Benjamin Köhler (born 4 August 1980) is a German former 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 lea ...
. Köhler, who is left-footed, could play flexibly on all offensive positions but often found himself on the left wing.
Career
After getting just one appearance with
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...
he had a one-year loan stint with
Duisburg
Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...
; he finally moved to
Regionalliga
A (, plural ) is a regional league in numerous Sports governing body, sports governing bodies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of the sports leagues.
The term is often associated with the Germa ...
side
Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße.
The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 1955. The latt ...
where he scored 13 goals. After that season, Eintracht Frankfurt scouted and finally signed him. In the promotion season he netted seven goals in 29 games. In the next season he had as many games while scoring three goals, one of which was among the
goal of the week choices.
On 7 February 2015, his
Union Berlin
1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as Union Berlin (), is a professional Football in Germany, German football club based in Berlin.
The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was fo ...
team-mates held a tribute to him in support after his diagnosis of stomach cancer after the seventh minute of the game, a 2–1 defeat of
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play ...
. They received an ovation from both the fans and players from both teams. His contract was later renewed, even after the diagnosis. In July 2015 it was announced that he had beaten stomach cancer and he was given the all clear. In April 2016, Köhler's contract was extended until summer 2017.
At the end of his contract in summer 2017, Köhler's contract at Union Berlin was not renewed; moreover, he decided to put an end to his career because of knee issues. Following the end of his playing career, Köhler started working in an ice cream shop.
Career statistics
References
External links
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Benjamin Köhlerat eintracht-archiv.de
1980 births
Living people
People from Reinickendorf
German men's footballers
Footballers from Berlin
Men's association football midfielders
Germany men's under-21 international footballers
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Regionalliga players
Füchse Berlin Reinickendorf players
Hertha BSC players
Hertha BSC II players
MSV Duisburg players
Rot-Weiss Essen players
Eintracht Frankfurt players
1. FC Kaiserslautern players
1. FC Union Berlin players
21st-century German sportsmen
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