Bristol Rovers were excited to sign German youth international but he retired 4 years later | OneFootball

The arrival of Fabian Broghammer at Bristol Rovers was a surprise

Every now and again, an EFL club will surprise supporters with an acquisition from an unusual avenue.

When it comes to recruitment at Bristol Rovers, few signings have come further out of left-field than that of former German youth international Fabian Broghammer.

A free transfer that was both confusing and exciting in equal measure, the 22-year-old midfielder arrived fourth-tier Bayern Alzenau in the summer of 2012.

Standing out in a sea of EFL journeymen, the Memorial Stadium crowd instantaneously willed him to become a cult hero, and may have got their wish if not for a desperately unfortunate injury record.

But why did Broghammer swap Bavaria for Bristol? And how was he even on the club's radar?

Germany's next big thing

While his name may have never entered the footballing zeitgeist in the same way as some of his peers, Fabian Broghammer was known by every scout in Germany.

An attacking midfielder for the youth sides of Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, in 2007 Hesse-born Broghammer traveled to South Korea, representing Germany at the U17 World Cup.

While not a starter, Broghammer regularly came off the bench in order to share a midfield with Toni Kroos and Sebastian Rudy. Broghammer would score once and assist twice as Die Mannschaft finished third in the tournament.

He played 17 times for youth sides up to and including U19s, though after his progression stalled, he found himself hurtling down the German football pyramid.

Broghammer's arrival at Rovers

The transfer arose thanks to then-manager Mark Mcghee. The Scot spent one season at Hamburg in the mid-80s, which was enough time to strike up an unlikely friendship with former Bayern Munich and Fulham manager Felix Magath.

Having asked on the off chance if there were any hidden gems his side of the Rhine, Magath recommended the playmaker. Broghammer, down of his luck and seemingly unable to shake the wonderkid expectations that his home country had set upon him, welcomed the chance to jump-start his career overseas.

He trialed with the club in pre-season, going from rubbing shoulders with Toni Kroos in Seoul, to losing 1-0 Frome Town at Badger's Hill. Despite understandable culture shock, he impressed, and presented something different from the rest of Mcghee's roster. On August 12th, one week before the season would begin, Broghammer signed on a one-year deal.

A short, but memorable stint

It had appeared the mystique of the man had proved his greatest publicist, as Gasheads warmed to Broghammer before he'd even kicked a ball.

With floppy hair and a wirey build, he near-perfectly fit the caricature that would have popped into supporters' heads when they heard the club were signing a young European playmaker, and thankfully, possessed the flair and technique to match.

In fact, before he had stepped foot on the Memorial Stadium's turf, the Thatchers End had already prepared a chant for their exciting new arrival.

As he warmed up in the club's first home game of the season, to the tune of Volare by Domenico Modungno, the chorus began.

Rovers would lose 2-0 to Oxford, with Broghammer largely uninvolved.

He would have to wait until his fourth substitute appearance to reward the fans' unwarranted admiration, scoring a 90th minute equaliser against Aldershot Town, a performance that would earn him a starting berth from thereon.

Only one of his three Rovers goals would contribute to a victory, a calmly taken finish round the keeper against a Barnet side led by player-manager Edgar Davids, whose existence in League Two made Broghammer's seem relatively natural.

With Mark Mcghee now gone, he began to thrive under John Ward. Come the end of the season, he exercised his option to extend one year, and was set to be the creative force to which the team was built around ahead of the 2013-14 season.

Disasterously, Broghammer would tear his cruciate ligament shortly after, keeping him out until the following April. He would return just in time to find himself partly responsible for Rovers' unprecedented relegation to the National League, on the pitch at full time as a 1-0 loss to Mansfield sealed the club's fate.

With fifth-tier football a bridge too far, Broghammer left for hometown club SV Wiesbaden, where recurring injuries would lead to his retirement in 2016, aged just 26.

While former teammate Toni Kroos retired last year with five Champions League's and a World Cup trophy, Broghammer, out of the game for eight years already, is trying his hand at creative advertising back in Germany.

A blossoming career in English football curtailed by injury, Fabian Broghammer's Rovers tenure was memorable among the fan-base, but perhaps not entirely for his actions on the pitch.