© Emile Mentz
Luxembourg's first-ever Bundesliga professional, Nico Braun, looks back on his remarkable football career in conversation with RTL.
Few people may know that Nico Braun began his football journey in Walferdange. He explains that his father was a hairdresser and his parents also ran a bistro in Bereldange, where football was always a topic of conversation.
His father had played for former sports clubs Spora and Union Luxembourg, so joining the Walferdange team was a natural first step, he says. Braun explains further that he only stayed there for two years, however, since the club didn't have a youth team for his age group, adding that that was the moment he decided to move to the city and join Union Luxembourg.
He laughs as he recalls also playing basketball in Walferdange when he was a boy, splitting his time between the football pitch and the basketball court.
From Luxembourg to Schalke 04
Braun's professional career began in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, with Schalke 04, thanks largely to chance. At Union Luxembourg, a club member who supported the football club Borussia Mönchengladbach arranged for him to take part in a training session there, Braun explains, adding that he accepted the offer, but word of it reached Günter Siebert at Schalke, who quickly intervened.
Braun recalls that he drove alone from Luxembourg to Gelsenkirchen, navigating the unfamiliar roads through the Eifel mountains. He noted that when he finally arrived at the stadium, a gatekeeper immediately recognised him by his car's Luxembourg number plate and told him to drive in and park on the left.
After his first training session, Braun went to speak with the club's officials. He explains that when they asked how he thought it had gone, he admitted he couldn't judge himself and preferred they tell him. According to Braun, the response came swiftly: Schalke offered him a three-year contract and left it to him to decide. Before signing, he recalls how he called his father in Luxembourg to ask his advice, and soon after, the deal was done.
He played for Schalke from 1971 to 1973, appearing in 35 matches and scoring 15 goals.
'I did my job well'
To this day, Braun still receives a birthday card from Schalke each year, and the club invites him to the final match of every season in Gelsenkirchen, he says, adding that he enjoys attending, watching the game with old friends and sharing a meal afterwards. He recalls how well he was treated at the club and how determined he had been to earn his place in the squad. Training there, he says, was on another level entirely: so intense that after each session he would collapse into bed and sleep for three or four hours.
'Proud to be the first Luxembourger in the Bundesliga'
Breaking into Schalke's starting line-up wasn’t easy. At the time, Schalke rivalled Bayern Munich as one of the strongest teams in Germany, according to Braun. His position was usually taken by Klaus Fischer, who also played for the national team, Braun explains. Still, he says he learned a great deal from being surrounded by such top-class players. Braun recalls proudly how in his first season, he made several appearances and performed solidly, and how the second season went even better.
Braun mentions the famous Schalke scandal involving match-fixing with Arminia Bielefeld, which saw several players suspended, including Fischer. That incident opened the door for Braun to become a regular starter as centre-forward, and he went on to score 13 goals that season, he explains.
FC Metz: the highlight of his career
From 1973 to 1978, Braun played for FC Metz in France, where he found his best form. In 170 matches, he scored an impressive 109 goals: 99 in the league and eight in the French Cup.
His move to Metz came after Luxembourg's national coach at the time, Gilbert Legrand, contacted him to say the French club was looking for a striker, according to Braun. He recalls how his wife encouraged him enthusiastically, telling him they should take the opportunity, and so he signed a five-year contract with Metz, immediately securing his place as a first-team regular.
He became the club's top scorer and recalls how he achieved one of his proudest moments in December 1974 by scoring four goals in a single match against Saint-Étienne, then one of Europe's strongest teams, according to Braun. He looks back with pride, saying that everything went perfectly that day.
Life after football
Today, the former striker enjoys a quiet life with his family. His wife and grandchildren bring him great joy, and they often take short holidays together to the Belgian coast or the Westerwald region.
On 26 October, Nico Braun will celebrate his 75th birthday, still remembered fondly in both Luxembourg and Metz.
