Jérome Polenz
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Jérome Polenz (born 7 November 1986) is a German retired professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who mostly played as a defender.


Club career


Early career

Polenz was born in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany, to an Algerian father and a German mother. He first began his youth career with SC Siemensstadt at the age of seven before advancing through the youth systems of
CFC Hertha 06 CFC Hertha 06 is a German association football club from the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The club's greatest success has been promotion to the tier five NOFV-Oberliga Nord in 2015. Apart from football the club also offers chess, table ...
and
TeBe Berlin Tennis Borussia Berlin is a Football in Germany, German football club based in the Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin, locality of Westend (Berlin), Westend in Berlin. History The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong ...
. Growing up, Polenz attended the Gymnasium Obervieland and graduated with an
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
diploma. When he was fifteen years old, Polenz joined
Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
and quickly developed his way through the club's teams. After three years on Bremen's reserve team, he made his first team debut on 4 February 2006, beating
Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
4–2. Following his debut, Polenz signed his first professional contract with the club, keeping him until 2009. He later went on to make three appearances at the end of the 2005–06 season. Polenz made no appearances in the first team throughout the 2006–07 season.


Alemannia Aachen

It was announced on 15 June 2007 that Polenz joined
Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a football in Germany, German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's 2. Bundesliga, second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three- ...
on a three–year contract, effectively joining the club on 1 July 2007. He made his debut for the club, coming on as an 83rd-minute substitute, in a 3–0 win against FC Normannia Gmünd in the first round of the DFB–Pokal. In a follow–up match, Polenz made his first start for Alemannia Aachen, playing in the defensive midfield position, as the club drew 2–2 against Carl Zeiss Jena. Since joining Alemannia Aachen, he was involved in the first team, rotating in playing as a striker, right–midfield and right–back positions. Polenz also began to contribute assists, assisting four times However, along the way, he was plagued with injuries on five occasions. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Polenz went on to make twenty–seven appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Polenz continued to regain his first team place and began playing in the right–back position. However, he suffered a torn ankle ligament injury while training and was sidelined for "a long time". Polenz did not return to the first team until on 14 December 2008 against
FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute, as Alemannia Aachen lost 3–1. However, in a match against
Hansa Rostock FC Hansa Rostock () is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the forme ...
on 6 February 2009, he was sent–off for a straight red card in the 45th minute, as the club drew 3–3. After the match, it was announced that Polenz would have to serve a two match suspension. After serving a two match suspension, he returned to the first team against
MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jers ...
on 2 March 2009, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss. In a follow–up against
SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
, Polenz set up Alemannia Aachen's only goal of the game, in a 2–1 loss. Despite being sidelined on two occasions later in the 2008–09 season, he later regained his first team place, playing in the right–back position for the rest of the season. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Polenz went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2009–10 season, however, Polenz suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in a 4–2 loss against Hearts in a friendly match. After the match, Alemannia Aachen announced on their website that he would be sidelined for about ten weeks. By October, Polenz recovered from his injury and was featured in two matches for the club's reserve team. He did not make his return to the first team until 1 November 2009 against FC Augsburg, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win. However, Polenz continued to remain out of the sidelined, including another injury that saw out for a month. As a result, he was restricted to two starts for Alemannia Aachen.


Union Berlin

On 11 May 2010, Polenz signed for
Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as 1. FC Union Berlin () or Union Berlin, is a professional German football club in Köpenick, Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweid ...
for the 2010–11 season, signing a three–year contract. He made his debut for the club against Halle in the first round of the DFB–Pokal, and started the whole game, as Union Berlin lost 1–0. After joining the club, Polenz found himself competing with Marc Pfertzel and Paweł Thomik. As a result, he found his first team opportunities, resulting in him being placed on the substitute bench, as well as, his own injury concern. In December 2010, Polenz, along with Kenan Şahin, was barred from the first team squad and instead, the duo trained in the reserve squad. Following this, he never played in the first team for the rest of the 2010–11 season and made seven appearances in all competitions. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, it was expected that Polenz would be leaving 1. FC Union Berlin, but ended up staying at the club. After nine months without playing in the first team, he was called back into the first team on 26 September 2011. Having appeared four times as an unused substitute, Polenz made his first appearance, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over
Eintracht Braunschweig Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...
on 4 November 2011. However, he found his first team place hard to come by and made two starts towards the 2011–12 season. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Polenz went on to make eight appearances in all competitions. Following this, he was released by the club.


Western Sydney Wanderers

On 21 August 2012, Polenz signed a contract to be an inaugural squad member of
Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...
of Australia. He explained joining the club after watching his friend
Thomas Broich Thomas Broich (born 29 January 1981) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. A SpVgg Unterhaching youth product, Broich went on to play for Wacker Burghausen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, 1. FC Köln, and ...
's documentary called Tom Meets Zizou. Western Sydney Wanderers made their debut in a 0–0 draw against
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...
, where Polenz played in the right-back position on 6 October 2012. After joining the club, he quickly established himself in this position in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position. His performance saw him signed a contract extension for the 2013–14 season. Polenz then contributed an assist for
Mark Bridge Mark Robert Bridge (born 7 November 1985) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for NPL club Mounties Wanderers. Bridge is the Western Sydney Wanderers' first ever goalscorer, earning himself the nickn ...
to score an equaliser as Western Sydney Wanderers beat
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...
2–1 on 20 January 2013. In a follow–up match against
Melbourne Heart Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East, that plays in the A-League, the top level of Australian soccer, under licence from Australian Profession ...
, he was sent–off in the 13th minute for an unprofessional foul, as the club won 1–0. After serving a one match suspension, Polenz returned to the starting line–up against
Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...
on 9 February 2013 and set up Western Sydney Wanderers' second goal of the game, in a 2–1 win. He later helped the club finish first place in the league and qualify for the Final Series. After suffering an injury during a 3–1 win against Melbourne Heart on 16 March 2013, Polenz did not make his return to the first team until a match against Brisbane Roar in the semi–finals of the Final Series, starting a match before being substituted in the 41st minute once, as Western Sydney Wanderers won 2–0. In the Grand Final against
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...
, he returned to the starting line–up and played 76 minutes before being substituted, as the club lost 2–0. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Polenz went on to make twenty-five appearances in all competitions. For his performance, he was named A-League Team of the Season. Polenz scored his first ever senior goal in the Western Sydney Wanderers one all draw with
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
in round 2 of the 2013–14 season. Two weeks later on 1 November 2013, he set up a winning goal for
Tomi Juric Tomi Juric ( ; hr, Jurić, ; born 22 July 1991) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a striker for A-League club Melbourne Victory and the Australia national soccer team. Club career Adelaide United On 10 February 2013, after ...
, who scored twice, in a 2–1 win against
Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...
. By the end of the year, Polenz helped the club keeping five clean sheets. After the start of the 2013–14 season, Polenz continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position. He then made his
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
debut, playing the whole game, in a 3–1 loss against
Ulsan Hyundai Ulsan Hyundai FC ( ko, 울산 현대 축구단) is a South Korean professional football club based in Ulsan that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Horang-i, they joined the K League in ...
on 26 February 2014. A month later on 23 March 2014, Polenz scored his second goal for Western Sydney Wanderers, in a 3–0 win against
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...
. He helped the club reach the Grand Final, only to lose 2–1 against Brisbane Roar on 4 May 2014. Despite being sidelined on three occasions later in the 2013–14 season, Polenz went on to make twenty-five appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Following this, he was released by the club, ending the speculation over his future at Western Sydney Wanderers.


Sarpsborg 08

On the eve of the summer transfer window in 2014,
Sarpsborg 08 Sarpsborg 08 Fotballforening, commonly known as Sarpsborg 08 or simply Sarpsborg (), is a Norwegian football club based in Sarpsborg, playing in Eliteserien. Sarpsborg 08 and its predecessors played in 1. divisjon from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, the ...
signed Polenz for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the club against
Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...
on 17 August 2014, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 loss. Two months later against Stabæk on 26 October 2014, Polenz made his first start for Sarpsborg 08, as the club drew 1–1. However, his first team opportunities were limited to the substitute bench, as he made two appearances for Sarpsborg 08 in all competitions.


Brisbane Roar

At the opening of the A-League transfer window in 2015, Polenz was signed by
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...
as their last foreign player. He had been trialing with the club since the middle of December 2014 and signed a deal which binds him until the end of the 2016–17 season. Polenz made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, against
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
on 2 February 2015 and assisted the winning goal for
Jean Carlos Solórzano Jean Carlos Solórzano Madrigal (born 8 January 1988) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays as a forward for Brisbane Strikers in the Football Queensland Premier League. On 26 January 2020, he officially became an Australian citizen. Club care ...
, in a 3–2 win. After joining Brisbane Roar, he quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the right–back position. This lasted until Polenz suffered an injury while warming up and was out for weeks. He made his return to the first team against
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
on 18 April 2015, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 1–0 loss. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Polenz went on to make eleven appearances in all competitions. After playing only 75 minutes during the 2015–16 season, he was released a year early from his contract.


Post playing career

Following his departure from Brisbane Roar, Polenz retired from professional football that summer. Afterwards, he initially worked in online marketing, but later relocated to Barcelona. Polenz revealed that he had a short and unsuccessful excursion into the fashion business during his career in Berlin after his fashion label called "Propeller" failed and didn't mainstay for the time after, reflecting: "The idea was good, the implementation was not." In March 2020,
Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
appointed Polenz and his former teammate
Thomas Broich Thomas Broich (born 29 January 1981) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. A SpVgg Unterhaching youth product, Broich went on to play for Wacker Burghausen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, 1. FC Köln, and ...
as their U15 coach, effectively starting from 1 July 2020.


International career

Polenz was eligible to play for
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
but ended up playing for Germany. In September 2004, Polenz was called up to the Germany U19 squad and made his debut for the U19 side, losing 4–1 against Spain U19 on 17 September 2004. He played a part in the
2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was held in Northern Ireland between 18 and 29 July 2005. Venues Qualifications There were two separate rounds of qualifications held before the Final Tournament. 1. 2005 UEFA European Under-19 ...
in the group stage against Serbia and Montenegro coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute replacing Markus Heppke. However, Polenz was unable to take part in the remaining fixtures of the group stage and the semi-final against France due to an injury and returned to Germany prior to the match alongside
Sascha Dum Sascha Dum (born 3 July 1986) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Dum signed a three-year professional contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in January 2005. He then left for Alemannia Aachen on an 18-month ...
and Markus Steinhöfer who were also injured. He went on to make three appearances for Germany U19. In September 2005, Polenz was called up to the Germany U20 squad and made his U20 debut, losing 2–1 against
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
on 14 September 2005. A year later on 6 December 2006, he made his second appearance for Germany U19, in a 1–0 against Italy U20. Polenz went on to make two appearances for Germany U20.


Personal life

Polenz revealed that he began playing football at a young age. Polenz has two brothers and a sister. One of his brothers played amateur football. In addition to speaking German, he speaks French. Polenz is married to his wife Svenja.


Honors

Western Sydney Wanderers *
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
Premiership:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
Championship Runners-up:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 2013–14 Individual * A-League PFA Team of the Season:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...


References


External links

*
Western Sydney Wanderers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polenz, Jerome Living people 1986 births Association football central defenders Association football fullbacks Association football midfielders Footballers from Berlin German footballers Algerian footballers German people of Algerian descent A-League Men players Brisbane Roar FC players Sarpsborg 08 FF players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players SV Werder Bremen players SV Werder Bremen II players Alemannia Aachen players 1. FC Union Berlin players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players German expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in Australia German expatriate sportspeople in Australia