Friday December 27, 2019
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Hans-Jörg Criens was able to play games that were thought to be lost, sometimes even at the last minute. That earned Borussia Mönchengladbach’s long-standing player a reputation as a noble joker. Now the former star striker died at the age of 59.
The Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach mourns the former striker Hans-Jörg Criens. The third most successful Bundesliga goal scorer of the Borussia (94 goals in 290 games) died at the age of 59. According to media reports, the cause of death was a heart attack.
Criens came to the Bökelberg in 1981. In his premier league career from 1982 to 1995 he earned a reputation as a “noble joker” by hitting after substitution. Later “the Tall One”, as he was called because of his height of 1.89 meters, wore the captain’s armband at Borussia. For the 1993/94 season he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg, where he ended his career after the rapid descent of the “Club” in 1995 in the regional league.
One of the greatest successes of the Neuss native in the Gladbacher jersey was the participation in the DFB Cup finals in 1984 and 1992 and third place in the 1983/84 Bundesliga season. The semi-finals of the DFB Cup against Werder Bremen in 1984 remained a special memory for many Borussia fans: Substitute Criens equalized in added time and landed the winning goal to 5: 4 in extra time. In 1987, Criens contested a game for the German Olympic team. Only Jupp Heynckes (195 goals) and Herbert Laumen (97) scored more goals for Mönchengladbach than him.
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