Current North Atlanta journalism teacher and Warrior soccer head coach Jack Stenger is one of the most involved members of the faculty at North Atlanta. Soccer remains one of his true passions and he continues to lead the Warriors to consistent playoff and region success. Yet behind this soccer success and knowledge lies a hidden talent. Stenger leads a past life as one of the most dominant talents of the world’s game throughout the 80s and 90s while playing for some of Europe’s top clubs.
Beginning his soccer career from the moment he could walk, Stenger immediately fell in love with the game. He played for multiple academy teams throughout his youth and quickly separated himself as a prodigy. His lighting pace, deft touch, and clinical finishing allowed him to control games from the right wing while embarrassing opponents with his dribbling acumen. During his time dominating local Georgia soccer circuits, he found himself being scouted by many European academies such as Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United. Ultimately, Liverpool landed his signature, and he headed across the pond to continue his career. Once he landed in Liverpool, it was much of the same as he continued to dominate some of Britain’s best youth talent. “Soccer has always been and will continue to be my first love,” said Stenger, “I couldn’t imagine a life without it.”
By the time he was 18, he was ready for a call-up to the Liverpool first team. As one of the youngest players in club history at the time, fans placed heavy expectations on him to succeed, and he delivered immediately. Stenger scored a hat-trick on his senior team debut against heated rivals Manchester United. He finished his rookie campaign with 15 goals and 8 assists while helping lead Liverpool to a league title and a Champion’s League final appearance, losing to Real Madrid. His next few seasons saw similar levels of dominance, bagging over 20 goals and 10 assists four years in a row. In the four-year stretch Liverpool won another 3 league titles, 2 FA cups, 3 League Cups and a Champions League trophy.
After an illustrious 5 seasons at Liverpool, it was time for Stenger to make his big-money move. For a record 20 million dollar transfer fee, he was purchased by Spanish giants Real Madrid. There, he immediately continued his ways with another 20 and 10 season, followed by a Ballon D’or victory in a campaign in which he scored 42 goals and assisted 16 where he also won the Champions League yet again, the best season of his career. Ultimately, this would be his final season, as a devastating knee injury would suddenly end his career while in the middle of his prime. “He is truly the greatest what if in Football history, the game lost a true great that day,” said former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley.
Jack Stenger was on pace to be one of the greatest players of all time, yet to this day remains one of the biggest what-ifs in soccer history. He was cut down in his prime, and despite bagging goal after goal for some of the best teams in Europe, we will never know the true extent of his powers, yet his incredible story will remain enshrined in the annals of football history.
