He spent six years at MSV Duisburg and was allowed to regularly train with the then second division professionals as a 16-year-old. We are talking about Marius Delker.

A tall goalkeeper at 1.89 meters (6 feet 2 inches) with strong reflexes, Marius Delker had what it takes to make it as a professional. From 2007 to 2013, the Essen native played for the youth team of MSV Duisburg. But in the end, it wasn’t enough for a professional contract.

Marius Delker, who is now 30 years old and plays for the Oberliga team Sportfreunde Hamborn 07, became a personnel officer at the Bertelsmann Group instead of a professional footballer.

“I take care of the all-round support of employees at the Bertelsmann Group. I am the point of contact for employees from the moment they join until they leave. Many strategic matters also fall within my area of responsibility. I feel fulfilled in my job and enjoy my work every day. Even when there are unpleasant conversations, such as terminations. Unfortunately, every department and company has people who are scapegoats. That’s also part of the job and life,” says Delker.

Delker studied economics at the Ruhr University in Bochum for five and a half years. He successfully completed his bachelor’s and then his master’s degree.

It was a great time working with guys like Tom Starke, who later went to Bayern and probably became one of the most successful substitute goalkeepers in the world. Unfortunately, in the end he only managed to play in the then U23 regional league team of MSV.

Marius Delker

Partly because he has settled very well in his professional life, he is not one of those talented footballers who bemoan their missed chance at going professional. Even though Delker undoubtedly had what it takes to make it to the top.

“I was allowed to train with the professionals at the age of 15 and 16. Milan Sasic was the coach of MSV at the time. The then goalkeeping coach Manfred Gloger thought very highly of me and kept inviting me to the top for training. It was a great time working with guys like Tom Starke, who later went to Bayern and probably became one of the most successful substitute goalkeepers in the world. Unfortunately, I only managed to play in the then U23 regional league team of MSV in the end. I was also able to play a test match for the professionals,” Delker recalls.

After six years, he left MSV in the summer of 2013 for FC Kray. “Even before that, it was actually clear to me that it wouldn’t be quite enough to make it to the top. At the time, I had a well-known agent in Michael Ruhnau, who still looks after Leipzig’s Kevin Kampl today. I could also have transferred from Duisburg to the U23 team of Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth at the time. But I never had the ambition to travel around Germany and earn a few thousand euros, only to find myself at 35 with no job in hand. I was raised quite differently. My motto was: either I make it as a real professional or I concentrate on my studies and my professional career. After Duisburg, I decided on the second part and I have no regrets at all. I am also completely at peace with my sporting career,” says the man who has played in the top league almost 200 times.