‚Tom Meets Zizou’ is the first long term documentary ever made about a German professional football player covering a period of 8 years (2003-2011). It starts with the ambitious 22-year old midfielder Thomas Broich playing in the Bavarian province at 2nd division club „Wacker Burghausen“. Soon the German Junior International signs with Bundesliga club „Borussia Monchengladbach”, where he shines as a rising new star and is celebrated in 2004 as “the big hope for the future” alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski.
Broich loves to play football – but he also admires life, literature, moral & ethical reasoning - and soon is considered by the media as "the different football player". Due to his love for the arts, philosophy and classical music, he soon acquires the nick name „Mozart“. Thomas enjoys his role as the „New Netzer“ (a name given to him by the media – in reference to Gunter Netzer, Germany’s most influential and creative midfielder of the early seventies, who also played for Borussia Monchengladbach and who also had a love for culture. In 1972 Netzer was considered the “brain” of Germany’s best national team, European Champion ’72, World Champion ’74).
But now Thomas Broich no longer desires to play for Bayern Munich as his big future goal. He says that he would prefer to get to know the world by way of his profession. He wants to discover foreign cultures, languages and personalities. A short time later, he has difficulties with authoritarian coaches like the Dutch former national coach Dick Advocaat and – later in Cologne – with German star coach Christoph Daum. He stops identifying with football and its characters. With the huge expectations of the media and the fans being „different“ as a player works against him. His career begins to falter.
In 2009, symptoms of depression overcome him. A few months later, in 2010, he decides to escape the big football stage of the ’Bundesliga’ and heads to Australia. Down Under he signs with the A-League-Club Brisbane Roar. Under different circumstances he acquires new hope and regains his confidence and starts to play great football again. With the „Roar“ – now at the age of 30 - he wins the Australian Championship and in Sydney is runner-up in the selection of "Australia's Footballer of the Year award 2011".
Broich loves to play football – but he also admires life, literature, moral & ethical reasoning - and soon is considered by the media as "the different football player". Due to his love for the arts, philosophy and classical music, he soon acquires the nick name „Mozart“. Thomas enjoys his role as the „New Netzer“ (a name given to him by the media – in reference to Gunter Netzer, Germany’s most influential and creative midfielder of the early seventies, who also played for Borussia Monchengladbach and who also had a love for culture. In 1972 Netzer was considered the “brain” of Germany’s best national team, European Champion ’72, World Champion ’74).
But now Thomas Broich no longer desires to play for Bayern Munich as his big future goal. He says that he would prefer to get to know the world by way of his profession. He wants to discover foreign cultures, languages and personalities. A short time later, he has difficulties with authoritarian coaches like the Dutch former national coach Dick Advocaat and – later in Cologne – with German star coach Christoph Daum. He stops identifying with football and its characters. With the huge expectations of the media and the fans being „different“ as a player works against him. His career begins to falter.
In 2009, symptoms of depression overcome him. A few months later, in 2010, he decides to escape the big football stage of the ’Bundesliga’ and heads to Australia. Down Under he signs with the A-League-Club Brisbane Roar. Under different circumstances he acquires new hope and regains his confidence and starts to play great football again. With the „Roar“ – now at the age of 30 - he wins the Australian Championship and in Sydney is runner-up in the selection of "Australia's Footballer of the Year award 2011".
