Kevin Grosskreutz the Borussia Dortmund Double Winner hangs up his Boots

According to Kicker, former Borussia Dortmund player Kevin Grosskreutz has called it a career. Following a strange release last year from third-division side KFC Uerdingen, Grosskreutz has officially decided to retire at the age of 32.

Grosskreutz’s senior career began at Rot Weiss Ahlen and had stops in Turkey with Galatasaray, and SV Darmstadt and VFB Stuttgart in Germany. The six-time capped German International was also Joachim Low’s supplementary player for the 2014 World Cup Champion German National Team. However, Grosskreutz will always be most remembered for his time with Borussia Dortmund from 2009 to 2015, his local team. A left-winger by trade, Grosskreutz became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s brand of high energy football that won the Bundesliga in the 2010-11 season which was only surpassed by the double winning side in 2011-12. Grosskreutz also started the 2013 Champions League final loss to Bayern Munich.

While a member of Die Schwarzgelben, Grosskreutz became a fan favorite for his no-nonsense style of football and great work ethic, which epitomized the type of team play during Klopp’s tenure. Under Klopp, Grosskreutz realized his potential and became a very aggressive and dangerous player for opponents, while also changing positions to full back to accommodate the squad. Not just a great team player, Grosskreutz was also a true fan of the club, which he reiterated during his announcement stating, “I was allowed to live my dream - and, for example, play in the Westfalenstadion.” While he wasn’t the flashiest of players or the most skilled, he wore his black and yellow heart on his sleeve, and it is a player like Kevin Grosskreutz that BVB could probably use right now. We wish him all the best in his post-playing career.