Max Bennet Kruse (; born 19 March 1988) is a German 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 ...
who last played as a
forward for
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...
club
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
and the
Germany national team.
Early years
Kruse was born in
Reinbek
Reinbek (; probably from "Rainbek" = brook at the field margin; Northern Low Saxon: ''Reinbeek'') is a town located in Stormarn district in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein within the metropolitan region of Hamburg. It is accessed ...
,
Kreis Stormarn
Stormarn () is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Segeberg and Ostholstein, the city of Lübeck, the district of Lauenburg, and the city-state of Hamburg.
History
In medie ...
,
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
in the north-eastern periphery of
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. He was raised in Reinbek or in Hamburg.
Club career
Early career
upleft, Kruse with St. Pauli in 2011
Kruse began his career with hometown club TSV Reinbek before he joined Hamburg-based ''SV Vier- und Marschlande'' in summer 1998. After more than seven years there, he was scouted by
Werder Bremen in January 2006. On 4 May 2009, he signed a two-year contract with
FC St. Pauli. During the
2011–12 2. Bundesliga, Kruse scored 13 goals and provided six assists as FC St. Pauli finished on 62 points in fourth place, missing out on the promotion playoffs on goal difference.
SC Freiburg
Following his successful spell with St. Pauli, Kruse was transferred to Bundesliga side
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. Bunde ...
in the summer of 2012. He made his competitive debut for his new club on 18 August 2012 in a
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
match against
Victoria Hamburg, which ended in a 2–1 victory as Kruse scored the opening goal and provided the assist for
Sebastian Freis's winner. Kruse made his home league debut on 25 August, scoring a goal in Freiburg's 1–1 draw with
1. FSV Mainz 05
1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
. He helped Freiburg claim their first win of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...
season in their third game on 16 September, netting a goal and providing two assists in an enthralling 5–3 defeat of
TSG Hoffenheim.
Kruse helped seal an upset win over
Schalke on 15 December, providing assists for first half goals to both
Jan Rosenthal and
Jonathan Schmid
Jonathan Schmid (born 22 June 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right back for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.
Early and personal life
Schmid was born in 1990 in Strasbourg to an Austrian father who comes from G ...
in a 3–1 away victory at the
Arena AufSchalke. On 16 February, he opened the scoring nine minutes before half time as Freiburg recorded their first win over Kruse's former club Werder Bremen in 11 years with a 3–2 away victory at the
Weserstadion.
Kruse scored twice in the second half of Freiburg's Bundesliga clash with
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on 30 March, securing a 2–0 victory for the club. In his penultimate game with Freiburg on 11 May, he was awarded "Man of the Match" honours as he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 defeat of already relegated
Greuther Fürth, all but securing Freiburg an automatic spot in the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
group stage for next season.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Following a standout season with Freiburg, Kruse signed for
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on a four-year deal in April 2013.
He made his debut for the club in Gladbach's loss to
3. Liga
The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga.
The modern 3. Liga was formed for t ...
side
Darmstadt 98
Sportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V., commonly known as Darmstadt 98 (), is a German football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919, the association was briefly known as ''Rasen-Sp ...
in the first round of the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
on 4 August 2013. He managed to score his first goal for the club on 17 August, firing in Gladbach's first goal in a 3–0 home victory over
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betw ...
. Kruse continued his scoring form on 31 August, netting Gladbach's third goal of a 4–1 home victory over his former club
Werder Bremen.
Wolfsburg
On 10 May 2015,
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
signed Kruse on a four-year deal, after activating his release clause of €12 million. He made his debut as a 70th-minute substitute on 1 August in the
2015 DFL-Supercup
The 2015 DFL-Supercup was the sixth edition of the German Super Cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It featured FC Bayern Munich, Bayern ...
, and scored in the
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
as Wolfsburg defeated
Bayern Munich after a 1–1 draw.
On 8 August 2015, Kruse scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in the fourth minute of 4–1 win at
Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers.
History
In its early years the club had a decent local squad that played in the Sü ...
in the first round of the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
.
Werder Bremen

On 2 August 2016, Kruse re-joined Werder Bremen for a second stint at the club. He scored his first goal for the club in his third league appearance on 3 December 2016, in a 2–1 win against
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area ...
. On 22 April 2017, he scored four goals in one match for the first time in his career as Werder Bremen came back from 0–1 and 1–2 deficits to defeat Ingolstadt 4–2 and maintain a 10-match unbeaten run.
Ahead of the
2018–19 season, Kruse was chosen as the team's captain by manager
Florian Kohfeldt.
As of October 2018, he was the player with the longest active penalty scoring streak – 24 goals. He had not missed a single penalty in six years. His streak started on 7 April 2012.
In May 2019, Kruse announced he would not extend his contract and leave the club following the
2018–19 season.
Fenerbahçe
On 28 June 2019, Kruse joined
Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal. On 18 June 2020, he terminated his contract with the club citing unpaid wages.
Union Berlin
On 6 August 2020, Kruse returned to the Bundesliga joining
Union Berlin. On 3 October, he scored his first goal for Union and the game's opener in a 4–0 win against
Mainz 05. He then scored a penalty and assisted two goals in a 3–1 win against
1899 Hoffenheim
Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg.
Originally founded in 1899 ...
on 3 November. During a 5–0 win against
Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of ...
on 7 November 2020, he scored a penalty to equalise
Hans-Joachim Abel
Hans-Joachim "Jochen" Abel (born 25 June 1952) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* F ...
's Bundesliga record for most penalties scored (16) without a single miss. On the last matchday of the season, he scored a goal in stoppage time to beat
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red B ...
2–1 and qualify Union Berlin for the
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
The final was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania, with Roma ...
, their first European football since the
2001–02 UEFA Cup
The 2001–02 UEFA Cup was won by Feyenoord at their home ground in the final against Borussia Dortmund. It was the second time they won the competition.
Liverpool could not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2001–02 ...
.
Return to Wolfsburg
On 30 January 2022, Kruse re-joined VfL Wolfsburg on a one-and-a-half-year deal. On 28 November 2022, Wolfsburg and Kruse agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
International career
Kruse was a member of the
Germany U-19 that competed at the
2007 UEFA U-19 Championship and also featured for the
under-21 team.
Kruse received his first call up to the senior squad for a friendly against
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
on 29 May 2013 in
Boca Raton
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
, Florida.
He provided the assist for
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski (; born Łukasz Józef Podolski, , on 4 June 1985) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. Known for his powerful and accurate left foot, he is known for his explosiv ...
's second goal of the match before being substituted for
Dennis Aogo
Dennis Aogo (born 14 January 1987) is a German former professional footballer who played as a left back and midfielder.
Early life
Born to a German mother and a Nigerian father, Aogo grew up in Oberreut, a suburb in the south-west of Karlsruhe, ...
in the 79th minute. The match ended with a 4–2 victory.
Kruse scored his first goal for the national team in his second cap, scoring Germany's second goal in a 4–3 defeat to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
in
Washington, D.C. on 2 June, a game which celebrated 100 years of the
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
. Despite Kruse's successful league campaign with Gladbach, he was omitted from the 30-man preliminary squad for the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
in Brazil.
During
qualification
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
for
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, Kruse scored twice in a 7–0 win over
Gibraltar on 13 June 2015.
In March 2016
Joachim Löw said that he would not consider Kruse for the national team anymore after Kruse made negative headlines.
2020 Summer Olympics
After not having represented Germany since 2015, Kruse was named as one of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
's three overage players for the
2020 Tokyo Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...
. Kruse started in Germany's opening match against Brazil where the German team lost 4–2.
Professional poker
Kruse is an avid poker player and made it to the final table, finishing third, at the
No-Limit 2–7 Draw Lowball event at the
2014 World Series of Poker on 18 June 2014, taking home $36,494 in prize money. In March 2016, Kruse was fined €25,000 and warned of his future conduct by Wolfsburg after it was revealed that he had lost €75,000 worth of poker winnings in the back seat of a taxi. This incident also caused him to be dropped from the Germany squad.
Personal life
In February 2021, Kruse was one of more than 800 professional footballers, across both the men's and women's game, who signed a petition in German football magazine
11 Freunde to support gay players.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kruse goal.''
Honours
VfL Wolfsburg
*
DFL-Supercup:
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
Individiual
*
VDV Newcomer of the Season: 2012–13
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kruse, Max
1988 births
Living people
People from Stormarn (district)
Footballers from Schleswig-Holstein
Association football forwards
German footballers
Germany youth international footballers
Germany under-21 international footballers
Olympic footballers of Germany
Germany international footballers
SV Werder Bremen II players
SV Werder Bremen players
FC St. Pauli players
FC St. Pauli II players
SC Freiburg players
Borussia Mönchengladbach players
VfL Wolfsburg players
Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers
1. FC Union Berlin players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
3. Liga players
Regionalliga players
Süper Lig players
Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
German expatriate footballers
German expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Expatriate footballers in Turkey