Pascal Gross wins 8.4km race after Euro 2024

After Germany were eliminated in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, Pascal Gross found another way to stay in competition: he entered a running race on the island of Juist and won it. The midfielder covered the 8.4km course in 31 minutes 35 seconds, finishing more than a minute clear. His victory came to light after another competitor posted a video on social media.

The result reflects a habit that goes beyond football training. Gross is described as a keen runner, much like his former teammate James Milner. After a 3-0 win over Arsenal the previous month, Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler joked about Gross’s appetite for running: “I think he’s looking in his free time now: ‘Where can I run a race?’ because he will never stand still.”

Another comment captures his approach to the off-season: “During the off season he’s never the person who can lay on the beach for several hours and do nothing. He always needs to do something.” The speaker is not identified here, but the observation fits the picture of a player who prefers activity to idleness. Hürzeler has also portrayed Gross as someone who can get ahead of opponents through his thinking: “He might not be the quickest player, but he can be the quickest in the head.”

Gross’s return to Brighton in January for a second spell at the club revived his influence in the team. He had previously left Brighton for Borussia Dortmund after seven years in the Premier League, then reported to his boyhood club for pre-season training. He acknowledged that leaving Brighton had been difficult: “It was really difficult.” On his return, he said Brighton had been his priority and that he had remained in contact with his former teammates while away.

The figures cited for his Brighton season offer another measure of his contribution. Named the Premier League’s player of the month for September, he contributed a combined seven goals and assists, created six big chances and 14 chances from open play, and made three line-breaking passes leading to a goal. His average distance exceeds 11.5km per match, and he ranks third among Premier League players for ground covered. Hürzeler summed up his view with an image: “The older the wine gets, the better it gets.”

Gross’s experience also provides a reference point for Brighton’s younger players, including Diego Gómez, Jack Hinshelwood and Yasin Ayari. Another moment associated with him was a free-kick that led to Palace’s Jaydee Canvot scoring an own goal in a 5-0 defeat on Sunday. The Juist race, then, reflects a trait consistent with Gross’s profile: even away from the pitch, he continues to seek a physical challenge.