages, Laurence Griffiths)
Signed in the sixth division until 2023
In the end, it turned out that Grosskreutz is not retiring either, but is just leaving professional football.
As early as Wednesday, the former world champion signed a contract until 2023 with the Bobbinghausen team from the suburbs of Dortmund, a few kilometers from his home.
"I started on ash courts, and so I want to finish. My childhood friend, with whom I went to kindergarten, plays there now. We went a long way together, in Dortmund and Balen, but a serious injury ruined his career, and since then he has been an amateur footballer. Now it's my turn to join To him, and there is nothing I want more than to run around again with the ball next to him, "Grosskreutz said.
"Once the closure is over and the amateur leagues return to activity, we look forward to full stands. Kevin's debut will be the biggest event in the club's history," said President Bobbinghausen.
He is right, of course, and this is romantic football in its incarnation.
And with all the problems that have ruined Grosskreutz's image in recent years, he was and remains one of the most romantic and exciting characters.
And his shortcomings even contribute a little to that.
He is a simple fan who has become a star.
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