My previous article on players being relegated numerous times got thinking and low and behold, there are other nations where even the achievements of Messrs Blake & Hreidarsson (both tied on five Premier League relegations a piece for the current record) pale into insignificance.
In Germany there are some incredible feats of relegation from some very well-known players that make Nigel Quashie and Ashley Ward look like amateurs when it comes to dropping down a division.
Incredibly the most stunning is surely that of Germany’s former international goalkeeper.
Andreas Köpke
For those old enough to remember, Kopke is a 59 cap veteran of the German national side who famously stood so stoically in the goalmouth at Wembley in 1996 that the faintest of glances toward Gareth Southgate forced the England man to soil himself and hit the post. That left Andy Möller to step up and win the match and perform the most German celebration in footballing history.
However, for those fans who do not follow German football too closely, he also holds another somewhat unwanted record.
For despite his international success his club career was somewhat, well, terrible. There is no doubting Kopke was a fine keeper (especially given he was under six feet tall) but he managed to get relegated six times and he only played for seven clubs.
His first relegation came whilst playing for his hometown club Holstein Kiel in 1981 who were relegated back to the German third tier when Kopke was just 20 years of age.
Kopke moved on to SC Charlottenburg (now known as SCC Berlin) in the German second tier where he was once again relegated to the German third tier in 1984.
His two year spell at Hertha Berlin saw Andreas once again relegated to the second tier.
The majority of his club career was spent at FC Nurnberg where Kopke made 309 appearances in two spells. This yielded only a second division championship title medal and two relegations to the German second tier (1994 & 1999).
He was quickly snapped up by fellow Bundesliga strugglers, Eintracht Frankfurt, who he helped take down in 1996.
A move to France with Marseille mercifully saw the Kopke avoid the drop in three seasons before he returned to Nurnberg to see out his career with one more relegation.
We raise a glass to you sir!
Other honourable mentions:
Lukas Podolski
The former Arsenal forward and 130-cap German international had a relatively successful career.
He did however manage to get relegated three times with the same club!
Podolski played for FC Köln during two separate spells but managed to drop down a division three times with his boyhood team.
Jürgen Rynio
Another goalkeeper who was a specialist at taking teams down, Rynio may even eclipse Kopke in some people’s books.
The Gelsenkirchen native was relegated with Karlsruher SC in his first top flight season but managed to secure a summer move to German Champions FC Nürnberg.
However, in an incredible demise he was relegated again as Nürnberg became the first (and so far only) team in Bundesliga history to win the league and be relegated the season after.
Rynio courted controversy in the penultimate game of the doomed campaign, conceding two soft goals in a 2-2 draw with Dortmund which ultimately sent FC Nürnberg down.
It subsequently transpired that Rynio had already signed a pre-contract agreement to join Dortmund that summer.
Undeterred, Rynio helped take Dortmund down three seasons later before moving on to Rot-Weiss Essen and then St Pauli where he was relegated again for the fourth time in his career.
And just to make sure his legacy remained intact he came out of retirement during the 1985-86 season to play for Hannover 96 after both their goalkeepers suffered injuries. Guess what happened.
