Nils Petersen: Football saying of the year 2025 - a play on words inspires!

Nils Petersen: Football saying of the year 2025 - a play on words inspires!

Nils Petersen surprised everyone and secured the title “Football Saying of the Year 2025”. At a festive gala at the German Academy for Football Culture in Nuremberg, the former SV Werder Bremen striker was honored for his humorous statement: “I used to watch 80 minutes, today I watched 90.” This succinct remark beautifully captures the passion and commitment of a football player and seems to be well received by fans. As the Deichstube reports, Lothar Matthäus delivered another funny contribution with “Then the dice will be reshuffled” and took second place.

The feedback from Petersen himself was also warm; He thanked the fan jury via Instagram and praised the enjoyment of the football game with the words: "P.S.: Watching for 90 minutes really, really makes you want to." It's a nice sign that the football community values ​​such short, succinct sayings, which often convey more than just humor. Last year it was Christian Streich and Horst Hrubesch who shared the victory, with Streich causing a smile with his statement, "Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood - they are cult. I am a Kültle".

The importance of football culture

This award is not only a symbol of individuality and wit, but also shows how important football is for Germany's culture. The football inclusion days took place on the main market in Nuremberg from October 10th to 12th, 2025, which underlines the importance of the sport in the social context. The DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation, the city of Nuremberg and 1. FC Nürnberg played a key role in organizing these days.

The German Academy for Football Culture has now established itself as a permanent fixture and can count on the support of a new main sponsor in the 2026/27 season. Olympia-Verlag, known for its sports media brand “kicker”, is taking over the role from TeamBank, which has stood by DAFK since the beginning.

A look at football literature

Another interesting aspect of this year's gala was the nomination of books related to football. Juror Ronny Blaschke suggested the book “The Right to Kick” about the history of Swiss women’s football. The authors Marianne Meier and Monika Hofman give the players a voice and analyze the current state of women's football. In addition, Barbi Marković's “Piksi Book” was nominated for Football Book of the Year. This work not only tells of her difficult relationship with her father, but also combines memories of playing football in Belgrade in the 80s and 90s.

In a world increasingly centered around football, both on and off the field, such awards and nominations remain important. They promote not only the spirit of competition, but also the exchange of ideas and stories that enrich our culture. Football goes far beyond just games - it is part of a larger social whole.

Whether on the field or in literature, football remains alive and offers space for creativity and emotions. So next year a saying or a story will surely delight the hearts of fans again.