WHAT THE CLUCK Inside bizarre week of Germany star who was forced to build chicken coop in dungarees because of his Nutella addiction
WHEN you leave £60,000 in the back of a taxi you'd imagine it can't get much worse.
Posted Monday, February 19, 2024 by Thesun.co.uk
Yet it did for Max Kruse in 2016, who ended up building a chicken coop, having a Nutella addiction exposed and being fined by his club all within seven days.
Max Kruse helped build a chicken coop after a strange week
Kruse ended up being dropped from the German national team
The disastrous episode all started when the then-Wolfsburg star snuck off to Berlin for a poker tournament.
Kruse is an avid player and previously made the final of a World Series event.
At the tournament in the German capital, the striker competed late into the night and walked away with £60,000 in winnings.
But his first calamity struck when he somehow lost the earnings in a taxi home.
Kruse, now 35, phoned the police but the money was never recovered.
He managed to keep the incident under wraps for months.
But Wolfsburg, and the German press, eventually found out.
And that led to another financial hit - as Kruse was fined £20,000 as punishment for playing in the first place.
Now £80,000 down, many would turn to their comfort food.
But not Kruse, as his peculiar seven days continued when German press then got wind of his addiction to Nutella.
The Germany star had been told by his Bundesliga club to lay off the sugar-rich treat after he had been seen scoffing it at breakfast during a winter training camp.
Questioned about the two incidents, fuming Wolfsburg chief Klaus Allofs said: "Some people would have never seen so much money in their lives and certainly not in cash.
"There was a conversation between Max, myself and our coach. We explained to him what kind of behaviour we expect from our players in their free time in public."
On his sweet tooth, Allofs added: "This sort of thing is dealt with internally. Max does need to correct a few things.
"We speak with all of our players. The aim is support them in such a way that will put them in a position to deliver their optimum performance."
Chicken coop
The week from hell for Kruse was then topped off as he was sent to take part in a community project on behalf of his club.
The 14-time forward was mocked by Bild after being snapped putting on a pair of dungarees to help construct a chicken coop.
By that point, it was all too much for national team manager Joachim Low.
He ranted: "We need players who are focused on football and also understand their role as role models.
"I talked with Max about what I expect from players on and off the pitch. His actions in the last weeks were unprofessional."
Kruse was never selected for a Germany squad again.
He retired last summer after a lengthy career, having scored 97 Bundesliga goals.
The legend played for the likes of Freiburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Union Berlin.
And he's enjoying more hold'em in his retirement, regularly competing in World Series of Poker Europe events.
Speaking in 2022, after winning an event, Kruse said: "I think this ranks pretty high.
"This is a completely different thing. I've been training for soccer my whole life and normally I play (poker) just for fun so it's nice to know that I'm not that bad. Hopefully, it won't be the last one."
"I can only play as a hobby right now because of my (soccer) career but we'll see after my career if I continue playing more poker."
Kruse is still playing poker and is a regular on the World Series of Poker tour
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