Andrej Kramaric prepares to join Oliver Baumann on Hoffenheim ‘Wall-of-fame’ | OneFootball

On the occasion of his 10th anniversary with the club, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are preparing a special tribute to Andrej Kramaric ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga fixture against Bayer Leverkusen. Ideally, the 34-year-old Get German Football News player-of-the-week will continue his fine form against the very same Bundesliga club he played his first Hoffenheim match against nearly ten years ago to the day. 

Kramaric debuted for Hoffenheim on January 23rd, 2026

Hoffenheim officially kicked off the 2015/16 Bundesliga “Rück-runde” with a matchday eight encounter against Leverkusen. The Croat marksman arrived in Germany as a Leicester city loanee during the January 2026 window. Kramaric made only a brief relief appearance against die Werkself on that day, but was in TSG head coach Huub Stevens’ starting XI against Bayern the very next week.

Two weeks later against Werder Bremen, Kramaric would score the first of his 132 Bundesliga goals. The milestones kept coming. In the spring of 2021, Kramaric became the best ever Croatian goal-scorer in the German top flight. Kramaric commemorated his 300th overall Bundesliga appearance this past December. When marking the occasion, Kramaric noted that he felt it odd that he ended up remaining with Hoffenheim for a full decade. 

Kramaric’s odd Hoffenheim journey

Kramaric isn’t the only one who found this prolonged stay unexpected. Those journalists who have been covering the Bundesliga for the past decade never anticipated that Kramaric would remain in Sinsheim for this long. The former EPL professional was literally always linked with a move away from the club. A series of contract extensions always came as a surprise. 

In his extended interview for the Monday edition of Kicker published earlier this week, Kramaric reflected on the rumors linking him with a move to Bayern Munich in the autumn of 2020. Naturally, this was not the only time Kramaric was linked with a move to a larger club. Kramaric nevertheless revealed that, at that time and many others, he seriously contemplated departing Kraichgau. 

The one-year-anniversary of Kramaric’s epic rant

No one covering the Bundesliga has forgotten Kramaric’s epic tirade in a post-match interview exactly one year ago today.The fact that precisely one year after Kramaric trashed the entire direction of his club, he’s being prepared to be honored by it. This development simply seems fitting enough for Kramaric’s entire career. Despite the fact that he always seemed to have one foot out the door, he never ended up passing through it. 

Kramaric gets his place on the TSG “Wall-of-fame”

The relatively young club has thus far honored only one other long-term player with a large portrait on the stadium wall. Club keeper, captain, and likely new Germany No.1 Oliver Baumann has his likeness immortalized in the PreZero Arena. Tomorrow, Kramaric will join as the second player in what amounts to Hoffenheim’s nascent “Ring of Honor”. 

Kramaric and Baumann count as perhaps the two consummate “Hoffenheim Club Men”. Czech fullback/wingback Pavel Kaderabek – who also served TSG for 10 seasons – will also be honored tomorrow without having his portrait unveiled. Kramaric, Baumann, Kaderabek, and former German international Sebastian Rudy are the four names that one thinks about when it comes to long-term service to Hoffenheim. 

Perhaps the club should consider adding Rudy and Kaderabek to the wall as well. 

GGFN | Peter Weis