Official | Union Berlin captain Christopher Trimmel signs contract extension | OneFootball

Ahead of what the club hopes to be a momentous weekend, Union Berlin have signed captain Christopher Trimmel to a one-year contract extension. The 38-year-old will continue to serve as the skipper in Köpenick for another year.

Union prepare to commemorate their 200th Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday evening. Another year of top flight football is within reach.

Sitting in 13th place on 34 points, Steffen Baumgart’s Eisernen need only to draw visiting Stuttgart in order to reach the ’35 point’ mark generally associated with Bundesliga safety. There are many special choreos and events planned at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Interestingly enough, Union attained promotion to the German top division for the first time ever against Stuttgart during the second leg of the 2018/19 promotion-relegation playoff in their own stadium. The FCU was the last 2. Bundesliga side to win the playoff.

Trimmel’s extension ideally serves as a morale booster for the team. The Austrian will enter his 12th season for the team he’s contested well over 300 matches for. Trimmel lived through it all with his current club, from Bundesliga promotion to the Champions League last year.

Trimmel’s age naturally translated to fewer appearances. Rani Khedira generally dons the captain’s armband whenever Trimmel isn’t playing. The right wing-back has nevertheless featured in Baumgart’s starting XI over the last five consecutive league matchdays.

“Christopher embodies Union like no other player,” FCU managing director Horst Heldt noted in a club statement. “He is a role model both on and off the pitch, gives the team stability and brings his experience to bear.

”His importance to the club goes far beyond the sporting aspect, because such a close bond between a player and a club is very rare in professional football today,” Heldt’s statement continued. “We are very happy to be able to continue counting on him.“

‘I’ve been wearing the Union jersey for so many years now and it still feels special,” Trimmel himself added.“Together, we have celebrated incredible successes and helped bring the club to where it is today. For me, Union has long been more than just a club. Union has become a second home.“

GGFN | Peter Weis