Bundesliga News

Bundesliga veteran Höger heads for third tier

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

After 159 top tier appearances over the course of nine seasons in the Bundesliga with Köln and Schalke, 31-year-old midfielder/full-back Marco Höger is headed to the 3. Bundesliga.

The German footballing veteran leaves his hometown after what, by his own admission, had been a "painful summer".

One of the higher value German footballers to find himself without a job this summer prepares for yet another separate chapter after what has been a tumultuous past few years.
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He's played in the Europa League, been relegated, promoted again, and finally reduced to a bench role in his last two seasons with 1. FC Köln. Former Schalke midfielder Marco Höger ultimately saw Köln show no interest in extending his contract at the end of last season as has spent the summer trying to remain  positive and keep fit.


"I was born here in Köln and my life is centered here," a disappointed Höger conveyed to transfermarkt's German language website earlier in the summer, "the last few turbulent years have pulled my heart even closer to the club. I wanted to finish my career in Köln. This is a stage that really hurts me." 

On Wednesday, Höger finally found a taker for his services. Even though Waldhof Mannheim currently play in Germany's third footballing division, the club is riding high after a massive 2-0 upset over regional rivals Frankfurt in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal. 

"Mannheim is a club that has developed great recently," Höger noted in a statement accompanying his new two year contract, "the talks with [sporting director] Jochen Kleintz and [head-coach] Patrick Glöckner were very positive and convinced me to sign here. We're all ambitious." 

"With Marco Höger, we were able to capture ourselves a real difference maker," manager Kleintz said of his new €600,000-valued player, "We are very happy that he's decided to join us."

Höger was permitted to remain in Köln and continue training with the U21s of his hometown club as he searched for a free transfer destination over the last few months. 






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