Markus Krosche captained Paderborn during his 13-year stint (Image: Getty)
Markus Krosche might’ve played over 300 times for German side Paderborn, but he is perhaps best remembered at the club for marrying their mascot.
The former player spent 13 years with Paderborn between 2001 and 2014 and enjoyed his best years as a professional at the German outfit.
Despite being a much-loved member of the side that earned multiple promotions into the second tier, as well as captaining the side on several occasions, it was a chance meeting with future wife Viktoria that left the biggest impact on Krosche during his time at Paderborn.
She would occasionally don the Paderborn mascot outfit – a large ‘Holli’ mouse costume – on matchdays, with Krosche taking a shining to Viktoria.
Explaining the bizarre origin of their love story, he said on the podcast ‘Phrasenmaher’: “Viktoria worked for an agency that marketed the mascot said, she worked there at the same time as her studies. That’s how we met.”
When quizzed on the costume, he replied: “I wouldn’t put it like that, but it’s true, yes. This is our story.”
Krosche has enjoyed a busy time of things ever since hanging up his boots, with the Hannover-born star having transferred over to the world of football administration.
He dabbled with coaching for a bit at Paderborn’s second team before working as Roger Schmidt’s understudy at Bayer Leverkusen for two years.
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The ‘Holli’ mouse character is a regular at Paderborn games (Image: Getty)
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But it was in March 2017 that he opted to move into the boardroom, returning to Paderborn once again to take up the role as sporting director.
Just as he had done in his playing days, Krosche was able to help inspire an impressive rise through the leagues.
During his time as sporting director, Paderborn went from the third tier of German, right through to the .
His exploits at Paderborn attracted the attention of the big boys, with poaching Krosche in 2019 to replace future manager Ralf Rangnick.
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After two years in the role, he was on the move once more, joining Eintracht Frankfurt as the club’s sporting director.
Success continued to follow Krosche, as Eintracht lifted the Europa League in 2022, beating Scottish outfit Rangers on penalties in the final.
Fast forward to 2025 and Krosche is now Frankfurt’s CEO – a position he took up in July 2023.