Piotr Trochowski  

POSITION Midfielder  

BORN 22.03.1984  

SIGNING DATE 01.07.1999  

NUMBER 34  

CONTRACT UNTIL 30.06.2005  

FAMILY STATUS single  

NICKNAME -  

HOMEPAGE -  

PREVIOUS CLUBS  

Billstedt Moru  

Concordia Hamburg  

FC St. Pauli

Piotr Trochowski spent most of his debut first team training session dazzled
by the ball skills of Mehmet Scholl and Zé Roberto, the Germany Under-19
international admitted afterwards. But the youngster, who names Zinedine
Zidane and Luis Figo as his idols, possesses an impressive technical range
himself. "He could be the next Thomas H??ler," reserve coach Hermann Gerland
said, the kind of comment which soon brings a talented youth to Ottmar
Hitzfeld's attention.

But technique alone is never enough at the highest level, and Hitzfeld
instructed the attacking midfielder, who is 1.68 metres tall and weighs 68
kg, to work on the physical side of his game. Trochowski got the message:
"I've got to pump some iron and eat a bit more," he said, and became a
regular in the club weights room.

The head coach knows he is dealing with a fine player in the making: "He has
a great future ahead of him. I reckon he has the potential to be an
international," Hitzfeld declared. And Germany youth coach Uli Stielike
believes Trochowski "could be a candidate for the 2006 World Cup."

The young man, who joined Bayern from St. Pauli in 1999, will take heart at
these encouraging comments, although he is well aware of the hard and
treacherous road to becoming an established professional. "There's a huge
difference between the first-team and the reserves," he acknowledged, stating
his goal for 2003-4 as "a few senior appearances." Coach Hitzfeld will have
taken note, and the rising star seems certain to be given a chance or two.  
  

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