Dirk Hebel
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dirk Josef Hebel[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Cologne, Germany | ||
| Playing position | 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 | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Dirk Josef Hebel (born 24 November 1972) is a retired German professional football midfielder, who is currently an agent. As a player, he played professionally in Germany, Turkey and England and is probably best remembered for his spell with Brentford, with whom he won the 1998–99 Division Three title.
Playing career
1. FC Köln
Hebel began his career at hometown club 1. FC Köln.[2]
Bursaspor
Hebel moved to Turkey to join 1. Lig side Bursaspor in January 1997.[3] He made his debut in a 2–2 draw away to Beşiktaş on 19 January, starting the match and playing the full 90 minutes.[3] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win over Gençlerbirliği on 13 April.[3] Hebel made 14 appearances and scored one goal during the 1996–97 season,[3] helping the Green Crocodiles to a fifth-place finish in the league. One Turkish newspaper voted him the 1996–97 1. Lig Player Of The Season.[4] Hebel left the club in the summer of 1997.[5]
Tranmere Rovers
After interest from Grasshoppers Zürich, Southampton and a failed trial at Norwich City,[4][6] Hebel joined English Division One side Tranmere Rovers on 3 September 1997.[7] 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.[4][7] 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".[4]
Brentford
Hebel signed for Division Three side Brentford on a free transfer on 25 August 1998.[5][7] He made his debut in a 3–1 victory over Rochdale on 31 August, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute Warren Aspinall.[7] He made his first start for the club on 8 September against Torquay United, lasting 79 minutes of the 3–1 win before being substituted for Warren Aspinall.[7] Hebel made regular appearances until Boxing Day 1998, making his final appearance for the club in a 3–1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion before injury ended his season.[5][7] Hebel made 19 appearances during the 1998–99 season.[7] Despite not making any appearances in the second half of the campaign, he qualified for a Division Three winners' medal. A family situation saw Hebel turn down a new contract, in order to return to Germany.[4]
Bonner SC
Hebel signed for Oberliga Nordrhein side Bonner SC in the summer of 1999. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to MSV Duisburg II on 26 September, lasting 63 minutes before being substituted for Markus Wildhagen. Hebel scored his first goal for the club with a consolation in a 3–1 defeat to 1. FC Bocholt on 5 December. Hebel made 19 appearances during the 1999–00 season and scored one goal. He left the club in the summer of 2000.
SCB Preußen Köln
Hebel joined Oberliga Nordrhein side SCB Preußen Köln in the summer of 2000. He made his debut in a 3–2 defeat to SSVg Velbert on 12 August, coming on as a half time substitute for Mario Schwarz. Hebel notched his first goal for the club on 10 September, scoring the opener in a 3–2 win over Wegberg-Beeck. He followed up with another goal three games later, bagging the opener in a 2–2 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach II. Hebel was in good form in late March and early April 2001, scoring three goals in four games. Hebel made 26 appearances and scored five goals during the 2000–01 season, helping the club to a second-place finish behind Bayer Leverkusen II.
Later career
Hebel wound down his career with spells at VfL Köln 99, FC Junkersdorf and SF Troisdorf, retiring in 2005.[4][6] In the 2003–04 season, he helped SF Troisdorf win promotion to the Verbandsliga Mittelrhein.[6]
Director of Football
Hebel held the role of Director of Football while playing for FC Junkersdorf.[6]
Agent
In 2002, Hebel became a FIFA-registered agent and set up an agency called Fussballmarkt with friend Dominik Kaesberg and lawyer Nortbert Nasse.[4] Hebel has gone on to represent players such as Mario Götze,[8] Sunday Oliseh, Goran Sablić and Patrick Weiser.[4]
Personal life
Hebel is married to Nicole and has two sons named Darren (named after former Brentford teammate Darren Freeman) and Liam.[4]
Honours
As a player
References
- ↑ "Barry Hugman's Footballers - Dirk Hebel". Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ↑ "Dirk Hebel » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "Dirk Josef Hebel (Bursaspor) @". Mackolik.com. 1972-11-24. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Series I - Dirk Hebel". Thecowsheds.co.uk. 2005-02-18. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- 1 2 3 Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 433. ISBN 9781906796723.
- 1 2 3 4 "Flown From the Nest - Dirk Hebel". Ex-canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Dirk Hebel | Football Stats | No Club | 1996-1999". Soccer Base. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- ↑ "Agent - United chasing Gotze | Football News". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
