Everyone is talking about German soccer’s problems with recruiting young players. Since last Fall we have been filming three young soccer players as they strive to rise in the rankings.
Sebastian Deisler of Lörrach joined the team Borussia Monchengladbach when he was 15. At 18 he played his first season in the Federal League. A serious knee injury held him back in the autumn, until he kicked his first league goal. Suddenly he was catapulted onto professional soccer‘s most wanted list, where millions of Marks exchange hands. Real Madrid, Inter Milan or Bayer Munich – they all want Sebastian. We show how he grows into the role of a soccer star.

Andreas Voss is considered to be just as talented, but at Bayer Leverkusen he just doesn’t stand out. The team is supposed to play in the Champions League, but the trainer plays it safe and lets his top stars play – after all, they cost millions – while his second string sits on the bench. All the while other Federal League clubs are vying for Andreas. Should Andreas make demands of Bayer or switch clubs? What do his friends and his father advise him to do?

Tolga Selcuk from Villingen also signed his first professional contract when he was 15. In it he agrees to start playing with the Sport Club Freiburg as a professional when he turns 18. Tolga can choose from the best clubs in the League – Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, VfB Stuttgart – they all want Tolga. But the young Turk wants to stay near home. He has enough to deal with as it is - training, the numerous exhibition matches, second string teams, the 10th grade diploma and especially getting the German passport. That’s Tolga’s dream – if he plays on the German national team, his father won’t have to sweat it out in the rubber factory any longer.

All three were discovered at the Duisburg high school players match, the annual talent marketplace, where Federal League scouts recruit their second string players. We observe the youth leader from Bayer Leverkusen at this year’s match in Duisburg. Are the young players better than their reputation?

More on co-director Reinhild Dettmer-Finke:
www.defi-filmproduktion.de