The Bundesliga has seen several foreign players make their mark in the league and leave as legends of German football. This article will be looking back at the Bundesliga career of a certain Slovakian who amazed Europe during the mid 2000's. The player being mentioned is none other than Marek Mintál, who was a player that could operate both as an attacking midfielder or a forward. Let us now look back at magical career in Germany and how he became a Nürnberg legend.
Early career and national side debut
Marek Mintál's footballing journey began at Slovak club MŠK Žilina, with whom he won back-to-back Slovak championships during the 2001–02 and 2002–03 campaigns. He was instrumental in both those league victories, as Mintál finished as league top scorer in both those seasons. The Slovakian's brilliance at Žilina also led to his debut international call-up the first time on 6 February 2002. Mintál eventually went on to earn 33 caps and scored 11 goals for the Slovak national team.
Off to Germany
As the 2002–03 season concluded, Mintál joined German side FC Nürnberg for an alleged transfer fee of €100,000. Nürnberg was a part of the German second division at the time, and the Slovakian would've wanted to help his new club achieve promotion.
This was exactly what Mintál went on to achieve, as he scored 18 goals and became the German second division's leading scorer to help Nürnberg achieve promotion. The Slovakian's heroics at the time saw him several nicknames, which ranged from stealth bomber, Sniper, or even Phantom.
Nürnberg's promotion saw them take part in the Bundesliga next season, and Mintál continued exactly from where he left. The Sniper went on to exceed all expectations and scored 24 goals to become the league top scorer.
The Slovakian's magnificent goalscoring heroics at the time sparked rumours of a move to a top European club, with the likes of Liverpool, Beşiktaş, Villarreal and VfB Stuttgart all reportedly interested in the player back then. However, Mintál showed his loyalty to Nürnberg and ended up staying at the club.
Mintál's next season at the club however, ended up being a complete disaster. The former MŠK Žilina attacker went on to break his foot twice in 5 months. This led to the player making only 4 appearances and scoring a single goal that season. It was an injury that changed the player forever.
The Slovakian forward made his return against Borussia Mönchengladbach, as he came from the bench after the 60-minute mark. This was followed by his international participation in two weeks against Cyprus, where he scored a brace. Later that year though, Mintál was yet again troubled by the broken foot and had to undergo surgery for a second time.
The year of 2007 was probably his most special with the club, as the years of loyalty had finally paid off. Nürnberg went on to win that season's DFB-Pokal, as they beat VfB Stuttgart 3-2 after extra-time. Mintál was yet again instrumental for the side, as he was one of the goalscorers. His heroics in the UEFA Cup for Nürnberg was another highlight of time with the club, as Mintál's brace against AZ Alkmaar had kept their European dreams alive.
Marek Mintál continued at Nürnberg for the next 4 years at Nürnberg, before joining Hansa Rostock for a single season. He eventually came back to Nürnberg for one final stint ahead of his retirement from the beautiful game.
He left the club as one of their greatest ever players, who symbolized both loyalty and excellence.