Return of the Hammer
November 16, 2006
If there were any questions as to the impact Thomas Hitzlsperger can have on a game, they were settled last Sunday in Hanover. With Stuttgart trailing 1-0 in the second half, the 24-year-old midfielder volleyed home an equalizer. It's was Hitzlsperger's fourth goal of the season and the beginning of the comeback that saw Stuttgart take over the top spot in the table.
Shots like that certainly aren't wasted on Germany's national coach Joachim Löw. Despite an embarrassment of riches in midlfield, Löw has expressed a desire to integrate Hitzlsperger into the national squad and have him on standby when the going gets tough.
Hitzlsperger has taken a path less trodden in his professional soccer career, and he's had his share of up and downs. But it now seems that the man English fans nicknamed "the Hammer" for the power of his left foot is ready to make a serious dent on both national and international opponents.
English Apprenticeship
A native of Bavaria, Hitzlsperger played his early soccer for Bayern Munich's youth teams, before shocking Bayern by leaving for Premiership side Aston Villa in 2000. Munich commercial manager Uli Hoeness was reportedly dumbfounded.
It was an audacious move for the then 18-year-old, who had a reputation for being shy, and he worked his way into Villa's regular squad by 2002. Hitzlsperger spent three solid seasons in Birmingham, but although he played regularly, he never established himself as a club mainstay.
In 2005, he came to Stuttgart -- a move partly motivated by former German national coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who wanted national players to be regular starters for their clubs. But like most of his teammates, he had problems adjusting to ex-Stuttgart coach Giovanni Trappatoni's philosophy and ended a disappointing last season with a mere two goals.
Klinsmann somewhat surprisingly nominated him for Germany's 2006 World Cup team, but he only played a total of eleven minutes.
New Coaches, New Success
This season didn't promise to be much better, especially as Hitzlsperger was benched after falling out with new Stuttgart coach Armin Veh. But he clawed his way back into Stuttgart's starting line-up and has scored in each of his team's last three Bundesliga games. His four goals thus far represent not only a personal best, but the second best tally of any Bundesliga midfielder behind Bremen's Diego.
Hitzlsperger is also on the verge of playing a central role in the German national team as well. He scored his first two goals in national uniform in Germany's 13-0 drubbing of San Marino this September and, as a left-footer, he's particularly valuable for Löw's midfield. He didn't make the team for the recent Cyprus game but remains an option for Löw, especially as many of Germany's personnel failed to live up to their star-billing in Nicosia.
Hitzlsperger's contract expires at the end of this season. If he can build on his current run of form, it's hardly inconceivable that Uli Hoeness will make a bid to bring him back to Munich.