How Bobby Wood went from goalkeeper to striker By Rune Gjerulff

Hannover 96 striker Bobby Wood reveals that he actually started out as a goalkeeper.

Bobby Wood while playing for 1860 München in 2011. Photo: Ampfinger/Creative Commons/CC-by-SA 3.0

Today, Bobby Wood is a striker for both Hannover 96 (on loan from Hamburger SV) and the United States national team.





However, when Wood - who grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii - first started playing football, his job was to prevent the opposition from scoring.



"My mother wanted me to engage in a sport, because I had so much energy. At the time I was about eight or nine years only, and the only option we had in our area was football," Wood told hannover96.de and added:



"In the beginning, I was a goalkeeper."



However, it didn't take long before Wood's speed convinced his coach to move him further up the field.



"At training, we often played catch to warm up. My coach realized that I was fast so he put me up front," Wood said.



Wood, 25, recently joined Hannover 96 on loan after spending two seasons at Hamburger SV who were relegated last season. He has made 39 appearances for the U.S. national team, scoring 12 goals.





