Name: Franz Merkhoffer
Nickname: "Pferde-Franz" - (Horse Franz)




Country: Germany
Clubs: Eintracht Braunschweig
Numbers: 3
Position: ★SB
Side: LF/LS
Age: 30-32 years (29/11/1946)

Height: 179 cm
Weight: 81 kg



Attack: 74
Defence: 73
Balance: 84
Stamina: 92
Top Speed: 77
Acceleration: 76
Response: 79
Agility: 74
Dribble Accuracy: 75
Dribble Speed: 76
Short Pass Accuracy: 74
Short Pass Speed: 75
Long Pass Accuracy: 77
Long Pass Speed: 77
Shot Accuracy: 71
Shot Power: 85
Shot Technique: 74
Free Kick Accuracy: 70
Curling: 72
Header: 77
Jump: 76
Technique: 74
Aggression: 81
Mentality: 86
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 81

Injury Tolerance: A
Condition: 8
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 8
Growth Type: Late/Lasting


CARDS:
P04 - Darting Run - Optional
P17 - Offensive Fullback

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Side

Attack/Defence Awareness: Attack-Minded



INFO:
Known for his crazy stamina and very strong shot, Merkhoffer was a miracle of fitness! Reliable in the game and serving the team, he was one of the defenders who was constantly involved offensively and gave his opponents some riddles. In the games against HSV, Manni Kaltz was always surprised that he had a left-back as an opponent against whom he had to do defensive work. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge certainly still doesn't like to think back to the duels because he always had to work so much backwards in the games against Franz. Franz had a mixture of good self-confidence, the absolute will to always want to push himself to the limit, and above all that he stayed almost without any major injuries. In addition, he could run a lot and didn't pinch in duels. Because of his horse's lungs, he was named "Pferde-Franz". In the game, he ran up and down the left side incessantly and regularly tore open the lungs of the opponents' wingers. In addition to football, Franz has also trained his own horses, his second passion. So, he is just as successful as on the football field.

His professional career as a chef took him to Hamburg and there to the amateurs of HSV. He returned to Eintracht from Hamburg and signed a professional contract before the start of the 1968–69 Bundesliga season. Due to the tragic accidental death of the player of the championship team Jürgen Moll in December 1968, Merkhoffer made his first appearances in the Bundesliga much earlier than expected. In his debut season, he has already played 12 times as a left wing-back.
At the time, no one could have guessed that this was the beginning of a long and successful career at BTSV, which would make him Eintracht's most capped player.
Merkhoffer played continuously for the Blue and Yellows until the end of his career in 1984 and was the "first choice" for each of the seven coaches he experienced (and of whom he considered Zebec to be the best). He always played when he was fit. And that was almost always the case, in fact, because he was spared serious injuries.

From the first matchday of the 1969/70 season to the eighth matchday of the 1983/84 season, Franz Merkhoffer missed just 10 games. He had played 494 of 504 league games. In no season did he have to sit out more than two games. Together with the appearances from the first season, he was on the pitch in 419 Bundesliga games, 10 promotion matches to the Bundesliga, 41 games in the 2nd Bundesliga North and 36 games in the Regionalliga Nord. 419 Bundesliga games for Eintracht! A record for eternity! In the "all-time table" of the record players with the most Bundesliga appearances, "Pferde-Franz", as he was called for good reason, still occupies a place among the top 50 (44th together with Berti Vogts). In his Bundesliga appearances, Merkhoffer found the back of the net 24 times. He scored his first goal on 30.8.1969 at HSV (3-3), for whom he had previously played himself. His best goal, however, was undoubtedly the 1-0 winning goal against Hertha BSC on 3.12.1982, which he scored with a backheel in a very "Brazilian" way.

Only once in his career would Merkhoffer have liked to move to another club. When Breitner left the "Lions" for Munich in the summer of 1978, Eintracht's left-back also negotiated with Bayern. However, the BTSV did not let him go. Franz was angry at first, but in retrospect no longer regrets this club decision.
Merkhoffer got his nickname "Horse Franz" for two reasons. On the one hand, he had to have a horse's lung. This was the only way to explain why he was able to run

Up and down the touchline for 90 minutes without showing signs of fatigue. On the other hand, and this is the real reason, Franz Merkhoffer was and is a horse breeder and "lover" and owns a farm in Rothemühle. However, as long as he was active as a footballer, he did not ride himself. Merkhoff's extraordinary career has been worth many an article in the sports press. For example, on 10.10.1983 the "Kicker" listed the "superstars of the Bundesliga" from 1963-83. In addition to Franke, Popivoda, Ulsass and Wolter, the name Merkhoffer also appeared. In the left wing-backs, he finished 9th. Who knows how many games the full-back, who was still fit at the age of almost 37, would have played for the "Lions" if he had left the pitch in the match against Eintracht Frankfurt on 24.9.1983 (4-3) when he injured his thigh. But Franz held out until the end of the game – and had to pay for it. The thigh did not allow any more play and finally forced Merkhoffer to apply for a sports disability.