19. 11. 09. - 12:00

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19. 11. 09. - 12:00

Hermann Maier to make comeback - in football

By Thomas Hochwarter

Skiing legend Hermann Maier has revealed he is making a comeback – in football.

The 37-year-old – who announced his shock retirement from ski-ing last month – said as he attended last night’s (Weds) friendly between Austria and Spain (1-5) that he planned to start playing football again now that his career was over and he did not need to worry about getting injured during a game.

"I loved to play for USC Flachau, my local club, before I started professional skiing, and I will start playing again as it’s a beautiful sport," Maier said speaking to stadium announcer Andy Marek.

"We had the advantage that we couldn’t be relegated – as we already played in the lowest league," the "Herminator" added, laughing.

Football-mad Maier – who was given the honour of kicking-off the match – recently stunned his fans by announcing he could imagine working as a football commentator.

Asked whether he could one day work as an expert at the ORF for the national broadcaster’s skiing coverage, the two-time Olympic champion said: "No, but I would love to comment on football matches."

Austrian Times

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