After making Columbus Crew the twelfth club of his career in
September 2014, Emanuel Pogatetz has grown increasingly frustrated at a
perceived lack of playing time.
Culminating in a Facebook rant after being left on the bench
for the game with Montreal Impact, the former Middlesbrough captain is desperate
to get back on the pitch.
At 32, Pogatetz has moved on from his days as a
shaven-headed hard man and is now boasting a delightful top knot.
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| Pogatetz captained Middlesbrough |
We take a look back at the career of the former Austria
captain...
Factfile:
Full Name: Emanuel Pogatetz
Nationality: Austrian
Date of Birth: 16/01/1983
Height: 1.90m
Clubs: FC Karnten, Bayer Leverkusen II, Bayer Leverkusen, FC
Aarau, Grazer AK, Spartak Moscow, Middlesbrough, Hannover 96, VFL Wolfsburg,
West Ham, FC Nurnberg, Columbus Crew
Club Appearances: 453*
Club Goals: 11*
International Appearances: 61*
International Goals: 2*
Honours: Austrian Cup 2000/01 & 2003/04
Austrain Erste Liga (2nd division) 2000/01
Austrian Football Bundesliga 2003/04
The Early Years:
Born in Graz, Pogatetz joined Champions League side Sturm
Graz at the age of seven, progressing to the first team squad by the age of
sixteen.
Despite this the defender never made an appearance for his
hometown club and joined second division outfit FC Kaernten on a free transfer in
2000, after rejecting an approach from FC Schalke.
Pogatetz immediately broke into the first team at Kaernten,
playing 33 times in his first professional season as his side won their league
and also the Austrian Cup for the first time.
His form with Kaernten earned a five-year deal with German
giants Bayer Leverkusen, who he joined in 2001 but spent much of his first
season with the club playing for their second team.
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| The Austrian (right) faces up to Liverpool's Steve Finnan in their Champions League match |
Growing up:
Despite breaking into the Austrian national team, Leverkusen
sent Pogatetz on loan to FC Aarau in 2002 and Pogatetz played a big role in
helping the team stay in the Swiss Super League.
In 2003/04 Pogatetz again found himself on loan, this time
back in his hometown with Grazer AK, where he spent two successful seasons.
Grazer AK won the Austrian Bundesliga and Cup double in his
first year with the club and narrowly missed out on reaching the Champions
League in both seasons.
Grazer lost in the final qualifying round on both occasions –
to Ajax in his first season and despite winning 1-0 at Anfield to eventual
winners Liverpool in 2004/05.
Pog plays Premier
League:
Following a brief loan spell with Spartak Moscow, where he
played alongside Nemanja Vidic, Pogatetz joined Steve McLaren’s Middlesbrough before
the 2005/06 season.
The defender, nicknamed Mad Dog for his aggressive style,
missed his first three games for the club as he completed a six week ban for
breaking a player’s leg in his final Spartak game.
By scoring against Sunderland, Pogatetz became the first
Austrian to score in the Premier League and went on to reach the UEFA Cup final
in his first season in England.
After establishing himself as a fans’ favourite the defender
was made club captain in 2008/09 but couldn’t prevent his side from being
relegated from the Premier League.
Hallo Deutschland:
Pogatetz played his final season for Middlesbrough in the
Championship and had made 153 appearances for the club upon his departure in
summer 2010.
The Austrian international joined Hannover on a three-year
deal and played 28 times in his first season as they qualified for the Europa
League.
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| Pogatetz plays for Nurnberg against his old side Bayer Leverkusen |
Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the European
competition, where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid, Pogatetz moved to
Wolfsburg in summer 2012.
However, he made only eight appearances for the club before
joining West Ham on loan until the end of the season in January 2013.
The Twilight
Years:
The Austrian made six appearances during his brief return to
the Premier League and returned to Germany ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.
He joined Bundesliga outfit FC Nuremberg but enjoyed an
extremely difficult season that culminated in Pogatetz experiencing relegation
for the second time in his career.
With his contract cancelled due to the side’s relegation,
the Austrian became a free agent and was snapped up by MLS side Columbus Crew
in September 2014.
Crew are currently sixth in the MLS’ Eastern Conference, and
with Pogatetz fighting hard to get back into the team, he will hope to reach
the post-season play-offs at the very least in 2015.
Images courtesy of Matthew Lewis, Sean Gallup and Bongarts, with thanks.
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