Alfred Reindl: First Corona, then hip surgery - and World Cup award to Qatar "the biggest joke"

There have certainly been better years for Alfred Reindl than this one.

"I was devastated," he admitted.

The ball artist from Oberhausen had a lot of requests for performances.

Oberhausen

– The now 58-year-old was plagued by health problems this year.

It all started in March when Reindl became infected with the corona virus.

"Until then, I had great performances," reported the Oberhausener.

Afterwards he noticed "that I no longer have the strength in my left leg that I used to have".

The pain increased, but it didn't prevent him from wowing the audience with a perfect performance at the "Sportsman of the Year" award in the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains on July 1 at Burgk Castle in Freital.

What Reindl didn't know at the time, but perhaps already suspected: It was supposed to be his last appearance in 2022.

Three weeks of intensive rehabilitation for Reindl after his hip operation

Eventually, he was diagnosed with hip damage, which required surgery.

At the end of October, Reindl received an artificial hip joint.

"It's a major operation, a major surgery," he said.

But afterwards it wasn't just the physical pain that tormented him.

"I was devastated." He thought about the fact that it could have been his career as a ball artist.

In the meantime, however, he has regained his confidence.

Just a week after his hip operation, “in bed I had the ball on my head again,” said Reindl.

Then it went into full-time rehabilitation for three weeks in the outpatient rehabilitation center in Peißenberg.

If all goes according to plan, he could potentially be back on stage early next year.

"I have inquiries all the time," says the 58-year-old.

Alfred Reindl's Arabian adventure begins in 1990 at the World Cup in Italy

The man from Oberhausen became known to a wide audience through his appearances at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

In the preliminary round match between Germany and the United Arab Emirates, he was allowed to show his ball skills in the sold-out Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan.

Despite the constant rain and slippery surface, the Oberhausen resident thrilled the almost 80,000 spectators.

"That's when my Arabian adventure began," Reindl remembers.

He made his first contacts in the Orient, and a year later he performed in the oasis city of al-Ain together with the 1982 Italian world champions Paolo Rossi and Bruno Conti.

"It was like 1001 Nights, they treated me like a guest of state," reports Reindl enthusiastically.

Other shows in Kuwait, Dubai and Jordan followed over the years,

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Juggling in pain: Alfred Reindl had his last performance of 2022 in Freital, Saxony, on July 1st.

© Alfred Reindl/private

Even if he was enthusiastic about the hospitality in these countries, he is critical of the current World Cup in Qatar.

“The assignment there is the biggest joke.

This country has no football culture.” The exploitation of guest workers and the human rights situation there in general “tarnished my image of the Arabs a lot,” says Reindl.

But he is also honest enough to say that he would have performed at the World Cup himself, and there have been inquiries about it.

"They pay well and I could have inspired the football world," said the man from Oberhausen.

However, due to his health problems, the issue resolved itself.

Reindl convinced of the German team: "The semi-finals are already in there"

He is now following the World Cup on television with great interest.

In the defeat against Japan, the German team was "a bit arrogant", the performance in the game against Spain inspired him.

That's why he's adamant that Flick's men will win their final group game against Costa Rica this Thursday (December 1) and make it through to the knockout rounds.

"The semifinals are already in," he said.

According to the current status, however, France and Brazil are favorites for the title.