Former German soccer national player Max Kruse shared a youthful anecdote in his podcast about receiving community service as a teenager for riding a modified moped. The story from Hamburg offers a humorous glimpse into his early adventures. Kruse details a police chase and the punishment at a kindergarten.
Max Kruse, the 37-year-old former national player, has long been known for his tumultuous episodes in the Bundesliga. In his podcast 'Flatterball,' co-hosted with former pro Martin Harnik, he recounted an incident from his youth. At the time, he was about 15 or 16 years old and living in Hamburg.
Kruse was riding a modified moped of the 'Speedfight 2' brand, which is normally limited to 30 kilometers per hour. After his modifications, it reached up to 80 kilometers per hour. Together with a friend whose machine was similarly tuned, they fled from school ahead of the police. 'As a supposed criminal gang does it, we split up,' Kruse recalled.
The chase ended with officers stopping Kruse's vehicle and confirming the excessive speed. As punishment, he had to perform community service at a kindergarten, where he raked leaves. 'Raking leaves isn't really tough, but it was just annoying,' he described the experience.
Kruse's career included 14 caps for the DFB between 2013 and 2015, as well as participation in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, where the German team exited early. In club football, he played for among others Werder Bremen, FC St. Pauli, SC Freiburg, Union Berlin, and VfL Wolfsburg. His active career ended in December 2023 with an early contract termination at SC Paderborn.