Football with disabilities | Kicking with a crutch

Christian Heintz has mastered the art of dropping his crutch, throwing himself into a cross – and scoring a header. Very few players in amputee football can do that. His complex synchronicity is the best answer to the frequently asked question: "Football with one leg: How is that supposed to work?" The 41-year-old is not only the best player at FSV Mainz 05, but also a busy jack-of-all-trades: As managing director of the non-profit umbrella organization for German amputee football, he also organizes the game operations.

"Five years ago, we only had 15 players nationwide; now there are 80. But of course that's still not enough," says Heintz. Otherwise, only Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hamburger SV, BFC Preussen Berlin, and Anpfiff Hoffenheim have teams. Bundesliga club Mainz 05 added the division in 2023 to better fulfill its social responsibility. "Our motivation is even higher than that of normal two-legged players. We don't slide tackle, but we play just as fast-paced football," assures Heintz. In addition to feeling in the feet, strength in the arms and shoulders is needed to move quickly on the walking aids. Skilled combative natures are required. And a dose of pragmatism coupled with zest for life.

Return after a ten percent chance of survival

Heintz worked as a painter and varnisher in the Eifel region and played soccer for SG Alfbachtal in the Southwest Rhineland Association League when, one winter night in 2010, he skidded around a bend in his car. The car hit a tree – he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. While he was in a coma in the hospital, doctors gave him only a ten percent chance of survival. His right leg was crushed. He survived – and decided that his broken leg should not be stiffened with a steel structure, but should be amputated instead, because an artificial leg with a prosthesis is more flexible. "That's why I told the doctors: Take it off once, please." It sounded grim, but in retrospect, it was the right thing to do.

Most of his current teammates have lost a foot or leg due to cancer, accidents, or congenital dysmelia. That's why Stefan Schmidt calls himself the "exotic" here: In 2017, he collided so badly with the goalkeeper during a local league game that his tibia and fibula fractured at right angles. Doctors realized too late that his lower leg was not receiving enough blood. The case attracted nationwide attention.

Every year, around 60,000 people in Germany have to have a limb amputated for medical reasons. This includes toes and fingers, but also lower and upper legs. Many medical supply stores and orthopedic practices have flyers advertising sports programs for amputees – but those affected often don't initially consider this. Heintz tries to identify those who might be able to join in early on. The personal tragedy of each individual isn't initially of interest: "It's only on the third or fourth occasion that people ask, 'What actually happened to you?'"

Alluding to the trauma

He also convinced Schmidt, practically at his bedside. "I still remember exactly how Christian talked to me about playing football again," says the 31-year-old, who at the time had only thought about athletics with a prosthetic limb. Today, he proudly says he has "switched from the football field to the football field." And he asserts: "I don't miss anything anymore." The same applies to him as to his teammate Nicola Roos: "Football helped me process my own history." Playing sports as trauma therapy.

Roos serves as a prime example of inclusion. The 18-year-old is actually the only amputee soccer player in Germany: She was 14 when she lost her leg due to a cancerous tumor in her knee. Even as a child, she played soccer with boys at TSV Reichenbach. Coach Jürgen Menger now calls the 18-year-old his "First Lady." Because: "She shows that it works even as a woman." Former professional Menger is extremely annoyed that the German Football Association (DFB) doesn't accept the "amputee kickers," as they call themselves. "I would like the DFB to also support athletes who have suffered a serious setback."

Everything hinges on the recognition of amputee football as a Paralympic sport, which the International Paralympic Committee isn't planning until the 2032 Games in Brisbane. Menger is openly critical: "It's taking too long for me." The 64-year-old took on his current role because his son, Robin, lost his left lower leg four years ago while crossing the tracks at Mainz train station. "It was a tragedy; the whole family was in shock for a long time." He was immediately impressed by the shared fate of those who, despite their disabilities, are still firmly grounded in life.

Menger himself used to play at the Bruchweg Stadium, when Mainz 05 was still a modest second-division team. The club hosted the first two matchdays of the Amputee Bundesliga there last weekend. 300 spectators watched the fast-paced matches – with repeated applause. "Everything was perfectly organized – from the stewards to the stadium announcer," said a delighted assistant coach Jörg Schmidtke. He made contact behind the scenes to recruit former international Philipp Lahm as an ambassador.

Mainz in the Champions League

Immediately after the Bundesliga start, Mainz continued their Champions League campaign, facing Real Betis from Spain and AFC Tbilisi from Georgia. and Alves Kablo FK from Turkey. International matches are played on a much larger field, seven-a-side – not five-a-side. The tournament was held in Ankara with eight teams. Turkey missed a lesson for Germany's national team in the quarterfinals of the 2024 European Championship – Mainz had the largest block, but later qualified for the World Cup in Costa Rica in autumn 2026, finishing ninth. It is currently unclear how the expensive trip will be financed.

On the Bosporus, there is government funding and live television broadcasts for amputee football. A few years ago, 40,000 spectators attended the European Championship final between Turkey and England. They also saw the crutches used to signal for a pass. But the best part is when the metal bars clack. Because that's how goals are celebrated. Like the one Christian Heinz used to score Mainz 05's league title in the final against HSV last October.