Every now and then, ex-professionals move to amateur football. Soon, perhaps, a striker who played 41 times in the Champions League.

When the Landesliga 2 Staffel am Niederrhein kicks off next weekend, the match between SV Scherpenberg and SV Hönnepel-Niedermörmter will also be on the agenda. Why do we pick this game?

Because there has been a hot rumour about Konstantinos Mitroglou for quite some time. The 34-year-old ex-professional lives in Neukirchen and is a topic at SV Scherpenberg. Many football fans will certainly be familiar with Mitroglou.

The striker, who was born in Kavala, Greece, and grew up in the Lower Rhine region, began his career in the youth training centre of MSV Duisburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He later played for renowned European clubs such as Olympiakos Piraeus, FC Fulham, Benfica Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray Istanbul and Olympique Marseille. Mitroglou has made a whopping 41 appearances in the Champions League.

And will he soon be playing for Scherpenberg in the Landesliga against clubs like Blau-Weiß Dingden, DJK SF 97/30 Lowick, SGE Bedburg-Hau or TSV Wachtendonk-Wankum? “Damian Raczka, my playing co-coach, and Kosta played together in Gladbach’s youth team and are friends. They talk every now and then and Kosta has also been to our facility. But it’s not an issue at the moment. If he feels like playing football again in a few weeks or months, he is more than welcome,” Ralf Gemmer, coach of SV Scherpenberg, told RevierSport.

Mitroglou’s entourage says that the 65-time Greek international (17 goals) is not yet sure what to do next. Should he decide to go into amateur football, he is said to favour a commitment to SV Scherpenberg.

With or without Mitroglou: SV Scherpenberg wants to play a good season. Gemmer: “We want to play at the top and start the season with a win against Hö.-Nie. “