Reiner Calmund: Lifeguard in the hospital - the football hero recovers!

Reiner Calmund: Lifeguard in the hospital - the football hero recovers!

Reiner Calmund, the former manager of Bayer Leverkusen, recently reported on a life -threatening health crisis that occurred during the filming of "Grill den Henssler". In the event of a weakness, Calmund had to be hospitalized immediately. What initially seemed to be a routine examination turned out to be a serious threat. The doctors found a 90 percent narrowing of his carotid artery, which was fortunately treated in time. In the interview, Calmund said that it was "really scarce" and that the use of a defibrillator was used, which underlines the severity of the situation. Despite this alarming knowledge, the 76-year-old shows himself optimistic and fit, as well as with anticipation for his trip to Asia in January, where he is looking for sun and relaxation, as A look back at the turn

Calmund is not only known for his football career, but also for his ability to recognize opportunities in sport by political turning. He remembers the fall of the Berlin Wall 1989, which brought enormous changes in the Bundesliga. Shortly after the turn, Calmund recognized the opportunities to win talented players from the east. During a game in Vienna that took place for the World Cup qualification between Austria and the GDR, he used his position. He sent the youth worker of Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfgang Karnath, disguised as a photographer to the stadium to make contacts with top German top players such as Ulf Kirsten and Matthias Sammer. Calmund described that Karnath was able to successfully collect addresses to prepare later transfers, such as spox.com

These first steps were accompanied by political adversity. Although he was able to bring Kirsten to Leverkusen, other planned transfers were stopped by a direct intervention by the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who thought that the GDR could not simply "buy empty". Despite these setbacks, Calmund remained able to act and finally found ways to integrate talented players into the West German football business. These successes shaped the football of the next decades and testify to his sharp business view and his tireless efforts in sport.