Dirk Josef Hebel (born 24 November 1972) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. As a player, he played professionally in Germany, Turkey and England. He notably won the 1998–99 Third Division championship with Brentford. After retiring as a player, Hebel became an agent and a youth coach
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dirk Josef Hebel[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Cologne, Germany | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1997 | 1. FC Köln | 0 | (0) |
| 1995 | 1. FC Köln II | 0 | (0) |
| 1997 | Bursaspor | 14 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | Tranmere Rovers | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Brentford | 15 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Bonner SC | 19 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | SCB Preußen Köln | 26 | (5) |
| 2001–2002 | VfL Köln 99 | ||
| 2002–2003 | FC Junkersdorf | ||
| 2003–2005 | SF Troisdorf | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career edit
Germany and Turkey edit
Hebel began his career at hometown club 1. FC Köln.[2] He moved to Turkey to join 1. Lig club Bursaspor in January 1997.[3] Hebel made 14 appearances and scored one goal during the 1996–97 season and helped the Green Crocodiles to a fifth-place finish in the league.[3][4] One Turkish newspaper voted him the 1996–97 1. Lig Player Of The Season.[5] Hebel left the club after the season.[6]
Tranmere Rovers edit
After interest from Grasshopper Club Zürich, Southampton and a failed trial at Norwich City,[5][7] Hebel transferred to English First Division club Tranmere Rovers on 3 September 1997.[8] He failed to make an appearance for the first team during the 1997–98 season, but was a regular for the reserves and departed the club in May 1998.[5][8] Looking back in 2005 on his lack of appearances for Tranmere, Hebel said "I think it was a problem of the way I play football, which didn't compare to the way our coach Aldo wanted me to play. It is difficult to change a style you played for 20 years of your life".[5]
Brentford edit
Hebel signed for Third Division club Brentford on a free transfer on 25 August 1998.[6][8] He made regular appearances until Boxing Day 1998 and made his final appearance for the club in a 3–1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion before injury ended his season.[6][9] Hebel made 19 appearances during the Bees' Third Division championship-winning 1998–99 season.[9][10] A family situation saw Hebel turn down a new contract in 1999, in order to return to Germany.[5]
Return to Germany edit
Hebel signed for Oberliga Nordrhein club Bonner SC during the 1999 off-season.[11] He made 19 appearances during the 1999–00 season and scored one goal.[11] Hebel joined Oberliga Nordrhein club SCB Preußen Köln during the 2000 off-season.[11] He made 26 appearances and scored five goals during the 2000–01 season, helping the club to a second-place finish behind Bayer Leverkusen II.[11] Hebel wound down his career with spells at VfL Köln 99, FC Junkersdorf and SF Troisdorf, before retiring in 2005.[5][7] During the 2003–04 season, he helped SF Troisdorf win promotion to the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein.[7]
Post-retirement edit
While a player for FC Junkersdorf, Hebel held the role of Director of Football.[7] In 2002, Hebel became a FIFA-registered agent and set up the Fussballmarkt agency with friend Dominik Kaesberg and lawyer Nortbert Nasse.[5] He has represented players such as Mario Götze,[12] Sunday Oliseh, Goran Sablić and Patrick Weiser.[5] In 2018, Hebel joined SC Fortuna Köln as an U14 coach.[11][13]
Personal life edit
Hebel is married to Nicole and has two sons named Darren (named after former Brentford teammate Darren Freeman) and Liam.[5]
Career statistics edit
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bursaspor | 1996–97[3] | 1. Lig | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||
| Tranmere Rovers | 1997–98[14] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Brentford | 1998–99[9] | Third Division | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Bonner SC | 1999–00[11] | Oberliga Nordrhein | 19 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| SCB Preußen Köln | 2000–01[11] | Oberliga Nordrhein | 26 | 5 | — | — | — | 26 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 74 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 7 | ||
- ^ Appearance in Football League Trophy
Honours edit
Brentford
References edit
- ^ "Dirk Hebel". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ Dirk Hebel at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b c "Dirk Josef Hebel (Bursaspor) @". Mackolik.com. 24 November 1972. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Turkey – Final Tables". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Series I – Dirk Hebel". Thecowsheds.co.uk. 18 February 2005. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 433. ISBN 9781906796723.
- ^ a b c d "Dirk Hebel". Flown From the Nest. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Dirk Hebel at Soccerbase
- ^ a b c d "Games played by Dirk Hebel in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dirk Hebel – Spielerprofil". FuPa. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^ "Agent – United chasing Gotze | Football News". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Dirk Hebel". S.C. Fortuna Köln e.V. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Dirk Hebel in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
External links edit
- Fussballmarkt official website
- Dirk Hebel at Soccerbase
- Dirk Hebel at verein.fortuna-koeln.de
