5 things on Christopher Trimmel | OneFootball

Christopher Trimmel: 5 things on Union Berlin's stalwart captain

Following the news of Christopher Trimmel's signing a one-year contract extension with Union Berlin, bundesliga.com digs up five things you may not have known about the capital club's long-time full-back and captain...

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1) Record appearance-maker

Something of a Bundesliga late bloomer, Trimmel debuted in Germany's top flight at the ripe old age of 32, and has since gone on to become Union's all-time leading appearance-maker. With 355 outings in all competitions (six goals, 65 assists) for the the club and counting, Trimmel is well ahead of Union's second-highest in that regard, Lutz Handel (315 games).

Now, having signed a season-long contract extension, and with Die Eisernen looking good for top-flight survival as they sit 12 points clear of the play-off spot with five matches left to play, Trimmel can build on his 160 top-flight appearances for the Köpenick club and etch his legacy that much deeper into the annals of club lore.

Trimmel is presented to enraptured fans at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei two days after clinching promotion to the Bundesliga. (imago images / Matthias Koch)

2) Driving force in Bundesliga promotion, Champions League qualification

It's not just about quantity; quality has played a huge role in Trimmel's contribution to his club. When the Austrian moved to Berlin on a free transfer from Rapid Vienna for the 2013/14 season, Union were in Bundesliga 2 and still working their way back up the German footballing pyramid following dissolution and re-establishment after WWII - as well as post-reunification financial difficulties.

Trimmel helped the club to a seventh-placed finish that season, with sixth-, fourth- and eighth-placed finishes following on before new coach Urs Fischer handed him the captain's armband at the beginning what turned out to be an historic 2018/19 season for the club. He led Die Eisernen to a third-placed finish and then, in the promotion play-off against VfB Stuttgart, Trimmel provided the assist for Marvin Friedrich's leveller in the first leg in Swabia - the goal that ended up tipping the balance in Union's favour and earning the Berlin club promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.

Club man Trimmel hopped the fence and celebrated with the fans after the 2-1 win over Freiburg on the final day of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. (IMAGO/Sebastian Räppold/Matthias Koch)

But Trimmel and Union weren't done there. In their second top-flight season, UEFA Europa Conference League qualification was unlocked with a brilliant seventh-placed finish and the UEFA Europa League followed in the subsequent season. Then, by stitching up a fourth-placed finish with a 1-0 home win over Werder Bremen on the final day of the 2022/23 season, Trimmel and his men earned a place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League - an historic achievement for the club that had been in the third division just 15 years previously.

3) Set-piece specialist

While Trimmel's leadership qualities (more on them below) were crucial in Union's rise, there is no question that his prowess with a dead ball - notably from corners - has been as well. You may have noticed above that he has racked up no fewer than 65 assists in his time with the capital club, and that impressive stat is largely due to his form in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Bundesliga seasons.

At one point in that first Bundesliga campaign, when he ended up with a career-best 11 assists, Trimmel was outdoing the likes of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Paris Saint-Germain pair Lionel Messi and Angel Di María, but in true Union fashion, stayed humble: "It's tough enough to stay at the top in this statistic. Now I've got to get even more creative with my set pieces. At the end of the day, however, all that matters for us is remaining in the league."

4) Club man through and through

The above quote is just one example of how Trimmel has embodied the values of a club that has taken him to its heart. A strong proponent of Union's emphasis on humility and principle and its fan-first ethos, the defender notably set the tone during the COVID-19 pandemic by volunteering to take a pay cut; he often participates in fan engagement initiatives; and has refused a number of offers from clubs that have looked to lure him away from the Alte Försterei during his legendary tenure.

"Christopher embodies Union like no other player," said Union's director of men's professional football, Horst Heldt, after the talismanic captain signed his latest extension. "He is a role model both on and off the pitch, gives the team stability, bringing all his experience to bear. His importance to the club goes far beyond the sporting arena, because such a close bond between a player and a club is very rare in professional football today. We are very happy to be able to continue counting on him."

5) Tattoo artist

Trimmel has found a away to combine fan engagement with of his passions: he gives fans tattoos! A long-time tattoo enthusiast who also has a side hustle as a freelance tattoo artist, he offered to give tattoos as a raffle prize as part of celebrations following Bundesliga promotion in 2019. But demand didn't stop there, and his freelance business has been highly sought after with Union fans ever since - to the point that he has had to ask for patience as his (understandably!) busy work schedule leaves him little time.

Having also tattooed players - notably club legend Torsten Mattuschka - and club employees like physio Thomas Riedel, Trimmel is pretty clear on what he will get up to after his football career ends. But with the ink drying on his latest extension with Union's senior team, the fans will have to stay patient a bit longer before they can get some Trimmel ink of their own.

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