T en years since winning the league – this anniversary of the German Bundesliga team VfL Wolfsburg is something Volker Schindler (50) remembers more than most. The employee at the Wolfsburg plant owns a Volkswagen Eos that was part of the motorcade featuring the title heroes as they drove through the city back in May 2009. This Eos is now the focal point at the launch of a special exhibition at VfL Soccer World celebrating the greatest success in the club’s history. Grafite, who scored 28 goals to become the top goal scorer for VfL and in the Bundesliga at the time, Marcel Schäfer, the former left-back and current director of sport, and cult kit manager, Heribert Rüttger, drove to the Volkswagen Arena together. The trio enthusiastically showed fans and journalists a replica of the Meisterschale (championship shield). It was also a spine-tingling moment for Volker Schindler, the electrical engineer from Volkswagen Quality Assurance, invited to attend by Wolfsburg – despite not being a die-hard Wolfsburg fan. “I’m a fan of soccer and I watch matches in Hanover and Braunschweig,” reports Schindler, “although Wolfsburg winning the title was a really special moment and I will never forget it.” This also applies to randomly meeting ex-star striker Grafite (38), who flew in specially from Brazil, at the opening party. “Graffa is a really downto-earth, friendly guy.” So how did Volker come by his Eos anyway? Pure coincidence! His wife Nicole had been leasing the convertible for a while and was impressed. Then it transpired that the employee sale offered good quality and affordable used cars. “It didn’t take us long to come to a decision and we ordered a white Eos,” recalls the employee, who has been working at Volkswagen for almost 29 years – first in Salzgitter, now in Wolfsburg. On collection, a member of staff for employee vehicle sales explained that the title-winning stars of the Wolfsburg team had been driving this car just a few weeks before.