When Mike Wunderlich left the pitch for the last time, the 2,600 spectators in the Höhenberg sports park rose from their seats. Players and officials from his two former clubs FC Viktoria Köln and 1. FC Kaiserslautern formed a line through which the record player and goalscorer of the right bank of the Rhine and Palatinate promotion hero walked to the sideline to the sound of “Tommi”. “It’s over now, Dad,” one of his two sons shouted through the stadium microphone.
Those scenes from the 75th minute formed the emotional climax of the farewell game for the Cologne native, who hung up his football boots in the summer and now coaches the fifth division club SV Bergisch Gladbach 09. “It was a great time. “Thank you for everything,” the former playmaker shouted, while fans initiated La Ola waves and “Wunderlich, Wunderlich” chants.
Sport became a minor matter on Friday evening. Third division team Viktoria lost 1:2 (1:1) against the higher league Lauterer (with Nikola Soldo on loan from FC). After the hosts took the lead through Luca Marseiler (10th), Terrence Boyd (45th) and Julian Niehues (70th) turned the game around to the delight of the 1,000 singing away fans. Meanwhile, Mike Wunderlich was denied a final goal. “You saw today why I stopped now,” joked the 37-year-old technician, who played again for both teams and was later substituted when he was exhausted.
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The fact that Mike has become a crowd favorite in Kaiserslautern in such a short time speaks for itself.
Olaf Janßen, coach FC Viktoria Cologne
Numerous companions came to say goodbye to Mike Wunderlich; including his former coaches Heiko Scholz (“You could see early on that Mike is a very good footballer”), Pavel Dotchev (“Mike is a personality”) and Patrick Glöckner, who also looks back with a little sadness at the situation, which didn’t always go well Looking back on the Cologne native’s career: “His foot is unique. If Mike wasn’t so attached to his homeland, he could have reached even higher heights as a player.”
Lautern’s coach Dirk Schuster praised Wunderlich as a “thorough-blooded footballer who always pushed the limits from the first to the last minute. It was a great honor to be able to work with him.” FCK sports director Thomas Hengen also highlighted Wunderlich’s ambition: “He gave 100 percent in every game and in every training session and always wanted to play from the first to the last minute. It’s becoming increasingly rare to find a player like that these days.”
Viktoria coach Olaf Janßen joined in the hymn of praise and described Wunderlich as an “outstanding person and player”: “The fact that Mike has become a crowd favorite in Kaiserslautern in such a short time speaks for itself.”
2023-09-08 18:49:46
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