Former Germany player Kevin Grosskreutz said Sunday he almost quit football after having to leave VfB Stuttgart last year following an altercation in the city centre.
"I didn't want to have anything to do with football," a tearful Grosskreutz said in a Sky TV football talk.
"It was a difficult situation. Quitting really crossed my mind. But I love football too much. That's why I had to continue."
Stuttgart terminated the contract in March 2017 when Grosskreutz and several youth team players got engaged an an altercation in Stuttgart's red light district. Grosskreutz said he wanted to protect a friend when he was hit.
Grosskreutz was part of the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup. The former Borussia Dortmund player was at second-tier Darmstadt in the past season and now plays at third division Uerdingen.
