Bull legend in private

“Andi is the figurehead of our family”

14-time champion: Bulls legend Andreas Ulmer with brother Christopher (left) and dad Gerhard.(Bild: GEPA)

Next part of our "Servus Andi!" series: Dad Gerhard Ulmer talks to the Krone about bull legend Andreas' childhood and reveals when he noticed his offspring's special talent. His father is also in favor of the 38-year-old continuing to play. 

Practice makes perfect if you want to become a great. Andreas Ulmer thought the same thing and was already running around with a ball as a toddler.

"As soon as he could walk, his enthusiasm for soccer began," grins someone who should know: Dad Gerhard. He was a professional himself and played more than 200 times for Voest Linz. "Andi never gave up. His mother always had to make sure she caught him," he laughs. Ulmer's parents did a lot with Andi and his brother Christopher. "The ball was almost always there. There always had to be something going on." 

Practice makes perfect: even as a youngster ...(Bild: zVg)

... Ulmer was always on the ball.(Bild: zVg)

His parents realized when he was five or six years old that he had a special talent. "You could tell when he went for the ball. Others ducked away, but not him. At some point, he started playing in Asten." Via his home club, LASK, Vienna Austria and Ried, Ulmer ended up in Salzburg in 2009. Here he settled down, both professionally and privately. He and his wife Sarah have two sons - Jonathan, named after Jonny Soriano, and Florentin. The family is Andi's one and only and is always there at the stadium to keep their fingers crossed. 

Andreas Ulmer's pride and joy: his wife Sarah and their two sons Florentin and Jonathan.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Professional footballer Andreas Ulmer pays attention to a healthy diet.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

He looks after his body like no other.(Bild: zVg)

"Play as long as he's fit"
He also excelled in sport. While Gerhard remained untitled and his uncle Fritz became champion once (with Voest Linz '74), Andreas was able to lift 14 plates into the sky and celebrate nine cup victories. His dad is impressed: "Andi has always taken soccer seriously, he lives and trains by it. That's how he stands out. He's the figurehead in our family, the most successful Ulmer!"

Although Sunday marks the end of an era in the city of Mozart, Ulmer junior wants to continue playing. "As long as he's healthy and feels fit, that's what he should do. The way he lives, I'm sure he can", says the "old man", "there's still enough time left for the coaching job."