Alumni Spotlight: Kevin “The Fish” Großkreutz Enjoys Success at the Amateur Level

A mainstay at Dortmund since 2009, Kevin Großkreutz found himself dealing with a demotion in April of 2015, towards the end of a season many BVB fans wish they could erase from their memories. Despite his demotion to Borussia Dortmund II, it was looking like a move to Galatasaray was on the horizon in January 2016. This is where things take a bizarre turn making Großkreutz’s September 2015 - January 2021 timeline look crazier than Charlie’s Pepe Silvia conspiracy board.

Try and keep up...

Galatasaray failed to submit the necessary paperwork before the transfer window closed, causing a delay in Großkreutz’s debut for the club which really didn’t matter as he never made any appearances for the Turkish outfit. The German signed a contract with VfB Stuttgart that same year which was mutually terminated by team and player after Großkreutz got into a bar fight and then claimed he wanted nothing to do with professional football. Only a month later in April 2017, he signed with Darmstadt 98 where he squatted for about a year until he migrated to KFC Uerdingen, where he featured in about 46 matches across two seasons. When the club terminated his contract, Großkreutz announced his retirement from professional football.

Phew!

Things seem to have stabilized a bit for the lad since he joined amateur team TuS Bövinghausen back in January 2021. He’s extended his contract with the team until 2025 and is seeing much success with the club as they were recently promoted to the Oberliga Westfalen. The experienced footballer frequently takes to Instagram to share words of wisdom and motivation and did so recently in the wake of the unexpected departures of key coaching staff in early December 2022.

Photo: Thorsten Tillmann

The ultra fan turned World Cup winner is Dortmund through and through, proving as much when he opened the popular pub Mit Schmackes. Here, visitors can experience casual and traditional pub fare as well as view the matches making this a “must-visit” when one finds oneself in Dortmund. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to catch “The Fish” in his natural habitat if you stop by.

Is there a former BVB player you’d like to catch up with? Drop a comment below!