Mehmet Scholl bids farewell to football

From then on, he will go to indie-rock concerts and possibly pursue a career in a German equivalant to bowling - kegeln, a sport often associated with pot-bellied men drinking beer.

 Players past their prime could have also featured in his farewell match, had "Scholli" chosen to invite former team-mates and friends.

 But that does not suit the 36-year-old Scholl, who won an unprecedented eight Bundesliga titles with Munich along with five German cups, the Champions League, Intercontinental cup and UEFA Cup.

 "I want to present the fans a serious game, not one between former football greats," he insists, looking forward to playing one last time against the likes of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and company.

 Scholl, who made his Bundesliga debut in 1990 at SC Karlsruhe before playing 15 years in Munich until the May 19 season finale, was one of Germany's most gifted midfielders.

 But a series of injuries prevented his career from really taking off, especially at national team level. Scholl never played at the World Cup, his biggest success in 36 caps being the Euro 1996 title.

 Never a team leader, Scholl nonetheless always found his place beside the likes of Stefan Effenbergs, Lothar Matthaeus and Oliver Kahn at Germany's top club.

 Munich general manager Uli Hoeness, who regularly renewed Scholl's contract by one year, said that Scholl "represented the fun side of football" throughout his career.

 Scholl once famously said that he was afraid "of war and Oliver Kahn."

   Kahn and Scholl are a world apart in almost every aspect in life.

 They won't even be discussing play-lists on Wednesday, with Scholl calling the likes of German indie-rockers Sportfreunde Stiller his friends and selecting songs for popular compilation albums.

 Canadian band Hidden Cameras will provide the music on Wednesday in the Allianz Arena and later in the evening at the farewell party.

 From then on, Scholl says that "I will go to concerts, spend time with friends, do whatever I feel like doing."

   Hoeness once hinted at a future for Scholl in Munich's youth sector, but nothing has been finalised. But Scholl is reportedly seriously considering playing in the club's kegel-team.

 "Believe me, it is a dream sport," he once told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.

 Scholl named as his biggest achievement "to have played football for 15 years around this circus (in Munich) and not been eaten up in this shark's pool."

   "The biggest farewell gift is that the fans love me the way I am, that they respect me, the fans of other teams as well. That makes me very happy," he said.

DPA