Christian Groß will call time on his playing career in the summer of this year. “This was an extremely difficult decision to make. I’ve played football for my whole life – that’s what I’m known for. It’s definitely not a decision you can make overnight, but something that you think about for a long time. I came to the conclusion with my wife and family over the Christmas break that it was time for me to hang up my boots.”
“Grosso is a perfect example that a football journey isn’t always linear. He has gone from a reserve player at the training camp to an established Bundesliga footballer who has taken on a very important role in our team on and off the pitch over the last few years. His absence will leave a huge gap in the dressing room in the summer. I’ve been very impressed by his development since he made the jump into the first team. He is living proof that development doesn’t stop, even for a seasoned footballer. He deserves a lot of respect,” expressed SV Werder Bremen managing director for sport Clemens Fritz, who is hoping to sit down with the 35-year-old soon to discuss his plans for after retirement. “It’s no secret that Grosso has a follow-up contract with us. We’ll be having discussions between us as to when and in what role he will continue here. Nevertheless, I’m very pleased that we’ll still have him and his personality with us.”
Christian Groß’s time in the Bundesliga only began in the second half of his career. After joining SV Werder Bremen’s U23s in 2018 at the age of 29, he made his debut for the Green-Whites’ Bundesliga side during the 2019/20 season. Grosso played in a total of 75 Bundesliga fixtures and 27 in the 2. Bundesliga for Werder’s first team. He also made 182 appearances in the 3. Liga and 134 in the Regionalligen Nord and West over his time at both Werder and HSV U23s, as well as Sportfreunde Lotte, SV Babelsberg and VfL Osnabrück.
