Maierhofer aims to serve up goals

Five years on from preparing meals for a living, Stefan Maierhofer is hoping to be serving up goals on the Wolves Premier League survival menu.

And, if he does ensure the club's safety, you can bet the giant Austrian striker will treat his team-mates to a slap-up meal - with himself as Masterchef, of course. Maierhofer's rise has been as spectacular as the toss of one of his speciality pancakes - or Kaiserschmarrn as it is known in Vienna.

One minute he was in Bayern Munich's reserves and the next he swapped his boots for a baking tray, working up to 16 hours a day in his parents' Viennese restaurant.

"Five years ago I was back home staying with my family and working in their restaurant and now I'm in the Premier League - it's a dream come true," said the Premier League's tallest player - he is half an inch taller than Tottenham's 6ft 7in beanpole Peter Crouch.

"As a chef I worked for 14-16 hours a day and now I'm playing professional football in the Premier League, which is incredible.

"It became clear that maybe I had a talent for football and it just took off from there. My heart led me to football."

Nowadays, Maierhofer only picks up the oven gloves as a hobby - but admits he finds it a therapeutic release from the game and is keen to don his apron again when he moves from his hotel to a house next week.

"When I get into my apartment and have a nice kitchen I'll be cooking every day," he said.

"It is a hobby of mine. I can chill and relax, stay in the kitchen, listen to music and it is good for me and my personality.

"I think it's good when I am alone and I can cook for me. That is important.

"I like Italian food, salad, fish and in Austria we eat many sweet things.

"I bake a little bit - Kaiserschmarrn, which is like a pancake.

"None of the other players have asked me to cook anything yet - I'm not sure that they know about it!"

But he doesn't think he will be short of company once he settles down with a more permanent base.

"I'm single. My family - I have a brother - have stayed at home in Austria," he said.

"When I get the apartment I think they'll come over. Good friends will come over and get to the games.

In the meantime, Maierhofer has already sampled one of Wolverhampton's better eateries to compare tastes.

"On Monday night I was in Wolverhampton in an Italian restaurant," he said. "I ate risotto - it was OK."

Clearly a colourful character, Maierhofer is hoping he can be flavour of the month with the Wolves masses after a hunch that his high profile led the Austrian public to get the wrong impression of him.

The striker, who has his own website, said: "In Austria many people say I'm arrogant, that I walk with my nose in the air."

On the pitch, where he rifled 23 in 37 games for Rapid Vienna last season, 27-year-old Maierhofer is determined to continue the high impact that saw him enjoy a goalscoring debut at Ewood Park.

"I'm very happy to be here. It's a good league, with good fans, good stadiums and very good atmospheres - I like that," he said.

"In Austria in the biggest stadium we have is 25,000.

"The most fans that come to Rapid Vienna is 17,500 and it's full."