Aberdeen’s new sporting director, Lutz Pfannenstiel, has declared his intention to move beyond the extraordinary anecdotes of his past, including the infamous “borrowed” penguin, to focus squarely on supporting embattled manager Jimmy Thelin.
Pfannenstiel, whose career has been nothing short of remarkable, joins the Dons following a similar tenure with Major League Soccer side St Louis City, which concluded in August.
The 52-year-old former goalkeeper holds the unique distinction of being the first man to play for clubs in all six FIFA confederations.
His colourful history also includes a 101-day stint in a Singaporean prison in 2000, where he faced match-fixing charges before ultimately being cleared.
Furthermore, he famously stopped breathing three times on the pitch in 2002 while playing for Bradford Park Avenue, following a collision with Clayton Donaldson, and was resuscitated.
These and other episodes, such as modelling for Armani and “borrowing” a penguin from a wildlife colony to keep in his New Zealand bath for two days, are detailed in his autobiography.
Addressing the media at his first Dons press conference on Tuesday, Pfannenstiel light-heartedly acknowledged the fascination with his past.
“OK, before we start, I think you guys are very interested in my penguin stories and stuff like that,” he joked.
“So, yes, I did have a penguin once, I didn’t steal him, I just borrowed him for a night! I was in prison as well, and I also was dead in Bradford. I wrote a wonderful book about it, so if you want one, I can get it out the boot, 10 quid and you can have one.
“Since then I have done lots of other things, it’s like, I think, more than 25 years ago. I want to focus on Aberdeen, right now and what’s happening in the future, and not just talk about nautical birds.”
With Thelin facing pressure after a challenging start to the campaign, Pfannenstiel expressed confidence that his arrival would alleviate some of the burden on the head coach.
“I think it was good news for Jimmy that I came in, because I think he can focus more on what he wants to focus on and really get concentrated on the coaching stuff and really working on the on-field stuff,” the German explained.
He elaborated on his role, stating: “I can, I think, take away a lot of pressure from him when it comes to dealing also with recruitment, finding players.
“I think that the head coach should really be able to focus on what’s happening on the field, what’s happening in the changing room, and I’m here to support Jimmy at the moment with everything I can.”
Pfannenstiel emphasised the collaborative nature of their future work: “And then to talk about players, to have a shortlist of players who fit into that, and then that needs to be discussed between me and the recruitment team and, of course, the manager, because there’s no point if I sign three players the manager simply doesn’t rate, so there will be a lot of conversations, there will be daily meetings.
“And so far, whenever we spoke, I have a really good feeling about that. We see football very much the same and we align on that.”
