Married to the club mascot: Former Paderborn player Markus Krösche shares his love story
Yasmine Green
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
Former Paderborn footballer Markus Krösche shared a lighthearted story about how he met his wife, Viktoria, during an appearance on the Phrasenmäher podcast. He revealed that his future wife worked in the club’s marketing department and was also linked to the team’s official mascot—Holli the Mouse.
Krösche spent 13 years at Paderborn (2001-2014), making 373 appearances for the club. Meanwhile, Viktoria was occasionally responsible for donning the life-sized Holli costume during home matches.
"Viktoria worked for an agency that marketed the mascot. She worked there at the same time as her studies. That's how we met," Krösche admitted.
Even today, Holli remains a familiar sight at Paderborn’s matches—a blue-headed mouse with a red nose, still a favorite among fans for pre-game photos.
Krösche has since transitioned into football management and is currently the CEO of Eintracht Frankfurt, a role he took on in July 2023. Prior to that, he served as the club’s sporting director from 2021 onward.
