Birthday boy of the month 2: Thomas Zechel turns 60

Calli brought Atze to Leverkusen in his second year as a U19 player. Together with his future teammates, the Bayer 04 youth players Manfred Pomp and Frank Glaß, he was a runner-up at the 1982 youth European Championships with the U16 national team. He stepped up to the Werkself Bundesliga squad after a year in the Bayer 04 youth teams. Playing behind the strike partners Bum-kun Cha and Herbert Waas, he was the third player in attack under his patron Dettmar Cramer and he played ten games in his first year in the Bundesliga. His first Bundesliga goal was an equaliser at 1-1 in the away game at VfB Stuttgart on matchday 25. He played more for the Bayer 04 Reserves in his second season. That was because Bum-kun Cha and Herbert Waas were joined up front by new signing Christian Schreier and centre-forward Falko Götz, who was entitled to play for the Werkself from November 1984 a year after fleeing from the GDR. The competition in attack was too much.

When Erich Ribbeck took over as coach of the Bayer 04 team in the summer of 1985, he turned the two central strikers Christian Schreier and Falko Götz into a defensive and an offensive midfielder respectively. He also succeeded in turning Atze into a right-back. From matchday eight the right side of the Werkself was: right-back Thomas Zechel, right defensive midfielder Christian Schreier, right attacking midfielder Falko Götz. Coach Erich Ribbeck turned three centre-forwards into a really dangerous attacking right side. Bayer 04 finished in a UEFA Cup spot for the first time at the end of the season. Atze played a big part in that. He played in 29 games and scored five goals.

After a middling next season with just 20 appearances, he had even less minutes on the pitch in the UEFA Cup season 1987/88 and he suffered more injuries. Nevertheless, the UEFA Cup trophy with Bayer 04 was his biggest sporting success. In his six years at Leverkusen, Atze made 77 appearances and scored six goals for the Werkself.

From 1988 he changed clubs every year. From Hannover via Waldhof Mannheim to Schalke 04 – those were his next clubs. His coach at Schalke was Peter Neururer who signed him for FC Saarbrücken in 1991. He became a first-team regular there in the next two years and gained promotion to the Bundesliga with the Saarland team who were then relegated again a year later. Thomas Zechel ended his professional playing career after a less than satisfying 1993/94 season.

He liked Saarland so much that he settled there with his wife. He played for and coached lower league teams in Saarland. In addition, the father of a daughter opened a garage, which was soon his main profession. Today he is the boss of his own firm that mainly deals with the preparation of ambulances.

Dear Atze, all the best, above all stay healthy, on your 60th. Have a great time and enjoyed the day.