From Southwick to the Champions League semi-finals

It is not often Southwick has a reason to be associated with a Champions League semi-final, but this year one of their former players is taking centre stage.

Manchester United’s opposition in the last four of the competition this evening is Ralf Rangnick’s Schalke 04, who are this season’s underdogs in football’s premier club competition.

Rangnick has certainly gone the long way in rising to the top of football management as 31 years ago he was playing infront of 154 people for Southwick against Steyning Town in the lower reaches of English football.

He was in England studying English and physical education at the University of Sussex for one year and during his time featured 11 times for Southwick.

However, he has been quoted as saying this was “one of the best years of my life” and has credited his time with Southwick as helping him to where he is today.

There is little to say about Rangnick’s playing career, but since the age of 25 he has been in football management and has risen through the divisions and earlier this year returned for a second stint with Schalke after impressive work with unfashionable Hoffenheim.

Next week he will be returning to England, but this time it will be at the Theatre of Dreams – a big difference from Southwick’s Old Barn Way.

From Southwick to the Theatre of Dreams

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Posted by Joseph Lewis on April 26, 2011. Filed under Featured,Southwick,Sussex University. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry