The enclosed photos show my life as a soccer player. They do not show the passion, the love, I have for the game. I was five years old, when a radio announcer named Zimmerman (not related to Bob) became immortal going nuts over Germany 's World Cup win. Everybody did. After all, it was the first clean German victory in anything after a long period of darkness. It was okay to be proud and patriotic, if only for one day. Back in 1954, my passion for the GAME was born. The five years of my life before 1954 were simply wasted.

In 1958, I watched a young boy named Pele kick ass in another World Cup final. Since then, I have a soft spot for Brazil . I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when sport was mainly on an amateur level. When everything was more innocent, less money in all sports, most of all. Times were simply simpler, I believe. Sport heroes were loyal to their teams and that for live. Being a fan of a team was also for life. All true sport fans are lifers, of course. I am a lifer, too. I started to play the game right after I started to walk. Since then, I felt comfortable to be around soccer players. My life and all my social activities revolved around a soccer ball.

I played in a small town in a lower division. Never even aspired to move to a larger club and higher division. Later, I moved to Berlin . If you play the GAME, it takes you no time flat to find a new club and team in any town or city in any country on earth. Regardless of where you go, you will find a team that perfectly matches your abilities. With it, you will find a social life, new friends, new brew pubs, new everything. When I moved to Racine, Wisconsin in 1986, it took me all of three weeks to start playing for the 30 over team The Renegades on Saturdays, for the Racine Soccer Club on Sundays. New friends, a girlfriend (now my wife), a very busy social life, happiness… all due to the game of soccer.