Bundesliga
Kebab king amongst most down-to-earth stars
The life of an elite footballer is often perceived as glamorous and luxurious. However, plenty of the Bundesliga and Germany’s finest have shown they are not so far removed from us mortals. Down-to-earth comes in many different forms, as Kai Havertz, Robin Gosens and more prove...
Kevin Behrens: Cycling to work
Footballers are known for their love of fast cars, but ex-Union Berlin striker Behrens prefers a more ecological mode of transport.
After netting a hat-trick against Mainz for the Iron Ones in August 2023, Behrens was pictured riding his bike on his way home. A good way to cool down post-match!
Watch: Behrens' hat-trick against Mainz
Jackson Irvine: Taking the train
Few men are as instantly recognisable around St. Pauli right now as club captain Irvine. Yet, instead of avoiding the crowds by driving into the training ground, the Australian uses the bus and train services to get to work.
“I find it quite therapeutic in the morning, like I can read the news or catch up on my email,” Irvine told bundesliga.com last year. St. Pauli has historically been one of Hamburg’s poorest areas, but Irvine chooses to live there due to the neighbourhood’s thriving music scene.
Christopher Trimmel: Tattoo artist
Long-time servant and club captain Trimmel is a hero at Union. Away from the adrenaline-filled sporting arena, though, the Austrian likes to spend his time helping others turn their bodies into a work of art.
Adorned with tattoos himself, Trimmel is a freelance ink artist and has even opened a store in Berlin. Fellow Union legend Torsten Matuschka is just one of the people he has worked on.
Robin Gosens: Psychology degree
After taking his time to reach the pinnacle of the sport – first featuring in one of Europe’s top five leagues as a 23-year-old and making his Germany debut three years later - former Union man Gosens has gone on to have a successful career in the game. Nevertheless, he, perhaps more than others, is aware that having a back-up plan to fall back on should football not work out is essential.
Despite having a full-time career, Gosens still managed to study for a degree alongside it and, in February 2023, he walked away from the SRH Fernschule (Mobile University) with a Psychology Bachelor of Science degree.
Matthias Ginter: Amateur referee
When SC March II and SV Burkheim II were stranded without a referee in the 10th tier of German football in October 2022, the players and those in attendance were left with the possibility of seeing their match cancelled.
Step forward Germany international Ginter, who agreed to officiate the game of his former club March when asked. Knowing how difficult referees can have it, the centre-back deserves credit for moving into the firing line.
Kai Havertz: Dog lover
Ex-Bayer Leverkusen ace Havertz is known for his love of his dogs, and he has used his status, as well as his passion for helping others, for the greater good. In March 2023, Havertz launched an eponymous foundation, which distributes donations for youth development, animal welfare, and youth and elderly care.
Upon a visit to a mental health clinic in his home city of Aachen, he said: “One of my major goals is to combine the purposes of my foundation - helping young people and the elderly, animal welfare, and promoting young athletes. It's simply amazing to see how animal therapy here at Caritas affects both people and animals."
Lukas Podolski: Kebab supremo
Podolski has always been seen as a working-class hero in Cologne, and he first joined the Billy Goats at the age of 10 before making 181 appearances for the club during a career that took him to Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter Milan, among others.
The Döner kebab is the food of the masses in Germany, and Podolski gave the people what they wanted in 2018 when he launched his own restaurant called Mangal Döner - now a successful chain. "Opening a five-star restaurant isn't my style - I'm not the type of person that wears a suit."