Over the weekend, Robbie Kruse announced himself in the Bundesliga with a brace for his new team Bayer Leverkusen.
Not only did the Socceroo score two well taken goals, but he also had a hand in a third in his team’s 4 – 1 win away to Mainz 05.
It’s been a huge week for the soon to be 25 year old. He made his Champions League debut off the bench at a little place called Old Trafford. Then he turned in a man of the match performance rewarding manager Sami Hyypia for the faith that he showed, giving him his first start for the club.
The lights haven’t always shone so bright for Kruse but his persistence is admirable. When many others would’ve given up or taken the easy way out, Kruse and his management team made wise football decisions by not chasing the huge money or the most glamorous clubs but making decisions that would benefit Robbie’s career.
Kruse burst on to the scene for the then Queensland Roar on his nineteenth birthday, scoring the winner in a 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix. He was part of a youth revolution at the Roar.
Fellow youngsters Michael Zullo, Tommy Oar, Tahj Minniecon and Mitch Nichols joined Kruse to freshen up the league and bring the confidence that only youthful exuberance can bring.
These five were given free rein to pick up the ball and run at opposition defenders. Their pace and trickery caused all sorts of headaches and it was the type of football that got fans through the turnstiles.
Things were looking good for Kruse before some off field incidents threatened to derail his promising career. It was apparent that he needed to get out of Brisbane and look for a fresh start.
Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick threw Kruse a lifeline and he again showed the form that propelled him onto the A-League stage at the Roar.
Under the watchful eye of some old heads at the Victory, Kruse became a professional footballer. Not because he earned a living playing football but because of his professional attitude and approach to his career.
After two stellar seasons in Melbourne, Kruse moved to Germany and signed for Bundesliga 2 outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf. He subsequently helped them to gain promotion to the Bundesliga the following season.
While Kruse’s efforts weren’t enough to keep them in Germany’s top division, he did impress other suitors with several stand-out performances in an otherwise forgettable season for the club.
Champions League bound Bayer Leverkusen signed the flying Aussie on a three-year contract in April and Kruse is yet to let Sami Hyypia down, providing fantastic energy off the bench and a man of the match performance in his recent start.
Kruse is now one of the first selected in the Socceroos starting XI and his game will go from strength to strength if he continues to get game time in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
German football is huge at the moment, and on the back of last season’s all German Champions League final, it won’t be long until the Bundesliga is rivalling the EPL and La Liga as the best domestic football competition in the world.
Kruse is in the right place at the right time to get the most out of his football career. He’s 24 years old and has plenty of good football ahead of him.
Credit to Kruse and his management team for not chasing the money in Asia or signing for a bigger club, only to sit on the bench and watch others play.
It would appear that Kruse isn’t the only one loving life in Germany. Matthew Leckie (2) and Nikita Rukavytsya (1) both scored over the weekend for FSV Frankfurt in their 4-1 win over strugglers Ingolstadt, and Mitch Langerak made his Champions League debut for Borussia Dortmund during the week.
Elsewhere in Belgium, former Central Coast shot stopper Mat Ryan kept another clean sheet for Club Brugge as they sit second in the Jupiler League.
Things are looking good for young Aussies in Europe.
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