Ex-Frankfurt talent in an interview
The list of German professionals who played for FC Sevilla in their career is not very long, but it does include well-known names such as Marko Marin, Piotr Trochowski, Andreas Hinkel and Johannes Geis. Under certain circumstances, another could be added in the future: Marius Herzig, who comes from Bavaria, has been with the club since last summer and was promoted to the reserve squad for the new season , Sporting and Leicester. At Transfermarkt, Herzig talks about his training at Eintracht Frankfurt, difficult times in the Bavarian regional league, Sevilla FC, Ivan Rakitic and his dream of making his debut in LaLiga.
This summer, too, there will be a large number of professionals without a club who, out of necessity, switch to a lower league or who generally have to worry about the continuation of their careers. The fears, worries and hardships – Herzig can understand all these feelings, because three years ago he was in a similar situation when his contract with the Bavarian regional list TSV 1860 Rosenheim was terminated. For the then 19-year-old, this meant slipping into a lack of sporting prospects. “I wouldn’t wish any player to be without a club because it’s just a modest situation, to put it mildly. You are relatively relaxed in the first few weeks as a player without a club. For me it even went so far that I stopped eating healthily due to the lack of sport. It wasn’t uncommon for me to eat McDonald’s or classic doner kebabs with fries. I was reasonably secure financially because I had started an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade clerk,” he looks back.
At that time, Herzig was at the crossroads of his young career, because years before he had dreamed of a future as a Bundesliga goalkeeper. In 2016, via the youngsters of FC Ingolstadt, it led him to the Eintracht Frankfurt youth team, where he immediately knew how to convince those responsible around Manfred Petz – at that time the goalkeeping coach of the professionals – of his abilities and took part in the preparation of the first team . Herzig has particularly fond memories of the close exchange with Lukas Hradecky and Jan Zimmermann. “The time with the pros was just great and awesome. A lot of things felt unreal to me, because you’re suddenly on the field with guys you only knew from sports shows, from collectible pictures or autograph cards. I was able to take a lot with me from every training session because I was surprised at how little attention was paid to the nuances,” he enthuses.
Herzig on SBU time: “Neither mature nor professional enough for professional football”
Although there were certainly opportunities to slip into the professional squad, it wasn’t enough in the end – the talent at the time knows exactly why. “I could come up with any excuse, but the truth is: I had the talent for the Bundesliga, but I was neither mature nor professional enough for professional football at the time. From today’s perspective, you can’t blame a 16 or 17-year-old for sitting in front of the PlayStation, enjoying going to parties and preferring to spend his time in the cinema than doing additional training sessions in the gym. But if you want to become a Bundesliga professional, you have to do without certain things. I didn’t want that and got the receipt for it,” he emphasizes.
Dahmen to Süle: Most valuable professionals from the youth of Eintracht Frankfurt
After his contract with SGE expired in 2018, he moved to Rosenheim. The club was supposed to be a stepping stone and match practice at the same time, but it didn’t turn out to be the best solution. Although Herzig made 14 appearances, someone else took on the role of regular keeper. “I was very impatient. I came from Frankfurt and was extremely confident in myself. I rested too much on my talent. And if you don’t play straight away as a young player, a negative phase develops. You lose interest in football, in training, you let yourself be dragged,” he says. Unhappy with the situation and the decision, Herzig decided to terminate the contract shortly before the end of the summer transfer. In retrospect, he pondered for a long time whether the decision was the right one, because only on the last day of the winter changeover period did he find a new club in SV Wacker Burghausen.
But even with the regional league, Herzig only found himself in the role of substitute goalkeeper – the starting signal for a reflection. “One night I asked myself if that was really all. Do I really want to go to waste on the substitute bench in the Bavarian Regionalliga? These questions kept coming up over the next few days. I knew that if I didn’t change something now, I could stop playing football completely. I really started to question everything, watched motivational videos, read motivational books. I got up at 5 a.m. to go running. In addition to pure football training, I regularly went to the gym, so I built up additional muscle mass. The most important thing I learned during this time was self-discipline. I wanted to prove it to myself,” says the 22-year-old. An important contact in this phase was the Spaniard Arturo González, whom Herzig knew from his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Herzig dreams of LaLiga debut: “I work hard for that every day”
González, who has been working as a goalkeeper coach for Sevilla FC since leaving Frankfurt, gave Herzig a trial session with the four-time Europa League winner last year. Herzig was scrutinized in several training sessions and two friendlies. In the end, those responsible were convinced of the Bavarian and gave him a contract until 2023. Herzig was never afraid that he might fail in the trial session. “The worst case that could be assumed was that I would have to go back to my job as a wholesale and foreign trade clerk. That’s why I didn’t feel any pressure, but saw the trial as a great opportunity. It sounds like something out of a kitschy sports film: Only you can bring yourself down to earth, but it’s also you who can pull you back up to the top,” says Herzig, who was built up bit by bit in Seville.
In his first season he only played eight games for the C team, but unlike in Germany he knows his role better. “I have the ambition that I want to play every game. But the number of games was good, so that I could acclimatize in a new country with a language that was previously foreign to me. The first few days in the dressing room were especially tough, I really felt alone. That’s why it was important to me to complete a Spanish course as quickly as possible. Although I have to say that you don’t really learn Spanish in such a course, but rather through everyday conversation on the street or in the dressing room.”
A few weeks ago, Herzig assumed that he would complete the preparations with his team, but a phone call changed plans – Julen Lopetegui took him to the pros’ training camp in South Korea. “My goalkeeper coach from the second team told me that my vacation ended early. That was a shock for me because I thought something negative would happen now. Then he told me that I should pack my bags as soon as possible because I’m going to fly to Asia with the pros,” says Herzig with a laugh.
Despite Sevilla having a plethora of stars in their ranks, there is a family feel to the dressing room and club, as Herzig has pointed out. “What I particularly like is how we treat each other and each other. It’s like a big family. Everyone helps the other. Nobody acts arrogant. It doesn’t bother anyone here if I walk around with the toiletry bag my mother gave me when I started in Seville, which isn’t from a designer brand. For example, Ivan Rakitic was one of the first to take my hand and help me with questions. Although I haven’t been at the club that long, I understand why so many are raving about the atmosphere around this club.”
He has received positive feedback above all from goalkeeper coach José Luis Silva, which at least does not diminish his chances of playing professionally – quite the opposite. “Of course it would be a dream if I could play in LaLiga one day, I work hard in training every day for that. I benefit enormously from the close collaboration with José Luis Silva in particular, but also with Bono and Marko Dmitrovic. I have the best conditions here to learn from the best,” says Herzig, who already feels like a winner – regardless of how many professional games he will play. “I kind of went through the shit. Unlike many pros, I’ve seen the real world where you have to get up at 5 or 6 every morning to make your money. This experience is motivation enough for me to get involved in every training session so that I can continue to enjoy the privilege of being a professional soccer player. And if it ends up being just one game for the first team, then I’ve achieved more than I ever dreamed of,” he says.
Interview by Henrik Stadnischeko
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