A goalkeeper who shoots during the game and a 2.13-meter man who shoots the penalty in the corner: The Champions for Charity has nothing that does not exist. The focus is on fun and games. But also Michael Schumacher will not be forgotten.

When Karl-Heinz Körbel celebrated his debut for the German national football team, Dirk Nowitzki was not yet born. All the more astonishing was the confession that the basketball superstar of the Dallas Mavericks took after a charity kick: “Charly Körbel was fitter today than me,” said a laughing Nowitzki after two goals scored, but also surprisingly often “over his own legs Stumbled, “as he himself put it.

The star-runner in the Mainz football arena on Monday evening was once again due to the good cause. Nowitzkis All Stars and Schumacher & Friends met at the “Champions for Charity”, the 100,000 euros won go to the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation and the “Keep Fighting Initiative” of Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, who is also this evening A theme.

“It’s sad. When you see what’s going on, it just hurts. We hope that we will see him again. Of course we have fun here, but we still think of him, “said the former national team player Gerald Asamoah, who had the greatest fun himself: a two-pack half-time one, the change into the goal and then live videos and self-esteem with fans during the running game. “If anyone has a sense of football, then Asamoah,” Asamoah said. The players had a banner with the inscription “Keep fighting Michael” upheld before the game. The game in honor of Schumacher was carried out for the second time.

In the field, the guys from all kinds of sports: basketball-hunters, gymnastics and, of course, Formula 1-drivers, like former McLaren riders David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen. “I think you’ve noticed that one or the other did not play with balls at a relatively early stage, but had already sat in a car at the age of three,” said a well-groaned U21 coach Stefan Kuntz – playing the Finns Häkkinen , Which had already been replaced for the first time after 13 minutes. From the once high speed of the duo Häkkinen and Coulthard was not seen on the green lawn in any case.

With Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, world champions of their field also made the shoes for the good cause, which also supported 16 175 spectators in Mainz this evening. “It was noticeable that I had not met,” said Klose, who refused the simple goal-closing several times from the shortest distance and instead crossed over again. Was it exhausting? “It went. I just stood there, “said Klose.

Invited as in the previous year, Nowitzki, who led his team as captain as in the other team Schumacher son Mick. “Dirk is not so often in Germany. If he’s there and calls, we’ll have to come, “Asamoah said.” It’s mainly fun, but it’s a good thing and that’s good. ”

The organizer himself was also satisfied with the charity match. “It’s great that so many people take their time. It was again a successful event and was a lot of fun, “Nowitzki said. If he had already stumbled over his own legs and had shown less fitness as “Charly” Körbel, the professional basketball player at the age of 39 would at least still hold a success: “I’ve been pushed a bit by Kai Pflaume. Then I thought, ‘Now you go down and make a beautiful swallow.’ Nowitzki got the penalty kick – and turned himself.