The defensive midfielder, who is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, was part of the World Cup winning Germany squad who ran rampant at this summer’s tournament in Brazil. He is a highly respected young footballer. A talent. A star. One for the future who promises so much. He is also now the proud owner of one of the worst own goals we have seen ever.
Picture the scene folks. You and your teammates at Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany’s top flight of competitive football are enjoying an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions where you are hanging on to Bayern Munich’s pace-setting. You are doing well. But the pressure is mounting. When will this impressive run of form end, how will it end, and who will be responsible?
In steps Kramer, seemingly on the pay from someone who has a very hefty investment in the outcome of the above pondering, and decides, ‘It must end now!’
Under no threat from any of opposing team Borussia Dortmund, and with about 50 yards separating him from his own goal (and not that much further from Dortmund’s goal either for that matter), he looks in his bag of footy tricks and unlocks a back pass of which few others would dream. But there is reason they would not dream of it – it is properly mental!
Kramer confidently hooks the ball into the air and sends it smoothly spiralling through the sky over his defenders and over his keeper while all and sundry stand perplexed as the ball drops into the back of the net. What a lob!
It had a very close resemblance to many other goals in football – Nayim’s lobbing of Arsenal’s David Seaman in the last minute of the 1995 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup Final for instance. Only this goal had been intended – one team scoring in the right goal! Kramer’s nonsensical actions were not.
They are very funny though.
Even more so when you learn that Kramer’s ‘goal’ was the one and only of the match which handed victory to Dortmund and sealed Monchengladbach’s unbeaten streak’s demise.
Poor fella.
Photo: via YouTube.
