Mike Hanke (German pronunciation:[maɪkˈhaŋkə];[2][3] born 5 November 1983) is a German former professional footballer[4] who played the position of forward. He has been described as a player who "gives it his all in attack and is always dangerous in the opponent's penalty area."[5]
On 31 May 2013, Hanke joined SC Freiburg on a free transfer. He said "It's a great package here in Freiburg. I had spoken to Christian Streich beforehand and got to know the place, and I think I'll fit in well here, the opportunity to play in Europe again certainly attracted me, but I also see it as my duty to help the younger players achieve their potential.'[7]
Hanke was first capped for the Germany national team on 8 June 2005, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Russia in Mönchengladbach.[9] He replaced Gerald Asamoah after 62 minutes. In his second game, on 18 June against Tunisia in the group stage of the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, he came on for Lukas Podolski in the 87th minute. One minute later, he scored his only international goal, the last one in a 3–0 victory. He made his first start in the third-place play-off against Mexico on 29 June, but was sent off in the 53rd minute.
He was a member of the German squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but missed the first two group stage matches due to the red card received in the Confederations Cup. He appeared as a substitute in Germany's 3–1 win over Portugal in the third-place play-off, replacing Lukas Podolski after 71 minutes.[10]
Hanke appeared in three of Germany's qualifiers for Euro 2008, earning the last of 12 caps on 17 November 2007 in a 4–0 home win over Cyprus.[11]
Personal life
Hanke is allergic to grass. He gets blisters and sore skin from contact with grass.[12]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13]
^Dudenredaktion; Kleiner, Stefan; Knöbl, Ralf (2015) [First published 1962]. Das Aussprachewörterbuch [The Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German) (7th ed.). Berlin: Dudenverlag. pp. 429, 600. ISBN978-3-411-04067-4.
^Krech, Eva-Maria; Stock, Eberhard; Hirschfeld, Ursula; Anders, Lutz Christian (2009). Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch [German Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 567, 744. ISBN978-3-11-018202-6.