Max Kruse

Max Bennet Kruse (German pronunciation: [ˈmaks ˈkʁuːzə];[2] born 19 March 1988) is a German professional footballer who last played for Turkish side Fenerbahçe.

For the former Sydney Swans player, see Max Kruse (Australian footballer). For other people of the same name, see Max Kruse (disambiguation)

Max Kruse
Kruse at 1LIVE Krone in 2014
Personal information
Full name Max Bennet Kruse[1]
Date of birth (1988-03-19) 19 March 1988
Place of birth Reinbek, West Germany
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
1992–1998 TSV Reinbek
1998–2005 SC Vier- und Marschlande
2006–2007 Werder Bremen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2009 Werder Bremen II 69 (7)
2007–2009 Werder Bremen 1 (0)
2009–2012 FC St. Pauli 96 (22)
2009 FC St. Pauli II 1 (0)
2012–2013 SC Freiburg 34 (11)
2013–2015 Borussia Mönchengladbach 66 (23)
2015–2016 VfL Wolfsburg 32 (6)
2016–2019 Werder Bremen 84 (32)
2019–2020 Fenerbahçe 20 (7)
National team‡
2006–2007 Germany U19 17 (6)
2007–2008 Germany U20 6 (1)
2008 Germany U21 1 (1)
2013– Germany 14 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 March 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2015

Early years

Kruse was born in Reinbek, Kreis Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein in the north-eastern periphery of Hamburg. He was raised in Reinbek[3] or in Hamburg.[4]

Club career

Early career

Kruse began his career with hometown club TSV Reinbek before he joined Hamburg-based SV Vier- und Marschlande in summer 1998. After more than seven years there, he was scouted by Werder Bremen in January 2006. On 4 May 2009, he signed a two-year contract with FC St. Pauli. During the 2011–12 2. Bundesliga, Kruse scored 13 goals and provided six assists as FC St. Pauli finished on 62 points in fourth place, missing out on the promotion playoffs on goal difference.[5]

SC Freiburg

Following his successful spell with St. Pauli, Kruse was transferred to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the summer of 2012.[6] He made his competitive debut for his new club on 18 August 2012 in a DFB-Pokal match against Victoria Hamburg, which ended in a 2–1 victory as Kruse scored the opening goal and provided the assist for Sebastian Freis's winner.[7] Kruse made his home league debut on 25 August, scoring a goal in Freiburg's 1–1 draw with 1. FSV Mainz 05.[8] He helped Freiburg claim their first win of the Bundesliga season in their third game on 16 September, netting a goal and providing two assists in an enthralling 5–3 defeat of TSG Hoffenheim.[9][10]

Kruse helped seal an upset win over Schalke on 15 December, providing assists for first half goals to both Jan Rosenthal and Jonathan Schmid in a 3–1 away victory at the Arena AufSchalke.[11][12] On 16 February, he opened the scoring nine minutes before half time as Freiburg recorded their first win over Kruse's former club Werder Bremen in 11 years with a 3–2 away victory at the Weserstadion.[13]

Kruse netted twice in the second half of Freiburg's Bundesliga clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach on 30 March, securing a 2–0 victory for the club.[14] In his penultimate game with Freiburg on 11 May, he was awarded "Man of the Match" honours as he netted the winning goal in a 2–1 defeat of already relegated Greuther Fürth, all but securing Freiburg an automatic spot in the Europa League group stage for next season.[15]

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Following a standout season with Freiburg, Kruse signed for Borussia Mönchengladbach on a four-year deal in April 2013.[16] He made his debut for the club in Gladbach's loss to 3. Liga side Darmstadt 98 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on 4 August 2013.[17] He managed to score his first goal for the club on 17 August, firing in Gladbach's first goal in a 3–0 home victory over Hannover 96.[18] Kruse continued his scoring form on 31 August, netting Gladbach's third goal of a 4–1 home victory over his former club Werder Bremen.[19]

Kruse with Borussia Mönchengladbach (2015)

Wolfsburg

On 10 May 2015, VfL Wolfsburg signed Kruse on a four-year deal, after activating his release clause of €12 million.[20] He made his debut as a 70th-minute substitute on 1 August in the 2015 DFL-Supercup, and scored in the penalty shootout as Wolfsburg defeated Bayern Munich after a 1–1 draw.[21] On 8 August 2015, Kruse scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in the fourth minute of 4–1 win at Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.[22]

Werder Bremen

On 2 August 2016, Kruse re-joined Werder Bremen for a second stint at the club.[23][24] He scored his first goal for the club in his third league appearance on 3 December 2016, in a 2–1 win against Ingolstadt.[25] On 22 April 2017, he scored four goals in one match for the first time in his career as Werder Bremen came back from 0–1 and 1–2 deficits to defeat Ingolstadt 4–2 and maintain a 10-match unbeaten run.[26]

Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Kruse was chosen as the team's captain by manager Florian Kohfeldt.[27]

As of October 2018, he was the player with the longest active penalty scoring streak - 24 goals. He had not missed a single penalty in six years. His streak started on 7 April 2012.[28]

In May 2019, Kruse announced he would not extend his contract and leave the club following the 2018–19 season.[29][30]

Fenerbahçe

On 28 June 2019, Kruse joined Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal.[31] On 18 June 2020, he terminated his contract with the club citing unpaid wages.[32][33][34]

International career

Kruse was a member of the Germany U-19 that competed at the 2007 UEFA U-19 Championship and also featured for the under-21 team.[35]

Kruse received his first call up to the senior squad for a friendly against Ecuador on 29 May 2013 in Boca Raton, Florida.[36] He provided the assist for Lukas Podolski's second goal of the match before being substituted for Dennis Aogo in the 79th minute. The match ended with a 4–2 victory.[37] Kruse scored his first goal for the national team in his second cap, scoring Germany's second goal in a 4–3 defeat to the United States in Washington, D.C. on 2 June, a game which celebrated 100 years of the United States Soccer Federation.[38] Despite Kruse's successful league campaign with Gladbach, he was omitted from the 30-man preliminary squad for the World Cup in Brazil.[39]

During qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, Kruse scored twice in a 7–0 win over Gibraltar on 13 June 2015.[40]

Professional poker
Max Kruse
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)None
Final table(s)1
Money finish(es)3

Kruse is an avid poker player and made it to the final table, finishing third, at the No-Limit 2–7 Draw Lowball event at the 2014 World Series of Poker on 18 June 2014, taking home $36,494 in prize money.[41][42] In March 2016, Kruse was fined £20,000 and warned of his future conduct by Wolfsburg after it was revealed that he had lost £60,000 worth of poker winnings in the back seat of a taxi.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 7 March 2020[43][44]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Werder Bremen II 2006–07 Regionalliga Nord 120——120
2007–08 33230—332
2008–09 3. Liga 245——245
Total 69730—727
Werder Bremen 2007–08 Bundesliga 10000010
FC St. Pauli II 2009–10 Regionalliga Nord 10——10
FC St. Pauli 2009–10 2. Bundesliga 29720—317
2010–11 Bundesliga 33210—342
2011–12 2. Bundesliga 341310—3513
Total 962240—10022
SC Freiburg 2012–13 Bundesliga 341151—3912
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2013–14 Bundesliga 341210—3512
2014–15 321132704213
Total 662342707725
VfL Wolfsburg 2015–16 Bundesliga 3262[lower-alpha 1]192439
Werder Bremen 2016–17 Bundesliga 231510—2415
2017–18 29642—338
2018–19 321141—3612
Total 843293—9235
Fenerbahçe 2019–20 Süper Lig 20730—237
Total 20730—237
Career total 403108307162449117
  1. Includes 1 appearance in DFL-Supercup

International goals
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 2 June 2013Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States United States
2–4
3–4
Friendly
2 13 June 2015Estádio Algarve, Loulé, Portugal Gibraltar
2–0
7–0
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
3
7–0
4 11 October 2015Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany Georgia
2–1
2–1

Honours

Wolfsburg

References
  1. "Max Bennet Kruse" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. Krech, Eva-Maria; Stock, Eberhard; Hirschfeld, Ursula; Anders, Lutz Christian (2009). Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch [German Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 679, 732. ISBN 978-3-11-018202-6.
  3. Goldmann, Sven (4 November 2013). "Hamburg, seine Perle". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  4. Schöne, Marc; Plum, Andreas (20 February 2014). "KRUSE: »ALS VATER BIN ICH EHER STRENG«". FOHLEN HAUTNAH (in German). Online-Magazin Fohlen-hautnah.de Andreas Plum – Marc Schöne GbR. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  5. "Matchday 34 – League Table". Bundesliga. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. "Sport-Club verpflichtet Max Kruse" (in German). SC Freiburg. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  7. "Joker Freis erlöst den Sportclub spät" (in German). kicker. 18 August 2012.
  8. "Mainz fight back against Freiburg". Sky Sports. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  9. "Freiburg hit Hoffenheim for five". Bundesliga. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  10. "Bundesliga: Freiburg 5–3 Hoffenheim". ESPN UK. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  11. "Freiburg cause a royal upset". Bundesliga. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  12. "Schalke 04 1–3 SC Freiburg". ESPN FC. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  13. "Werder Bremen 2–3 SC Freiburg". ESPN FC. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  14. "Doppelpack! Kruse ärgert Bald-Klub Gladbach" (in German). Sport Bild. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  15. "Europe beckons for Fürth-slaying Freiburg". Bundesliga. 11 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  16. "Kruse Gladbach-bound next season". Bundesliga. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  17. "Darmstadt schafft die Sensation" (in German). Sportschau. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  18. "Erst Kruse, dann Kramer — die Neuen bringen Gladbach in die Spur" (in German). kicker. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  19. "Borussia Monchengladbach 4–1 Werder Bremen". ESPN FC. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  20. Chaffer, Alex (10 May 2015). "Wolfsburg sign Gladbach's Max Kruse". dw.de. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  21. Dunbar, Ross (1 August 2015). "Bendtner leads Wolfsburg over Bayern Munich on penalties in German Super Cup clash". Fox Sports. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  22. "De Bruynes artwork rewarded wide awake Wolves". kicker. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  23. ""Keine Bedenken": Werder macht Kruse-Wechsel perfekt!" ["No Concerns": Werder perfects the Kruse deal] (in German). kicker. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  24. "Max Kruse kehrt an die Weser zurück" [Max Kruse returned to the Weser] (in German). Werder Bremen. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  25. "Bartels belohnt kämpfende Bremer". kicker Online (in German). 3 December 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  26. Cottäus, Daniel (22 April 2017). "Vierfacher Max Kruse bringt Werder auf Europa-Kurs". WerderStube. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  27. ""Absoluter Leader": Kruse neuer Werder-Kapitän". kicker Online (in German). 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGHc7lApO_g
  29. "Kapitän Max Kruse verlässt den SV Werder" (in German). werder.de. 17 May 2019.
  30. McGraghan, Jack (17 May 2019). ""I played with great joy for three years" - Kruse to leave Werder Bremen". Goal. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  31. "Kruse agrees three-year Fenerbahçe deal". beIN Sports. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  32. "MAX KRUSE HAKKINDA BİLGİLENDİRME". Fenerbahçe. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  33. Erözden, Can (18 June 2020). "Fenerbahce star Kruse unilaterally cancels contract". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  34. Knips, Björn (19 June 2020). "Ex-Werder-Star Max Kruse erklärt seine Kündigung bei Fenerbahce Istanbul" [Former Werder star Max Kruse explains his termination at Fenerbahce Istanbul]. Kreiszeitung (in German). Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  35. "Nationalspieler Max Kruse" (in German). dfb.de. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  36. "Germany to miss Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund players on team for US tour". The Washington Post. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  37. "Germany edge past Ecuador". Bundesliga. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  38. "USA 4–3 Germany: Altidore snaps drought as Klinsmann's USA tops Germany". Goal.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  39. "Germany unveils preliminary World Cup roster". Deutsche Welle. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  40. "Armenia 2-3 Portugal". BBC. 14 June 2015.
  41. "Germany's Kruse third in poker event". ESPNFC. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  42. "Event #36: No-Limit 2–7 Draw Lowball". WSOP. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  43. "M. Kruse". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  44. "Max Kruse » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
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