Bundesliga leaders 1. FC Union travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. A special game for Christopher Lenz, who was born in Berlin and ex-Unioner – even if his sporting beginnings are deep blue and white. By Fabian Friedman
A shriek of whistles swept through the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Seville on May 18, 2022. The first kicker settled the ball on the penalty spot right in front of the fan block of angry Glasgow Rangers supporters. Head down, with a quick run-up, the player transformed without nerves and with force into the top right corner. The player then looked up, puffed out his cheeks and tapped his lip with his index finger to show the Rangers fans: Come down! The rest is history.
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Lenz: “I still get goosebumps”
Because Christopher Lenz, who was born in Berlin, had just laid another important foundation stone for the great triumph of Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of the Europa League. Five minutes later he became the first ex-Unioner to win a European Cup. “When I think back to it or look at pictures and videos from back then, I still get goosebumps,” says Lenz today. On Saturday, the 28-year-old left-back meets his old love Union Berlin in Eintracht’s home game.
Third division five years ago
Five years earlier, nothing had indicated that Lenz could ever succeed in this coup. The left-footed player was loaned out by Union to the 3rd division in Kiel in 2017 to gain match practice there. He became a regular player, rose to the 2nd division with the Storks and, after a season that was difficult for him personally and marked by injuries, went back to the Irons, with whom he was promoted to the Bundesliga in 2019. But he only became a regular player in the following season, the first in the Bundesliga for the Köpenickers.
“I think I made a lot of the right steps, even if some people might not understand some of them from the outside. The move to Eintracht was also one where many asked: ‘Why does he do that when he plays every game in Berlin and is currently a regular player’?” Lenz explains his continuous career. Because Union coach Urs Fischer had often deployed Lenz in the left midfield in the Bundesliga. He repaid it with good performance. Frankfurt became aware of the fast left winger and signed him on a free transfer at the beginning of last season. Since then he has worn the eagle, the Eintracht club crest, on his chest and recently even started in the Champions League.
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No trust felt by the Hertha managers
Which is probably only known to many connoisseurs of the Berlin football scene. Like so many later Bundesliga professionals, Lenz originally came from the youth department of Hertha BSC. He spent thirteen years there, went through almost all youth teams, became a U18 national player, but at some point emotionally he turned his back on the blue and whites. In the summer of 2012, there was a break with those responsible. What happened?
“At the time when I needed the confidence to make the step into professional football, I didn’t have that feeling at Hertha. That’s why I left when I was 17.” Like Lenz, many Hertha youth players who found their fortune elsewhere because too much was asked of them too early: “If I take Robert Andrich or Hany Mukhtar, for example. These are the kind of guys who needed a few years or one or two more stations to develop,” explains Lenz.
Lenz eventually moved from Hertha to Gladbach, where he developed further in the Borussia U23s before he was drawn back to Berlin – to Union. The beginning of his intimate relationship, because at Union in his mid-20s he finally made his breakthrough as a Bundesliga player under Urs Fischer. “I would treat Union to everything, except maybe three points against us. Otherwise they can win all the games if I do,” says Lenz, who himself can hardly believe that he will meet a red-white leader on Saturday not from Munich, but from Berlin.
“Union has one of the best defenses in the league”
From his point of view, what are the reasons for this iron flight? “Union’s defense is definitely very strong. I think they have one of the best defenses in the league. Everyone knows what needs to be done. Everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the other. At Union, that comes first and you create from it you then your chances.” On the offensive, the Irons also have “incredible speed” with Sheraldo Becker, says Lenz. That is extremely dangerous for opposing teams “if you play the game against Union and may be too high.”
Whether Christopher Lenz will even be able to take part on Saturday is not yet certain. In early September, he suffered a hamstring injury on his Champions League debut against Sporting Lisbon (0-3). Lenz has only been able to train fully again since this week. His coach Oliver Glasner will probably only decide at short notice whether the left-back will be an option for the Union game.
The strong bond with home
Even if his professional home is now the Main metropolis, the connection to the capital is still strong. “I’m in Berlin almost every day off. I still have all the people I love in the city. My home is Berlin. That’s why I will always have Berlin in my heart.”
Broadcast: rbb24|Inforadio, September 28, 2022, 5:15 p.m
