For German-born goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel, it's not just a clever slogan. It's truly how he's approached his career. The 180-degree opposite of one-club heroes like Manchester United's Ryan Giggs or Real Madrid's Raul, Pfannenstiel has plied his trade for (at last count) 25 different teams. He's also been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the only footballer to play on all six of the world's inhabited continents.*
Pfannenstiel (whose last name translates to "panhandle") was born on May 12, 1973 in Zwiesel, a picturesque town in the Bavarian Forest, not far from the Grosser Arber mountains. His career started promisingly enough; he was capped for Germany at the under-17 level. From 1991 to 1993, he made 68 appearances for FC Bad Kotzring, a lower-tier Bavarian club. That number still stands as the most games Pfannenstiel has played for any one team (his career total stands at 354). By the age of 20, Pfannenstiel found himself without a club. He attracted some interest from Bayern Munich but never made it past the reserves. So the young keeper packed his bags and set off on the journey of a lifetime.
First up, Malaysian side Penang FC. From there, our hero found his way to England, spending part of 1994 at Wimbledon and part of the following year at Nottingham Forest without playing a regular game for either team. A move to Belgium's Saint Truiden didn't bring any action either and by the end of 1995, Pfannenstiel was in Malta, suiting up for Mamrun Spartans (he managed to get in four games.)
In 1996, he joined Singapore's Sembawang Rangers (four games) before signing for South African giants Orlando Pirates (22 appearances). Then it was back to Forest for the 1996-1997 season (seven games). That summer, Pfannenstiel joined Finland's TPV for a short time before rejoining Forest to play eight times in 1997-98. The following year, he was back home in Bavaria but went the entire season at Wacker Burghausen without seeing any action. The end of the decade brought a return to Singapore as Pfannenstiel signed with Gelang United, making 14 appearances for the Eagles.
Already in need of a new passport by this point, Pfannenstiel headed south, way south, and signed for New Zealand's Dunedin Technical (46 games in 2001). From there, he made the long hike back to Britain and joined Bradford Park Avenue for an 18-game run. He also made one appearance for German side ASV Cham before returning to Tech for the 2002 season. Another move to Bradford Park Avenue came next and it was while playing for the Stans that Pfannenstiel became known for something other than his globetrotting ways. On Boxing Day of 2002 in a game against Harrogate Town in a UniBond League match, Pfannenstiel stopped breathing three times after a frightening collision with an opponent. The injury was so severe that referee John Moss abandoned the match, with the Avenue ahead 2-1.
Pfannenstiel recovered though and moved to Dunedin Tech for a third spell, playing 14 games during the 2003 season. A move to Norwegian side Baerum came next. In 2004, it was off to North America for a 13-game run with Calgary Mustangs. Pfannenstiel then signed for Otago United and returned to New Zealand, seeing action in 28 games between 2004 and 2006. From there, he joined Albania's Vllaznia Shkoder, playing in 36 games. Another brief spell at Baerum followed, then it was back to Canada for four games with Vancouver Whitecaps in 2007.
By this point, only South America was left to conquer and Pfannenstiel solved that problem by playing one game for Brazilian minnows Hermann Aichinger (better known as Atletico Ibirama). He returned to Norway in 2008, playing in 11 games for Flekkeroy before joining Mangelrud star, where he also served as the team's goalkeeping coach. Finally, Pfannenstiel was lured back to Africa, signing as a player-coach for Namibian Premier League side Ramblers.
Interestingly, he also served as goalkeeper coach for--of all teams--Cuba between 2008 and 2009. His biography, which would undoubtedly make for some fascinating reading, was released in Germany in 2009 and became something of a hit. No doubt, Pfannenstiel can spin some yarns. For example, there was that one time in Singapore when he was accused of fixing matches for an Asian gambling syndicate. Pfannenstiel spent three months in jail despite never being found guilty. He subsequently passed a lie-detector test and was released. Or that time when he was in goal for Gelang United in an Asian Champions League match in Tehran. Playing in front of 100,000 maniacal supporters was like playing "in front of the gates of hell itself.”
Pfannenstiel never made it at the highest level and early on his career turned into something of a gimmick. Still and all though, you'd have to say he's had a darn good run.
*Apparently there was some talk of Pfannenstiel arranging a charity match to be played in Antarctica, which would make him 7-for-7. Unfortunately, not knowing how to read German has prevented me from finding out if this match ever took place, although as near as I can tell it hasn't.
