The stations Eitting, Freising, Buchbach, Fürth and Ingolstadt actually led Stefan Lex to TSV 1860 Munich - but the way there was not easy.
Eitting - When Stefan Lex attended elementary school in Eitting, he wrote in his poetry album under the point what he wants to become a career: “I want to be a professional footballer.” His teacher Paul Hilger read this and wrote: “I wish you that your dream will come true. "
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First coach: Harry Kronthaler trained Stefan Lex in the Eittinger F 3.
© Private
At the age of three, Stefan Lex would like to start training at FC Eitting, but coach Rudi Westermaier sends him away.
"I'm too small, he said, and so I left with tears," remembers the now 31-year-old.
Just a few weeks later, the up-and-coming coach Harry Kronthaler created an F 3 team in which the smaller and younger footballers were also allowed to play - especially Stefan Lex. He stayed with his home club until the D youth and fell due to his enormous numbers Speed on.
He completed a trial training at his favorite club TSV 1860, but then switched to the C-youth at SE Freising.
“I played in the selection at the time, there were a lot of Freising in the team, and SEF trainer Hans Haas persuaded me,” remembers Lex.
No chance in the school team due to its size
Despite all his footballing ambitions, a good education is important to the Eittinger, and he attends the Erdinger Anne-Frank-Gymnasium.
There follows the next low blow.
“I wasn't taken for the school team,” he says with a laugh.
"The sports teacher, who was also a coach at the time, said that I am too small and not good enough."
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Favorite club: Stefan Lex was a big Leo fan even as a child.
© Private
In the following years he tended to play in the second class as a younger year in Freising, "and as an older year I wasn't necessarily a regular player".
That's why he doesn't want to switch to TSV 1860 when he asks.
"I didn't think I'd do it," admits Lex.
When he played in the Freising A 2 youth, some of his comrades were repeatedly pulled up into the A 1. However, only a defender, while Lex is a striker. "Then I played left-back and I was in the A1," he says with a laugh. Freising is relegated from the A-Youth Bavarian League, and the club's management determines that the older A-youth age group should try out the men in the regional league. The trainer is Günther Leipold. "I then sat on the bench in a league game without having trained with the team beforehand, and I didn't know anyone," remembers Lex when he was a 17-year-old member of the men's squad for the first time. "Then the coach came on me and I scored a goal the first time I hit the ball." And it goes on like this:“In the second game in Eichstätt, I was substituted at half time and scored in the 46th minute.” From this point on, the Eittinger is a permanent member of the SEF squad and has a total of ten goals. The following year, his first official men's year, he meets 20 times.
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Stefan Lex is doing his Abitur, is switching to the Bayern division TSV Buchbach and is doing his community service with the Maltese in Erding at the same time.
He then started studying sports management at the University of Applied Sciences in Erding.
Among other things, he does a six-month internship at the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) and works in direct cooperation with the President and the Managing Director.
During this time, the concept for the Regionalliga Bayern is being developed.
"It was very interesting and exciting to experience the development there up close," says Lex enthusiastically.
In terms of sport, Buchbach was slow in the first year.
"At TSV I was the classic wild card at the beginning, never an undisputed regular player and often had muscular problems," says Lex. "And when I played, it was on the outside and never really a striker." But then top striker Thomas Breu was injured in preparation, "and suddenly I was at the front," says Stefan Lex, who ignites his turbo in attack and scores 16 goals in the 20 games up to the winter break.
Among other things, he completed a solo across the entire pitch against Bamberg: “One of my most beautiful goals.” He stayed with TSV for three and a half years, the crowning glory in the 2011/12 season being promotion to the regional league.
From Buchbach to Greuther Fürth in the 2nd team
His development does not go unnoticed by the player agents who ask the young Eittinger.
Michael Koppold finally wins the race, who has among others Stefan Aigner, Felix Uduokhai, Thomas Broich and Daniel Bierofka in his portfolio.
He organizes a trial training session with the Munich Lions.
"Coach Alex Schmidt would have liked to have me, but the management around Florian Hinterberger probably not, because they never moved again," remembers Lex. "But President Hack von Greuther Fürth called personally for that."
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Stefan Lex (left) in an interview with EA sports editor Wolfgang Krzizok.
© Hans Moritz
During the winter break, the Eittinger will switch to the Franks, which have already been beaten in the Bundesliga. He should get used to the second team for six months and then become an integral part of the first - this is what head coach Mike Büskens plans to do. When he was released, Ludwig Preis, coach of the runner-up, took over for a short time and put the newcomer to the Bundesliga team on the bench. But then with Frank Kramer (now Arminia Bielefeld) a new coach arrives, "and I didn't play a role anymore," says Lex.
"After relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga I was involved in the preparation and didn't play badly, but was never in the squad after that, and during the winter break they said I could look for a new club." Lex signs the next day at the relegation-threatened FC Ingolstadt (16th place), "and the people from Fürth were angry because I went to the league rivals", he looks back with a laugh.
Nomination for the goal of the month and work on the bachelor's degree
Why is it so fast?
"Ingolstadt sports director Thomas Linke was watching the Fürth 2 game against FC Bayern 2, and I scored once in the 3-2 win and played one," reports Lex. "And then he said to my agent that he would take me gladly commit when I'm available. ”And that was it.
The chemistry between him and FCI trainer Ralph Hasenhüttl is right from the start.
“He said: 'It's fast, I need it for my game,'” says Eittinger.
“I always felt like number 25 in Fürth.
In Ingolstadt I had a completely different standing.
I always had the feeling: I belong there. ”In addition, he is writing his bachelor thesis during this time.
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A moment for eternity: Stefan Lex and his coach Ralph Hasenhüttl cheered the promotion of FC Ingolstadt to the Bundesliga in May 2015, which the Eittinger made perfect with the 2-1 winner against RB Leipzig.
© Armin Weigel
Stefan Lex ("gastrointestinal story - got from the woman") is missing at the point game opener in Karlsruhe, so he makes his professional debut in Ingolstadt against his favorite club, TSV 1860 Munich. The FCI wins 2-0 in front of a sold out house. In the end, the Schanzer landed in tenth place - and rose completely surprisingly in the following 2015/16 season. Stefan Lex makes 29 of 34 games and scores the most goals together with Lukas Hinterseer (9). Two particularly stuck in his memory. "On the one hand it was a volley from 18 meters against Darmstadt, which was even nominated for goal of the month." On the other hand, the decisive goal for the 2-1 win against RB Leipzig - that sealed Ingolstadt's promotion to the Bundesliga.
Things are going well in his first Bundesliga * season. But he is extremely annoyed with himself. “When I played against Bayern in the Allianz Arena, when the score was 0-0, I was twice alone in front of Manuel Neuer and didn't get the ball in. We could have won, but then we lost 2-0. ”The Schanzer surprisingly hold the league, but coach Hasenhüttl changes to RB Leipzig. Markus Kauczinski takes over, but is replaced by Maik Walpurgis after ten games and only two points. "It didn't go so well for me then, and I didn't play that often, I might have made ten appearances in total," said the man from Eittinger. Sports director Angelo Vier brought in a lot of new players, "and then I had the feeling that they had to play too, and I just didn't anymore."
Offer refused by KSC refused for personal reasons
Lex decides to find a new club.
“I had an offer from Karlsruhe, but I would have had to move.” The Eittinger had only done that once in his career: “When I was in Fürth, I lived in Nuremberg.” He promptly met his wife Claudia there true Franconian, know.
“I also took something positive with me from my time in Fürth,” says Lex with a laugh.
His wife, who was previously employed in Ansbach, moves to Eitting with her husband and works in the Erding district office.
In 2018 his own house will be ready, in 2020 his son Raphael will be born and complete his private happiness.
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The big chance: With FC Ingolstadt in the Allianz Arena, Stefan Lex has the 1-0 on foot, but fails to Manuel Neuer - FC Bayern wins 2-0.
© imago sportphotodienst
Stefan Lex finds sporting luck at TSV 1860. Coach Daniel Bierofka wants the lightning-fast, 1.78 meter tall striker, “and I've always wanted to play with the Lions,” he says.
What he particularly likes about the lions: "Everyone sticks together, there is a good bunch and a local troop." What he finds very pleasant: "With us, the cabin language is German or Bavarian.
This creates a completely different feeling of togetherness. "
The sheep's head rounds organized by Eittinger are also legendary.
"But that has now become more difficult because we have lost two important players in Ziereis and Böhnlein." He is introducing Marco Hiller and Stephan Salger to the secrets of Schafkopfen.
“But they still have a lot to learn, which is why we don't play for money.” At the moment, the trend in the team is more towards board games anyway.
“There are often six or more of us involved and we can also take the boys with us, that's cool,” enthuses the 31-year-old.
Is he one of the leaders in the team?
"I'm not someone who yells around at the seat, I tend to have my leadership role in the dressing room," emphasizes Stefan Lex.
His goal with the lions: promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga
The Eittinger thinks very much about coach Michael Köllner.
“A very well thought-out, meticulous man with a great love for detail, who adjusts us very well to our opponents,” praised the striker.
“Personally, I get along with him very well.” Stefan Lex thinks it's a shame that the promotion wasn't successful this year: “That would have been the icing on the cake for the season.” Overall, he himself was satisfied with his performance, but gives himself up also self-critical: “Too few goals scored, too few played.
That has to get better in the new season. ”His personal Löwen record so far: 94 games, 16 goals, 21 assists.
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Private happiness: Stefan Lex with his wife Claudia and son Raphael.
© Private
The Eittinger is under contract with TSV 1860 for another year. What's next? "As long as I am healthy and enjoy it, I want to continue and end my career with the Lions at some point," he emphasizes. And then player-coach at his home club FC Eitting, where he has been involved in squad planning for years due to his good contacts? “If someone had asked me ten years ago, I would have said: Definitely. But today I don't know, ”says the 31-year-old. "Because since I was four, my weekends have been geared towards football." He's relaxed about the future, as he has a degree. "But now I'm still a player, I want to get promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga, and then we'll see how things go from here."
When his primary school teacher Paul Hilger retires in 2020, companions give him a farewell book.
Stefan Lex sticks a photo of the old poetry album entry into it, with a personal dedication.
Hilger is happy and proudly says to his former student: "Your dream has come true - and now you're a professional at my favorite club."
(Wolfgang Krzizok)
You can find more portraits and interviews from our Erdings Top 100 series on our overview page.
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