Brinkmann thanks Eintracht Frankfurt: “Saved my life” | hessenschau.de
Sayer, white Brazilian, bon vivant: Despite his short time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Ansgar Brinkmann is a living legend for many Hessian football fans. Now he revealed: Without Eintracht, his career would have failed early on.
He ate fries in the dressing room, sometimes lived in his car during his professional days and was usually to be found in his favorite pub at night. Ansgar Brinkmann, who played a total of 48 competitive games for Eintracht Frankfurt between December 1997 and May 1999, regularly drove his coaches and opponents mad and, with his lack of discipline, robbed himself of a much more illustrious career. “He should have 50 international matches,” said former national coach Berti Vogts about Brinkmann.
With a more serious attitude, a lot more would have been possible for Brinkmann, who has exactly zero caps. With a little less luck, the former noble technician revealed with his favorite feint over climber on Monday evening in the hr home game!, but also significantly less. “Signing Eintracht was the highlight of my career, I was at the bottom in football at the time.” That means: Without Eintracht, Brinkmann’s already bumpy career would probably have ended by now.
Brinkmann was already on his way to Zwickau
But one after anonther. After leaving 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the summer of 1995, Brinkmann tried his hand at a new club every six months. Preussen Munster, SC Verl, FC Gütersloh, BV Cloppenburg were the names of his little musical stations, everywhere he failed miserably. “I was in the Oberliga and was suspended, I was suspended in the second team. I was suspended to the end,” said Brinkmann in his very own way. He himself was on the sidelines, his career at a dead end. A taker? Just hard to find.
There weren’t any lucrative offers anyway, Brinkmann had a reputation in the industry like Donnerhall early on and was already fighting for his sporting survival back then. “The teams that were up said, ‘We’re not going to do that to ourselves.’ The teams that were down said, ‘We’re not doing this to ourselves either, but we’re in trouble.’ Brinkmann: “I should get there, I was already on my way.” But then everything turned out differently.
Eintracht saves Brinkmann’s career
Because Eintracht, at that time second in the table in the 2nd division, was suddenly interested in the enfant terrible and steered Brinkmann to the Main as a backup for right winger Thomas Zampach. “I didn’t know what the contract said. I was with Eintracht, that was all that counted,” said Brinkmann. Six months later, Brinkmann was in the starting XI in 13 of 17 games, the Hessen team was promoted and Brinkmann was allowed to play in the Bundesliga for the first time in his career. “Coach Horst Ehrmantraut and the other people in charge saved my life as a footballer. Many say: ‘The other things too.'”
Another year later, Brinkmann moved on to the nouveau riche tennis club Borussia Berlin. His open nature, his jokes and last but not least his solo, which started with a tackle and helped prepare the historic 5:1 of Jan-Aage Fjörtoft in the still historic relegation final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, made him happy again and again in record time seen guest in Frankfurt. “It’s not important what people say when you come,” Brinkmann summarized his commitment to Eintracht. “It matters what they think when you leave.”
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