German efficiency
Stellenbosch FC quietly pulled off one of the deals of the transfer window in July after snapping up former Germany youth international Lasse Sobiech on a free transfer from 2. Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt 98.
The move to bring the near-two-metre-tall centre-back to Stellenbosch was 18 months in the making and included a chance meeting between Sobiech and Stellies CEO Rob Benadie, prior conversations with former Cape Town City FC star Roland Putsche, and the player’s deep affinity for South Africa that stretches back more than half a decade.
“When I was younger, I always said that in the latter stages of my career I want to experience football outside of Europe and now is the time,” Sobiech tells KICK OFF.
“I am 31 years old and when I started my career, I was not sure where I would eventually go, but in the last five years or so I figured out that to come to South Africa would be the best for me. A lot of players go to the United States or somewhere like that, but I love South Africa. I have some friends here, I spoke with Roland Putsche [formerly] from Cape
