Ösi, 36, cook and ex-Bayer: that's Aarau-hope Maierhofer

After six rounds without points (!), FC Aarau is in dire need of putting a 36-year-old Austrian out of unemployment. "Age was a problem before our meeting with Stefan.After sports tests and a personal conversation, the subject of age was addressed," said sports director Sandro Burki.And Stefan Maierhofer turns out to be a great stroke of luck The 2.02-meter man kills Aarau from the bottom of the board: 7 goals in the last 5 games. "He helps us on and off the pitch because he knows how to get by in several scenarios, "said coach Patrick Rahmen.

"The major has arrived in Aarau," said Maierhofer, laughing. He has been calling Major since the summer of 2007 and moved to Greuther Fürth, until then called Lange. "Fürth was the name of a Langer, which is why someone said Major Hofer." Major remained then.

The great hope of FC Aarau has zero perspective kid as a professional footballer. When he is seven, he is diagnosed with celiac disease. What is no longer a problem today is a Herculean task. Her mother tinkers in the kitchen with gluten-free recipes, pastries and cooks. "She gave me special rolls at the class camp, the first and second days were fine, the third was hard."

And as a "little" Maierhofer ("I was never really small!"), Can play for the Austrian national selections, says a coach to his father: "It's done alone, it's too big." Big mistake. He plays 19 times later for the Austrian group A-Nati. The Major will be champion of Austria in 2008 with Rapid Wien. With RB Salzburg, he will win the double in 2012 and become the top scorer. He storms several clubs in England and Bayern Munich. In the German record, the champions, however, mainly among amateurs. The air in the professionals is the Langen but too thin. "My competitors were Podolski, Makaay, Santa Cruz and Pizarro."

Aarau is already his club number 18. He does not regret his many changes. "Wherever I am, I could learn in the field or as a person, as a personality," explains Maierhofer, who sometimes works as a model. Everyone says that he does well with his direct and useful nature of the Aarau cabin. Outside, teammates do a lot together. Going to the Italian together, Maierhofer takes his own pasta with. If a teammate orders a pizza, like Elsad Zverotic last Wednesday, there is one without gluten for the Major.

That he is still fit at the age of 36 is not just about his healthy diet. His attitude at work is the big cinema. "Being a footballer is a privilege – even if we train twice, we do not go beyond four hours – normal workers do it until lunchtime." And unlike many of his colleagues, He knows what he's talking about. He is a trained chef and restaurant specialist. He worked for eight years, mainly in the restaurant business of his parents. Between the ages of 16 and 18, when the others signed their first professional contract, he stopped playing football altogether. "I had to help my mother because my father had died of an illness, we stayed at the restaurant until 16 hours a day."

Maierhofer only relies on football at the age of 23. Maybe that's why he does not want to stop yet. "Maybe I'll stay for another season," he says. "Niko Kovac once advised us to play as long as possible." You will like to hear that at FC Aarau. Nevertheless, he planned the resignation. The major finished his sports studies in 2014.