After surviving a testicular cancer operation, Jean-Paul Boëtius was able to play for Hertha BSC again in the past Bundesliga games. The 28-year-old newcomer, who “no longer takes it for granted” to “be healthy”, also spoke in a “kicker” interview about his decision for the Berliners last summer. After his contract with FSV Mainz 05 ended, the midfielder moved to the capital club on a free transfer in early August.
“I am totally at peace with myself and this step. Of course England was my dream, it still is. There were also talks. But in the end nothing could be finalized in time,” explained Boëtius. Before his time in Mainz, the Rotterdam native played for Feyenoord (Netherlands), FC Basel (Switzerland) and KRC Genk (Belgium). “As a free transfer player, you used to have a lot of options to choose from. But times have changed. Many clubs have reduced their budgets and squads.” (Have a say now: All topics related to Hertha BSC in the TM forum.)
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Hertha invested 6.4 million euros in new players for the 2022/23 season and in return earned 24 million euros for sales. The coach Sandro Schwarz, who he knows from Mainz, who was one of the reasons for Boëtius’ change, but was not the main reason for it, said in the Transfermarkt interview: “I think it’s totally legitimate for a club to say that you have to take this path because of the financial situation should go. This is absolutely the reality at the moment. A lot of clubs can’t afford to turn down money and see what happens next year.”
For Boëtius, being a professional without a contract in the summer was “a new experience”. The right foot revealed: “I should have waited a little longer at one or the other club, then maybe something would have happened. But I wanted to play football again. And I think I’m a good fit for Hertha and Hertha for me.” His contract with BSC runs until June 2025. Boëtius confirmed that he has fully recovered from his illness: “Yes. I was back at the check on Tuesday. I’m the old ‘Djanga’ again.”
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