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Andi Rössl: The goalkeeper with the ace in the glove

2021-05-15T20:13:15.656Z


Andi Rössl once served Bastian Schweinsteiger as a waiter. And later trained with him. The Finsinger Keeper knows the whims of professional football, always had a plan B and now a dream job.


Andi Rössl once served Bastian Schweinsteiger as a waiter.

And later trained with him.

The Finsinger Keeper knows the whims of professional football, always had a plan B and now a dream job.

Munich / Finsing - Säbener Strasse in autumn 2013: The triple heroes and the newcomers are warming up in the “Rondo”. That means five against two in the Bayernliga, where Andi Rössl comes from. Two months ago he switched to FC Bayern 2. And now he can play with Philipp Lahm, Thiago, Mario Götze and Franck Ribery. Suddenly Bastian Schweinsteiger calls out to Hermann Gerland: “A few months ago the Rössl was still my waiter. And now he's training with us. "

From FC Ismaning to training with Pep Guardiola and the best team in the world - that was of course a highlight, ”says the 33-year-old.

Andi Rössl is still at FCB in 2021 and trains the next generation of goalkeepers.

You should benefit from his - in every respect very extensive - experience that he has made as a goalkeeper in the youth of TSV 1860, as a keeper in the professional squad of the Blue and Frankfurter Eintracht and as the leader of the young, constantly changing regional league team of FC Bayern.

Discovered at the tournament in Oberding

However, his own career does not begin in a can.

At the age of five he storms for the first time in the dress of FC Finsing.

Because he is one of the greatest in the team, he keeps putting himself in the goal.

"From the E-youth on I played one game day in goal and the other one again in the field," remembers Rössl.

At the indoor tournament of TuS Oberding, a referee noticed the talent.

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Andi Rössl's career began in the F-youth team of FC Finsing.

The coaches Georg Fuß and Manfred Bonnet alternated between goalkeeper and striker.

“He was strong everywhere.

That's why I get into the goal every now and then, ”says teammate Michael Fuß.

“Andi was always in a good mood, totally uncomplicated.

Someone who was popular everywhere. ”In the picture (back): Trainer Manfred Bonnet;

(standing, from left) Dennis Riske, Bernhard Heinzler, Adrian Zerndl, Thomas Bonnet, Alexander Meier;

(kneeling, from left) Lukasz Wojciechowski, Benjamin Neurohr, Janosch Sattelberger, Michael and Monika Fuß and (lying) Andi Rössl.

© Private

The referee is Sebastian Held, who is also U9 coach at TSV 1860.

“Andi was already a Manuel Neuer goalkeeper back then.

He was an excellent footballer who cleverly kicked the balls out from behind - just a goalkeeper who played along.

We promoted that too.

That's why Andi got his games in the field, where he also scored his goals, "says Held and praises Andi's very good attitude.

You have always been able to rely on him. "

The boy is having great years in Giesing.

In 1999 he won the Merkur CUP with the blues.

In the B-youth, his team only fails in the DM semi-finals on penalties against VfB Stuttgart.

Two years later he won the DFB Cup final in Berlin with the A-youth against VfL Wolfsburg.

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The first big success for Andi Rössl was the victory in the Merkur CUP 1999. In our picture, the Löwen goalkeeper (center) receives the certificate from the organizer and Merkur editor Johannes Mordhorst together with Luca Francchini.

Archive photo.

© Münchner Merkur

The change to the men's area also works.

Rössl plays in the Löwen regional league team and is repeatedly appointed to the squad of professionals who are still playing in the 2nd Bundesliga at the time.

Wild times at Eintracht Frankfurt

But after 14 years the blue is over.

“I was in the professional squad for almost a full season.

Then there were a few differences of opinion with the goalkeeping coach at the time, who also made it clear to me that he no longer wanted to work with me, ”says Rössl.

But he himself also noticed that he had to look for a new challenge, "which after such a long time was completely the right step". And this step takes him to Frankfurt in 2010.

Rössl starts in the U23 of Eintracht.

A four-month forced break because of a metatarsal fracture throws him back.

But the Upper Bavarian is fighting his way again and after a strong second half is the number three goalkeeper in the professional squad.

“It was a highlight to know that I would be able to train next season with players like Alex Meier, Oka Nikolov and Halil Altintop,” Rössl remembers.

A few times he can then experience "this incredible feeling of warming up alone in this great stadium and being able to be there up close," as he describes it himself.

But he is not allowed to play.

He suffers from the bank.

Eintracht has forgotten how to win and is relegated to the second division.

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The 33-year-old experienced eventful times at Frankfurt Eintracht.

© Imago-Sportfotodienst

After that everything changes in Frankfurt.

Coach Michael Skibbe is gone.

Armin Veh will be his successor, Bruno Huebner is the new manager.

And there is no longer any talk of the Rössl contract that is ready to be signed, which has been in the manager's drawer for six months.

“After the season I only went to Munich with a sports bag.

I had thought that after relegation they would rely on me as the second goalkeeper, ”Rössl later recalled in an interview with tz.

A Bayern fan in a lion dress

He works as a waiter in the Hungry Heart, where, for example, Bastian Schweinsteiger is often a guest.

And he keeps fit at SV Heimstetten, but the professional clubs are not really in line.

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In his private life, Andi Rössl lives happily with his wife Antonia and their children Amelie and Anton in Aschheim.

© Private

It's time for a plan B. Rössl starts studying (sport and applied training science) and moves to the Bayern League.

At FC Ismaning everything fits: coach Frank Schmöller and the team ("We were a great group. All the players were the same age.").

As a result of the league restructuring, the FCI moves up to the regional league.

That is too high for the club, which is relegated in the end, but never conceded more than three goals - the goalkeeper's merit.

And that is not hidden from the experts.

FC Bayern knocks at Andi Rössl.

“As a boy it was my favorite club anyway,” he says today.

Wast Held can confirm that: “Andi was a little bit a Lausbua.

I think from time to time he wore a Bayern dress under the lion jersey, "

And how did the Reds take the guy who had been with the Blue for 14 years?

“There weren't any problems,” Rössl remembers.

“I've been with other clubs for four years now.

So it was almost forgotten by everyone involved. "He adds with a laugh:" Since I was a few years older than most of the other players at the time, nobody dared to say anything anyway. "

At the age of 25, he is one of the experienced in the high-talent shed of FC Bayern U23, who becomes regional league champion and then experiences a bitter promotion game.

After the 0: 1 in the first leg at Fortuna Köln, FCB leads 2: 0 in the second leg until stoppage time.

And then the injured Rössl has to see his colleague fail in the box.

The hero in the little derby

The promotion to the 3rd division would of course have surpassed the training sessions with the superstars mentioned at the beginning, ”he says. So it was one of the bitterest moments of his career. The others were injuries "that cost me games and training sessions over and over again." In addition to the metatarsal fracture in Frankfurt, there is also a cruciate ligament tear in Bavaria.

But where he can also experience really big games.

One of the top five of his career, for example, is the zero number in 2015. In front of 11,000 raging spectators in the Grünwalder Stadium, the lions despair of the outstanding Bayern goalkeeper.

Even a year later, he keeps his box clean again.

Another 0-0.

The game is explosive because shortly before the fence flag was stolen from the lion ultras.

Bengalos fly from one fan block to another.

“That doesn't work at all,” he says annoyed, but he stays cool on the pitch.

Coach of the young goalkeepers

He's the backing that young players need. He is loud. "My mother once said to me: 'Man Andi, you are always so hoarse after every game,'" he says. But players need clear commands: the youngsters in the regional league, but also the professionals, to whom the keeper calls out in the training game: "Philipp, get back!" His coaches in the regional league team also appreciate his clarity. There are luminaries like Heiko Vogel and Erik ten Hag who later meet as coaches of Sturm Graz and Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League qualification.

Rössl ended his career at the age of 30 without hanging up his gloves.

Because even now he has a plan, a master plan.

He trains FCB's U12 to U15 goalkeepers.

"I am pleased that he is now passing on his specialist knowledge," says Held.

And Rössl raves about the “absolute dream job” (see interview in the box).

He's just getting his goalkeeping license.

He also completed his sports studies.

And he also has enough experience.

Maybe he'll tell his boys the aforementioned waiter story with Schweinsteiger and Hermann Gerland.

He didn't really understand that and called back: “What?

Is he from Cologne? ”No, Tiger, Andi Rössl is Finsinger.

Dieter Priglmeir

"You just have to be a bit crazy"

Mr. Rössl, a tip for the next generation: How do you become a good goalkeeper?

Of course talent is part of it, but as a goalkeeper you should be able to totally identify with your position.

You just have to be a bit crazy to fill this position with full passion.

And what is your advice to the coaches of our clubs?

That they should admit mistakes to the boys and girls.

As a goalkeeper you have so many situations in the game that you cannot simulate or train in training.

What is important is the children's development, not the result.

You switched to the lions very early.

Would you recommend this to the children today too?

There is no general answer to that.

If the children really want to do it and all points, such as school and distance to the new club, have to be agreed, then you can switch to a youth training center relatively early.

If you still feel very comfortable in your home club, have a good team and good coach, you can still wait before taking the step.

The important thing is that you want it yourself and have a say in the decision-making process.

Are the U12 to U15 goalkeepers further than you were then?

I often ask myself that too.

Unfortunately there are no video recordings from that time, but I am convinced that the guys are better than me.

You have great potential and of course you can work specifically at a young age, which unfortunately I wasn't able to do at the time.

Your balance: What did 15 years of competitive sport bring you?

What did he take from you?

He didn't take anything from me because I hadn't known anything else since my youth.

But he gave me a dream job.

Every day I can work with guys who love to do what I have loved to do all my life.

At the weekend I can watch them play and I can call that my job.

Working on campus is my absolute dream job.

And at some point will you go up as a goalkeeping coach in the professional field?

I started doing my coaching certificates last year.

Now it's the turn of the specific goalkeeper coaching certificates.

We'll see how things will continue in the future, but I'm very happy with my current role at Bayern Munich.

The interview was conducted by Dieter Priglmeir.

  • From our Erdings Top 100 series:

  • Andreas Voglsammer: The rising hero from Dorfen

  • Sebastian Bönig: creative player, poison dwarf, Union cult figure

  • Vitus Eicher: Discovered by the lions at the Merkur CUP

  • You can find more portraits on our overview page.

Source: merkur

All sports articles on 2021-05-15

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