Sammer, Wörns, Pizarro at TSV Grünwald: Just friends

Friday night game, floodlights, drizzle. Sammer pulls the strings in midfield, Pizarro and Starke sit on the bench, Wörns watches from outside, injured. What sounds like the live ticker of a legendary game is reality at TSV Grünwald, but some leagues are among the top leagues in which the five played most of the time, namely in the Bayernliga South. And something else is also completely different: the first names of the players mentioned. It is not the former Bundesliga players Matthias Sammer, Christian Wörns, Claudio Pizarro, Thorsten Fink and Tom Starke who play at TSV Grünwald, but rather their sons: Leon Sammer, 22, Gianluca Pizarro, 18, David Wörns, 23, Benedict Fink, 19 and Nick Starke , 20. All five grew up with their fathers, all of whom also played for FC Bayern, in Grünwald, the small community on the southern city limits of Munich, which has one of the highest concentrations of millionaires and celebrities in Germany and where current Bayern players are still active today or officials like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge live.

At second glance, it is not surprising that children of professionals start playing football at TSV Grünwald, like Leon Sammer and David Wörns, who were born in the same year and whose families are close friends. David Wörns played at FC Augsburg as a youth player and was on his way to becoming a professional, but returned to his youth club in the men’s division. “The boys who play here are simply my friends,” says Wörns about his return.

During the promotion from the state league to the Bayernliga last season, both played key roles, Sammer in the central midfield, as a leader and thinker with fine technique and good tactical sense, and David Wörns, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree here either central player in defense. Nick Starke, central defender, and Gianluca Pizarro, goalkeeper, came to the first team from the youth team last season. Neither of them are regular players yet, but they also contributed to Grünwalder’s promotion with a few appearances last season, goalkeeper Pizarro, among other things, with one save Penalty kick. In the summer, Benedict Fink finally arrived from the SpVgg Unterhaching U19 team.

In the team, a tight-knit group of many Grünwalders, the quintet’s prominent last names are not an issue. However, one or two of the opponents would ask what it’s like to be Matthias Sammer’s son, and of course the press focuses entirely on them, which sometimes makes Sammer almost uncomfortable. “It’s understandable to a certain extent, of course, but the other guys are just as important,” says Sammer. And you certainly don’t want preferential treatment. Coach Rainer Elfinger, who coached the team to Grünwald’s historic first promotion to the Bayernliga, doesn’t have that anyway. “It’s all very relaxed, they’re really great guys, I really enjoy being with them,” says Elfinger.

The former Bundesliga players are very reluctant to give advice to coach Elfinger

Unlike the U13 of TSV Grünwald, where Lothar Matthäus recently quit his coaching job – according to him, parents regularly abused him with messages or calls until midnight because they were dissatisfied with the decisions of the world champion and world footballer – the former Bundesliga players are holding their own also returned strongly with tips to the trainer. One or the other, if the schedule allows it, watches the games. “Nothing is coming, everything is really pleasant overall,” says coach Elfinger. But the players say they can give you some advice individually. After all, the fathers still know football well: Matthias Sammer advises the management of Borussia Dortmund, Christian Wörns is currently the coach of the German U18 national team, Tom Starke is the goalkeeping coordinator at FC Bayern, and Thorsten Fink is the coach in the Belgian first division KRC Genk – and Claudio Pizarro is just Claudio Pizarro, rascal and the best foreign goalscorer in the Bundesliga.

Things aren’t going well for their team in the Bayernliga at the moment. On this rainy Friday evening at the end of September, Grünwald gave up a 3-1 lead and ultimately lost 3-4 against SV Kirchanschöring. After ten games, Grünwald was in last place Bayernliga. “It’s still difficult for us to adapt to the new league,” says coach Elfinger, adding that some top performers are also unlucky with injuries, including defense chief David Wörns, who has a pubic bone injury and will probably need surgery. “He is very important and was our best defender last season,” says Sammer, who, like coach Elfinger, remains optimistic because the playfulness and commitment are right. As a promoted player, Grünwald’s goal is to stay in the Bayernliga – Grünwald and Sammer and Co. can take the next step this Saturday (2 p.m.) at direct competitor TSV Landsberg.