Doctor Markus Merk: Footballer And Dentist

Doctor Markus Merk is truly one of the most unique people in football

, especially in Germany. Indeed, his name, "Merk", stems from the German verb, "Merken", which means "to notice" or "to keep in mind or thought". He is one of the more famous of the referees in Germany, winning the Referee of the Year Award six times. He has refereed more games than anyone else in the German Bundesliga and has won the Federal Cross of Merit for his astonishing charity work in India. But aside from all this, Merk is also a working dentist.

Perhaps the most famous dentist in Germany, Merk stands over 6 feet tall which also makes him one of the most recognizable. As he is considered one of the best referees to officiate a game, he was ranked #2 in all time rankings, losing out to Pierluigi Collina. During his role a referee in 2004 for the UEFA Cup, his presence was heavily criticized by Portugal prior to the Protugal-Greece game. The coach of the Greek team was once a patient of Merk years before and Portugal complained that this would affect his refereeing of the game as a conflict of interest. Despite this, Merk was allowed to work the game and in the end, was hailed for excellent and fair refereeing of the match.

Merk was appointed to referee in the 1992 Summer Olympics which was held in Barcelona, Spain. Since then, he has been noted by state, regional, and international leagues as being one of the most fair and reliable referees in football history. As a result, he has been awarded the Referee of the Year more than anyone else by the Germany authorities. His last game to referee was a match between football clubs in Bayern and Berlin that occurred in March 2008. He has since retired as a football referee and dentist, using much of his performing as a commentator on the sport network, Lig TV.

During his career, he began to work intensely in India by providing dental care to the poor through a German NGO. He was also noted to have played football with street children whom he helped while in India, but his main charity work provided intense dental care for those living in slums throughout the country. As a result of his incredible work and public service in India, the German government awarded him the Budesverdienstkreuz, otherwise known as the Federal Cross of Merit, in 2005.

Merk was a truly astonishing figure in German football and society. He currently lives in the German city of Otterbach with his wife and child, using more of his retirement time to spend counseling and motivating people through seminars across Germany. As a truly notable citizen active in sports, healthcare, and charity the world over, Markus Merk will go down in history as one of the most influential and memorable referees in the history of football.

by: Andrea Avery

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