Marble, stone and iron break – but “Staff’s” love of football doesn’t

Three years ago, Gunther Staffler joined SportNews Interview . It was the end of May 2013, so the national league season was basically over - and the now 37-year-old's farewell to his long-time team St. Pauls and the amateur football business was a done deal. So it started: What were the most moving moments of his career? What drove him to drive from Ultental to St. Pauls three, four or even five times a week for 13 years? And, as befits such farewell interviews, what should happen after your career? “For a year,” Staffler said at the time, “I’ll take it easy and play with my former teammates in the recreational team in Ulten.” And: “Who knows, maybe I’ll come back to the football business as a coach later.”

A few training sessions, one realization, personnel shortages: and the comeback was perfect Well, the entry into the coaching world hasn't really worked out yet - but the return to the football business has. After a few games with the recreational team, he seriously injured his knee, had to sit out for a long time and then made the decision: “If I want to get properly fit again, I have to train with the fighting team.” So one thing led to another: a few training sessions Realization that he still had it, plus personnel shortages in the Ultner 2nd Amateur League team - and the comeback was perfect. A comeback that can make you feel nostalgic. For his first communion, “Staff” remembers, his aunt gave him a pair of football boots, which he immediately tested on the Ultner sports field – much to the dismay of his mother, who kept the young boy away in his first years of life for fear of injury had kept away from the football field. In retrospect, we can now confidently say that it was the right decision to equip Staffler with a ball and two football boots. Because he mastered the game with the round leather well - so well, in fact, that after a few years in the Ultner fighting team, he was sent to Überetsch to the national league team St. Pauls at the beginning of the 2000/01 season.

Original sound from St. Pauls: “The best transfer in the club’s recent history” In the following 13 years, the lanky bricklayer not only made a name for himself in the regional and major leagues, but also set an impressive example of passionate club loyalty. He drove to St. Pauls, 50 kilometers away, three, four or, during preparation times, five times a week, sometimes directly after a strenuous day on construction. “It wasn’t a burden for me, but rather a passion,” says Staffler, looking back. So it's all too understandable that his departure after 324 games and 111 goals in 2013 left a big mark on St. Pauls. “He was the most important and best transfer we made in the club’s recent history,” says Andreas Vieider, the sporting director of St. Pauls, to this day.

The black leather slippers are still ready to hand Since a Gunther Staffler would be about as happy without a ball as a bricklayer without a spatula and concrete blocks, he couldn't get away from football even after he left St. Pauls. He is now even a section leader at Ulten. And since the end of the season, he has officially no longer been an active footballer. But Gunther wouldn't be a staffer if he didn't leave a door open for the future. Because if the circumstances required it, then “I would take out my black leather slippers again at any time.” So it’s true: marble, stone and iron break – but Staffler’s love for football doesn’t.

Thomas Debelyak, SportNews

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Marble, stone and iron break – but “Staff’s” love of football doesn’t

Suggestions

Comments (0)