Tuesday 17th August 2021
Now “a half” is also possible
The new life of the Bender twins
The Bender twins from Brannenburg once moved into the big world of football. You play at the Olympics against Neymar, one, Sven, is in the final of the Champions League with BVB and wins the championship title. They end their careers together, but football does not let go of them.
The online shop of the TSV Brannenburg has been visited unusually often in the past few days. The Bender fan jerseys were the object of desire. The regional league team from the municipality in the Upper Bavarian district of Rosenheim also gives a discount on the purchase of two jerseys – because Lars and Sven Bender are actually only available together.
After the end of their professional career in the summer with Bundesliga soccer club Bayer Leverkusen, the twins, who were born in Rosenheim, are now playing in their home country. “It’s a lot of fun. We also want to give something back to the region,” said Sven Bender in the ran Bundesliga web show about the commitment in Brannenburg.
The return to the football roots also brings with it special rituals and is a special challenge. “There’s always a lagerl of beer there. If you have a half a pint after the game, you won’t be viewed negatively, then you will be offered the second right away,” reported Lars Bender. “We still have a lot of catching up to do. So the guys can still teach us something.”
At TSV, the Bender twins once learned the ABCs of football as children, then they moved out into the big world. Both made it to the national team and won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Sven Bender was twice German champion and cup winner with Borussia Dortmund. But after numerous injuries, the 32-year-olds drew a line in the summer and the chapter on professional football.
Triumph in the great Inn Valley derby
“We asked ourselves whether we can still call our performance every day. For us it would have felt as if we were cheating ourselves a bit,” explained Lars Bender. “It’s not every day that you as a pair of brothers manage to get to the top and stay there for so long,” said Sven Bender about the successful time.
But they didn’t want to do without the ball entirely. In the Inntal derby against ASV Flintsbach (5: 2) in front of at least 450 spectators, they made their debut, and the second game in district class 1 was won. After a few corona cases in the team, the next two championship games were canceled.
The sale of the Bender fan jerseys is still going on. But that’s not the only reason why TSV is happy to have the famous twins. “Even off the field, they are characterized by character, integrity and attitude to life,” it says on the club’s website.
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