Liverpool's new Sporting Director Jorg Schmadtke was once at the centre of one of the German Bundesliga's exciting encounters, in which he featured as both goalkeeper and striker in the same match.
The Reds announced their latest appointment yesterday, the anticipated new sporting director Schmadtke, on a three-month contract officially starting tomorrow.
The 59-year-old comes into the role having acted in a similar position with Wolsburg and Koln, as well as having his own playing career between 1985 and 1998, in which he made over 300 German top-flight appearances as a goalkeeper. Well, almost entirely as a goalkeeper.
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Outfield players filling in between the sticks? Yes. Goalkeepers moving upfield in search of an attacking return in the dying embers? Alisson Becker has been there and done that, however straight up utilising a registered goalkeeper as a striker? That's almost unheard of.
Well, in one such instance, Liverpool's new sporting director found himself with tape strapped over the back of his outfield shirt to form a makeshift number one jersey so that he could feature up front for 16 minutes of SC Freiburg's final day clash with Borussia Dortmund in 1996.
The wild scenario was a result of Dortmund's confirmation as champions before the final match and Freiburg's ability to breathe easy following their clinching of survival. Both managers opted to make what would be strange decisions in the second half of the match, which would go on to end in the most exhilarating way possible.
The score was one nil when Freiburg boss Volke Finke moved Schmadtke to striker, and eight minutes later four goals had been scored with Dortmund leading 3-2. Even more shockingly, Schmadtke had notched himself a fine assist during his brief outfield cameo, teeing up teammate Paschalis Seretis for an open goal tap-in.
Dortmund manager Otmar Hitzfeld would then bring on his 42-year-old goalkeeping coach into the fray to round out the campaign, as well as handing future Liverpool player Patrik Berger some minutes.
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