Pascal Groß against Bosnia: Where Kroos was, Groß should now be

Pascal Groß from Borussia Dortmund is experiencing the peak of his career with the national team at 33 – and now has to help replace one of the best German footballers in history. How he wants to achieve the impossible.

Last Sunday, Pascal Groß briefly returned to the place of his former footballing life. He stood on the pitch at Brighton & Hove Albion’s Falmer Stadium, wearing a suit and tie appropriate to the ceremonial occasion. Before the start of the game against Tottenham, he gave a few polite farewell words to the fans of the local Premier League club, for whom he played for seven years until the end of last season. “In Germany they say: you always see each other at least twice in your life,” he shouted into the microphone, “so maybe one day…”