It’s not often that the wife of a Bundesliga player reaches a larger television audience than her husband. In the case of the Grahl family, that was the case until recently. When Nathalie was named “Shopping Queen” in March 2017, primarily through her choice of a black jumpsuit in TV format by designer Guido Maria Kretschmer, a total of over a million viewers (including repeats) witnessed it.
At that time, Jens, on the other hand, pursued his profession as a professional goalkeeper largely unnoticed and unobserved. As VfB Stuttgart’s number three, the goalkeeper never managed to take part in a Bundesliga game, and most of the time he wasn’t even on the substitutes’ bench. His job was simply to be there, as a backup if the bad luck with injuries among the goalkeepers struck mercilessly.
Grahl was intended for exactly this role at Eintracht. But sometimes unexpected things happen in professional football. Last summer, Ajax Amsterdam decided to spend almost ten million on Frankfurt number 2 Diant Ramaj, which allowed Grahl to move up in the goalkeeper hierarchy because the Frankfurt team had more pressing personnel issues to deal with than themselves with Randal Kolo Muani shortly before the end of the transfer period to look for a new second goalkeeper. And when Kevin Trapp returned from his international trip to the USA with back problems, the 35-year-old goalkeeper’s hour of testing had come.
“He did an outstanding job”
He passed them: in the Bundesliga game at TSG Hoffenheim, in the Conference League against HJK Helsinki and in the DFB Cup against Viktoria Köln – three games, three wins. If Trapp’s complaints prevent him from playing at Union Berlin this Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky), that wouldn’t give anyone at Eintracht a stomach ache.
Grahl has proven that he can be relied on. “He did an outstanding job,” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller praised his goalkeeper on Friday. In fact, Grahl exuded great confidence and was also able to respond quickly to all major challenges. The fact that he only conceded one goal in 270 minutes of play is not an indication of underemployment, but of his quality.
However, his skills were not enough to make it into the first class. Only in Hoffenheim was he able to open the fight for the number 1 position with Koen Casteels in the 2013/14 season. He played eleven of his 14 Bundesliga games so far in this phase. With the signing of Oliver Baumann, the Hoffenheim goalkeeper situation was clarified.
At some point, Grahl let go of the idea that he had to become a regular goalkeeper in the Bundesliga in order to be happy. He moved to VfB as number three in his hometown of Stuttgart in 2016 and didn’t play a single Bundesliga game in five years on the Neckar. “I don’t seek the limelight, I know when someone is better and I can accept that situation,” he claims. He is a realistic and modest character.
“Life after football”
Grahl actually wanted to end his career at VfB, but in 2021 Eintracht goalkeeping coach Jan Zimmermann convinced him to move to the Main. A long-term contract including continued employment after his playing career was the deciding factor. “After all, there is still life after football,” says Grahl.
The fact that Eintracht made an offer to the goalkeeper, even though he hadn’t played a game in five years, and that VfB only let him go with pain, is due to Grahl’s secondary virtues. Toppmöller described this in detail on Friday: “Jens is a mentality player, and mentality players always show mentality, regardless of their personal situation or the situation in the game. They never let their heads down, no matter how difficult the situation is, they push themselves and others too. Jens gives his all in every training session.”
Daniel Theweleit, Cologne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Daniel Theweleit, Cologne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Alexis Menuge and Peter Heß Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
Grahl’s work ethic does not depend on whether he is number one, two or three in the squad. “I accept any role. I see myself as a challenger, but much more as a team player, as a supporter of the goalkeeper group.” Grahl’s social skills are widely praised – would he have been happy in a social profession? “That would definitely have suited me, although football made me who I am. By conveying my values to the young people, I am also showing my social commitment.”
