"Borussia is my life": Großkreutz eyes up a job at BVB | OneFootball

Norbert Dickel is openly considering the end of his tenure as Borussia Dortmund’s stadium announcer. Already, a BVB icon is positioning himself as a possible successor.

For almost 33 years, Norbert “Nobby” Dickel has shaped Borussia Dortmund’s home games with his voice. The former striker, who became the “Hero of Berlin” in 1989 by scoring two goals in the cup final against Werder Bremen, has served as stadium announcer since September 12, 1992—back then, BVB celebrated a legendary 7:6 victory over Bayern Munich in the DFB Cup. Since then, Dickel has hardly missed a home game at Signal Iduna Park.

But now, the club icon is openly considering a possible farewell. “I’ll be 64 years old this year. I don’t want them to have to carry me out of the stadium one day. I’m slowly starting to think about it,” he recently explained on the sidelines of a youth cup in Bochum. However, he ruled out an immediate retirement: “I still absolutely enjoy it. I love what I do.”

A possible successor has already thrown his hat into the ring: Kevin Großkreutz. The Dortmund native, who played for BVB from 2009 to 2015, won the German championship twice, and celebrated the World Cup title with Germany in 2014, initially applied jokingly on his podcast Viertelstunde Fußball: “I’d do it, guys, yeah! If you want me to, I’ll do it!”

BVB Icon Großkreutz Positions Himself as Stadium Announcer

When asked by Bild, Großkreutz made it clear that he’s serious: “That wasn’t just something I said offhand. Borussia is my life. I’d love to get involved.” At the same time, he emphasized his respect for the role: “I loved standing down there on the pitch in front of 80,000 spectators. But communicating with them solely through the loudspeaker system is a whole different challenge. But I believe I can handle it—if Nobby gives me the proper training first.” With a wink, he added: “I’d always have to watch what I say. Especially when certain opponents are in the stadium.”

For now, though, patience is required: Dickel does not want to give up his post in a hurry. So fans can continue to rely on the familiar voice in the stadium and on BVB Netradio for the time being—but the course for the future already seems to be set.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.