Ex-Bundesliga professional Ostrzolek on difficult consultants & mental stress

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“Hardly any appreciation” at HSV

Matthias Ostrzolek belongs to the squad of professionals who ended their careers at a high level in 2023. But it’s not quite the end yet, because the 33-year-old left-back works as a player-coach at Schwaben Augsburg in the Bayernliga Süd. He also works for the consulting agency “B360 Sports Agency SE” in order to be able to offer advice and support to younger players in particular – unlike what he had experienced at times in the past.

“I once had an agent who ruined a lot for me by making it very clear that I would no longer play for the club but would change. That wasn’t what I had in mind at all,” Ostrzolek revealed in the “Abendblatt” podcast “HSV – we have to talk”. The former Bundesliga professional did not want to explain exactly who and which period it was about.

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Giuseppe Rossi (Last club: SPAL)

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Gareth Bale (Last club: Los Angeles FC)

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Diego Contento (Last club: SV Sandhausen)

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“I wanted to stay in the football industry, but would rather work from outside,” Ostrzolek said of his current plans. “A consultant should always act in the interests of the player, that was different in my career.” Born in Bochum, he played 196 Bundesliga games for HSV (81), FC Augsburg (70) and Hannover 96 (45). Ostrzoleks and his team often fought against relegation – this was also the case at HSV, where he was under contract between 2014 and 2017. In the Hanseatic League, the left foot reached his mental limit.


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“Celebrating the rescue three times with the fans created a bond with the club in me,” said Ostrzolek, looking back at his time on the Elbe. But also said: “Switching off was very difficult for me. It was not an easy time for those around me. My wife didn’t recognize me at times because I was so self-absorbed and had thought so much about what needed to change in the team or whether I could go to a restaurant with friends or have a coffee. This phase, which was not so easy but also instructive, influenced me a lot in my private life.”

In 2017, Ostrzolek also moved to Hanover due to a lack of support at HSV. “With the exception of Gisdol (the coach at the time; ed.), with whom I had a good relationship, I hardly felt any appreciation from the club. I was very disappointed about that,” admitted the former Germany U21 international. After leaving 96 three years later, Ostrzolek spent six months without a club before signing with Admira Wacker, where he stayed until the summer of 2022. A return at a high level is not planned: “I no longer have to be a professional no matter what, family is more important to me. As an active professional, I’ve finished with football.”

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