By Roberto Lamprecht
Ex-Union star Toni Leistner (32) is the fifth newcomer to join Hertha BSC free of charge (BILD reported exclusively)! His signature until 2025 with the blue and white provides a lot to talk about on the net.
Reason: Leistner played from 2014 to 2018 for the neighbors 1. FC Union.
But the native of Saxony Leistner immediately made it clear in an interview on the club’s homepage: “It’s the past, it’s the here and now that counts. I want to convince the skeptics with performance – and preferably right away in the first games.”
As captain of St. Truiden, Leistner was one of the best central defenders in the Belgian league last season. His leadership qualities, his mentality as well as his ability to head the ball and tackle tackles plus the great experience of the 2nd Bundesliga from the past few days – all things that the new Hertha now absolutely need after relegation!
Stress ECG: Toni Leistner has to see team cardiologist Dr. Kicking and sweating Klaus Neye
Photo: Jan-Philipp Burmann/City-Press GmbH
Leistner is excited about his new role at Hertha: “Anyone who knows me knows that I always give 100 percent on the pitch. My aspiration is to lead the way, to be loud and to give commands. I was captain of the Queens Park Rangers and VV St. Truiden and have been through a lot – nationally and internationally. With this experience, I can lead younger players – and that is one of the important tasks that awaits me at Hertha BSC.”
Leistner during stabilization exercises, which he completed with Hertha’s athletic trainer Hendrik Vieth
Photo: Jan-Philipp Burmann/City-Press GmbH
And there are a lot of them at Hertha in the new season!
Leistner, on the other hand, has a lot of experience, having played not only for Union in Germany but also for Cologne, HSV, Dynamo Dresden and HFC. He says: “I want to give the guys something that I’ve learned in my career so far. But above all, I want to lead with performance. When I cross the white line on the pitch, I always go full throttle. You will never see me still. Because how you train is how you play.”
It goes without saying that he was now being courted by other clubs as a free transfer player.
Leistner had other offers and made a conscious decision to go with Hertha
But Leistner made a conscious decision to go with Hertha: “The decision was easy for me, especially after the talks with Benny Weber (sports director – editor’s note) and Zecke Neuendorf (director of the academy and licensed player). Together they quickly convinced me of the project. On top of that, it was also a decision for my family.”
Reason: One of his two daughters is now going to school. The whole family is now moving to Berlin.
The most important thing: Leistner is physically in the juice! He reveals: “I’m at a good level, have worked with a personal trainer and done a lot of runs. Now I’m looking forward to playing football again, to the duels and the chatter with my colleagues.”
And from August, Leistner wants to convince his last skeptics with a performance in the Olympic Stadium…