Andrej Kramaric: An underrated big fish in a small pond

It was a transfer cycle Hoffenheim fans had gotten used to. Low-budget hidden gems, who would take their game to the next level in Sinsheim before moving on to bigger and better things as the club pocketed a healthy profit.

The likes of Luiz Gustavo, Demba Ba and Roberto Firmino departed as Hoffenheim were making a name for themselves, while Niklas Süle, Nadiem Amiri and Joelinton are all recent examples of the "village club" failing to retain its marquee players. One man has bucked the trend: Andrej Kramaric.

Despite his goalscoring talents being worthy of a club competing regularly in Europe, the Croatian has elected to secure his future with Hoffenheim, adding three more years to his contract that was set to expire after this season.

"I've enjoyed every moment here so far and am now looking forward to an exciting future," Kramaric said in a club statement announcing the extension. "I never expected to be one of the best strikers in Germany, but that's only possible because I feel absolutely at home here."

The news of the extension drew an ovation from Hoffenheim fans on Saturday when it flashed on the big screen at Sinsheim's Rhein-Neckar-Arena ahead of the club's match against Bayern Munich. Kramaric, who joined the club from Leicester City in 2016, will now have more opportunities to get the home fans out of their seats.

'It just fits here'

Being content as the big fish in a small pond is a rarity in the football world nowadays. Kramaric has talked of having "no complaints if my career ends in Hoffenheim" despite rumors linking him to some of Europe’s biggest clubs persisting throughout his time in Germany.

"I've been here almost six years now, and it's been an excellent time so far, which I've enjoyed very much," Kramaric told Sport1 last year. "I have a wonderful life in Heidelberg, where I live. It just fits here, and I'm very grateful for that."

There have been cautionary tales for the Croatian to heed with Sebastian Rudy's chief amongst them. Rudy sought pastures new and, while his time with Bayern produced silverware, the Schalke stint was "nightmarish" in his own words. The result was two loan spells before a permanent return to Hoffenheim in the summer.

'I'm no Messi or Lewandowski'

Kramaric's name is inextricably linked with Hoffenheim's. Already the club's all-time leading goalscorer, he etched his name deeper into the record books when he set the club-best mark for most goals scored in a single season in 2019-20, despite being sidelined by a brush with COVID-19 for part of it.

"To score 20 goals in a league as strong as the Bundesliga is something, and of course I'd like to repeat that," said Kramaric. "But I'm aware of how difficult that will be. I'm no Messi, no Lewandowski, and no Ronaldo."

However, Kramaric's influence is full of intangibles beyond the 101 goals and 44 assists he's produced in 211 games.

"If I could choose between scoring more goals of my own than in the previous season on the one hand and a better place in the standings for Hoffenheim on the other, I'd always go for team success."

Team success for Hoffenheim this season would represent a return to Europe, and their draw with Bayern on Saturday will further stoke the fires of those ambitions. With his future at the club now secure, Hoffenheim's hopes ultimately rest on the fitness and form of their often unheralded hero.\

This article was originally published on October 29.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp