Panama is surprisingly in the final of the Gold Cup. Coach Thomas Christiansen once shot VfL Bochum to the top of the Bundesliga, won the top scorer and relieved a car dealership of a new car.
At VfL Bochum they still have fond memories of Thomas Christiansen. Because he was mainly responsible for one of the few weddings that the district club experienced in the Bundesliga. With six goals in the first three games of the season, the striker propelled the club to the top of the table for four weeks in 2002/03. In the end it was still enough for ninth place. Highlight for VfL at the end of the season: Christiansen won the top scorer cannon with his 21 goals and thus achieved legendary status at the club. This earned the Dane with the Spanish passport the nickname “TORero”.
The press conference before the Cottbus game in August 2002 is unforgettable. It took place in a car dealership and Christiansen was promised a new car if he scored three goals against the Lausitzer. No sooner said than done – he scored three times and bagged the car.
With Panama at the Gold Cup in the final
Today Christiansen is 50 years old and a long way from Bochum. He is the national coach of Panama and causes a stir with the “Canaleros” at the Gold Cup in the USA. He and his team reached the final of the prestigious continental tournament. The outsider beat co-hosts USA 5-4 on penalties in the semifinals in San Diego
Under Cruyff at FC Barcelona
But what brought Christiansen to Panama? First, there is his Spanish passport. His mother is Spanish, he speaks the language fluently. He also spent part of his childhood in Panama and knows the culture and the people. He took office in July 2020.
In addition, Panama fits perfectly into Christiansen’s varied career. It started as a junior in Denmark, but picked up speed in 1991. Because at that time, Christiansen was 18 years old, the great “king” Johan Cruyff brought the striker to FC Barcelona. The Dutchman was the coach of the Catalans at the time and had Christiansen train with the likes of Romario, Ronald Koeman, Hristo Stoitchkov, Pep Guardiola and Michael Laudrup.
Two caps for Spain
However, it was only enough for appearances in the top club’s B team. Curious: From there he made it into the Spanish U-21 and later even into the senior national team under Javier Clemente. In 1993 he won two caps and even scored a goal against Lithuania.
However, his career stalled. Christiansen was loaned – to Gijon, Osasuna, Santander and to Oviedo, where he then got stuck. He later played for Villarreal and Terrassa before moving to Greece with Panionios Athens and then Denmark with Herfølge. Then came Bochum, where it experienced a renaissance. But he only played for VfL for a year and a half. For the 2003/04 season, he moved to Hannover 96. After he underwent a second operation for a fatigue fracture in his right tibia, he ended his career in 2006. He scored 34 goals in 101 Bundesliga games. In the second division he scored 17 goals in 30 games.
2003: Thomas Christiansen with the top scorer cannon
Gold Cup final against Mexico
The coaching career is like that of a little globetrotter. It all started in 2011 in Switzerland at Xamax Neuchâtel. Via Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi, he ended up in Cyprus with Larnaka and Nicosia, then in England with Leeds United and in Belgium with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. And now Panama.
He was supposed to lead the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and thus to the second qualification for a world tournament in a row, but narrowly failed in the qualification. However, the association held on to him. Which is now paying off at the Gold Cup.
Because Panama has never won it, after 2005 and 2013 it is only the third final for the Central Americans. Sunday’s final is against record winners Mexico, who defeated Jamaica 3-0 in the second semi-final.
“Every Panamanian’s Dream”
“Reaching this final is every Panamanian’s dream. We had to suffer for this win, but that’s the best way to enjoy it,” said Christiansen after the game. And maybe one or the other Bochum Panama will keep their fingers crossed on Sunday.