A footballer who trained at SC Fürstenfeldbruck 14 years ago made it into the Bundesliga history book: No other professional has scored a goal as early in the day as Robert Glatzel (27).
– Against Hoffenheim, the 27-year-old center forward of FSV Mainz 05 hit the mark after 26 seconds. Because the Sunday game kicked off at 1.30 p.m. earlier than ever in the 59-year history of the premier league, Glatzel was ripe for a record-breaking entry. 26 seconds lay between kick-off and goal celebration.
Born in Munich, he learned to play football at SC Fürstenfeldbruck. And with Florian Schober. Under his coaching aegis, Glatzel began as a “classic six”, as a central midfielder who acts in front of the defense is called. Schober and his talent scouts had discovered the then 13-year-old when he was still playing as a D-youth at SC 1906 in Haidhausen. “For me it wasn’t quite enough for a youth performance center of the two big Munich clubs. The SCF was a kind of intermediate step, ”Glatzel remembers. “Fürstenfeldbruck played relatively high when he was young.”
“Robert was mentally advanced”
Schober, under whose wing a number of talents who now earn their money as professionals, still has fond memories of the current Mainz center forward: “He was basically what you call a diamond in the rough.” Glatzel got the appropriate cut between 2009 and In 2012 with the U15, U16 and U17 teams of the SCF, which at the time was still a big player in the youth football scene in the greater Munich area and a cooperation partner of FC Bayern. The first career highlight was crowned with the national league championship. Schober: “Back then, Robert was already technically well-versed and mentally advanced for his age.”
Glatzel still vividly remembers his coach and his teammates from back then: “It was a great time. As is the case in youth, we did a lot of rubbish, but also learned a lot in terms of football, ”said the Mainz striker. “I miss the old days when I took the S-Bahn several times a week to practice in Fürstenfeldbruck.”
No contact with former teammates
Since then, Glatzel has not met an ex-colleague from his youth. “I still have contact with a few former teammates, but rather loosely, not on a friendship level.” And he has also lost the connection to his discoverer. Florian Schober had separated from the SCF three years ago, was then a coach at the district classics SC Weßling and was released there during the winter break.
Benedikt Saller is only one year older than Glatzel. The 28-year-old from Adelshofen, who has meanwhile matured into a regular player at the second division Jahn Regensburg, was at the same time at SC Fürstenfeldbruck, but was never on the pitch with Glatzel. Still, they both know each other pretty well. “We were in the same school,” says Glatzel, who only moved to Mainz in February. Up until five years ago, Saller was also on the ball there.
Bundesliga record as a “funny side note”
While his further career ran within the German borders, that of Robert Glatzel after the SCF via Unterhaching, Heimstetten, Burghausen, 1860 Munich, Kaiserslautern and Heidenheim to the British second division Cardiff City. Paving the way for the island and the former Welsh European Cup participant were undoubtedly his three goals he scored for Heidenheim in the 2018/19 season in the 4-5 in the DFB Cup quarter-finals against FC Bayern. The married father of two daughters (two and four years old) still has a contract with the Bluebirds in Wales until 2022, but was loaned to Mainz 05 for the rest of the Bundesliga season. There he should ensure a happy ending in the Bundesliga relegation battle.
After the center forward (current market value: two million euros) had already scored as a substitute Joker against Leverkusen, he now scored the fabulous lightning goal in his first starting eleven. That he had made Bundesliga history, at least in the eyes of statisticians, he only found out after the game at the TV interview for the sports show. “My wife immediately sent me an online article where it was written. But that’s all just a funny side note, ”says Glatzel. Much more important for him is staying up in the league.
Robert Glatzel feels very much at home in Mainz
But even if that succeeds, Glatzel’s sporting future is still uncertain. The loan ends in June. “I don’t know how things will go on. As things stand now, it looks like I’ll be going back to Cardiff in the summer. ”But he can also imagine staying in Mainz again:“ It’s great here, you can feel very comfortable there. ”Especially now also the wife and children are back in Germany.
The way to his parents, who still live in Munich – the father is a native of Eritrea – would not be so far from Mainz. And although he visits his relatives regularly: Glatzel has not ended up in neighboring Fürstenfeldbruck since his last game in the SCF jersey ten years ago. “And to be honest, I haven’t followed what’s going on in the club since then.”
(Peter Loder)
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