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Veteran player Dennis Grote retires from VfL after long tenure

Versatile Player Dennis Grote, A Standout at Bayern, VfL Bochum, and Rot-Weiss Essen, Announces His Retirement After Promotions at Nearly Every Club.

Titlegraduate and Bayern Munich's Terror at VfL Bochum, captain at Rot-Weiss Essen, and repeatedly...
Titlegraduate and Bayern Munich's Terror at VfL Bochum, captain at Rot-Weiss Essen, and repeatedly promoted at various clubs: Dennis Grote is Retiring from Football.

Veteran player Dennis Grote retires from VfL after long tenure

**"Alright, let's dive into the story of a bloke who's seen it all in German football," says yours truly. "Dennis Grote, now hangin' up his boots after more than 20 years and over 500 games, is callin' it quits."

Grote's farewell tour started at VfL Bochum's youth performance center—with nary a bag to be seen. "It felt a bit odd, mate," he admits. "Never been here without one before, I reckon." But don't mistake his casual demeanor for shyness; this 38-year-old has earned the right to feel unfazed.

Promotion-winning teams at three major Ruhr-area clubs—VfL Bochum, MSV Duisburg, and Rot-Weiss Essen—all boast Grote's footprints. He's no stranger to climbing the ranks in German football divisions, notching a promotion at each of his teams so far.

VfL Bochum: Grote's final stand was the Wattenscheid Derby

Grote's last hurrah was none other than the city derby at Wattenscheid's Lohrheidestadion in early May. With Bochum already secured for promotion, others got game time, and Grote's mission was accomplished. "Nobody wanted to push me out, so I just rode into the sunset," he says.

Flashback to Grote's debut at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion under trainer Peter Neururer. Despite relegation that season, Bochum promptly bounced back. Grote's career had come full circle, starting where it began: as a youth player at Preußen Münster, who later sold him to VfL Bochum.

VfL Bochum: Grote's triumph in the U21 European Championship and Bayern grudge matches

Grote represented Germany in more than 20 youth teams, earning a spot on the 2007 U21 European Championship-winning squad alongside Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil, and Mats Hummels. He racked up 69 professional games for Bochum in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.

Remember the Great Grote Bayern duels? In 2007, he set up Zvejdan Misimovic's equalizer in a 2-1 win over Schalke. A few months later, he scored against Bayern Munich at the Ruhrstadion, but Bayern came back to win. A year later, he scored an equalizer in Munich, a goal he's often asked about.

Grote's Journey: Stints at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, MSV Duisburg, and Rot-Weiss Essen

After 10 seasons with Bochum, Grote joined Rot-Weiß Oberhausen in 2010, but happiness remained elusive. A half-year stint without a team followed until he returned to Preußen Münster. Then came Duisburg and a promotion to 2. Bundesliga. A stint in Chemnitz, relegation to 3. Liga, and a Regionalliga championship followed, before Grote found himself back in Essen.

Grote's tumultuous departure from Rot-Weiß Essen

For two and a half years, Grote was one of the leaders of the Red-Whites. They stormed into the DFB Cup quarter-finals, and though a rift surfaced before the winter break, they ultimately secured promotion at the end of the season. Grote eventually joined Preußen Münster, where he helped ensure their own promotion.

This episodic adventure is why Grote dubs his career as "three and a half" consecutive promotions, given the unexpected twist in Essen that set him on a path back to his football roots.

Also of interest

Returner Dennis Grote: More than legends—his upcoming ventures at VfL Bochum

Final Act: Farewell with promotion at VfL Bochum

In the summer of 2024, Grote embarks on his final mission: to join the new U21 team under coach Heiko Butscher and bid farewell with another promotion. Before he hangs up his boots for good, Grote's already kickin' things off in the transition area of the youth department at VfL Bochum.

  1. Ahead of his retirement, Dennis Grote, who has a rich history in German football, decided to join VfL Bochum's sports-analysis team, sharing his insights from a career spanning more than 20 years and over 500 games.
  2. Dennis Grote, who has a proven track record in promotion-winning teams, will be working with the U21 team at VfL Bochum after his retirement, aiming to guide them to another promotion before officially hanging up his boots in the sports-analysis sector.

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