Philipp Hofmann was once trained at FC Schalke, but the attacker did not make the leap from the Knappenschmiede to the Bundesliga team at the time. In a roundabout way, the 29-year-old has finally made it into the German elite class: in the summer he signed for VfL Bochum for two years. Nevertheless, his connection to the royal blue district neighbor is still great.
“It’s no secret that I owe a lot to Schalke 04. I received my football training there and became German champion with the U19s. Schalke gave me my first professional contract, of course you don’t forget something like that,” stressed Hofmann shortly before Bundesliga start in an interview with “sports1“.
His full focus is now on VfL Bochum, with whom the tall striker meets Mainz 05 in the Ruhr Stadium on Saturday (from 3:30 p.m. in the LIVE ticker).
After the surprisingly confident relegation in the previous season, the goal for 2022/2023 is clear. “We now want to repeat the miracle and hold the class again,” said Hofmann: “We would also like to win the derbies against Schalke.”
FC Schalke could “rightly hold the bowl in their hands”
The former U21 national player, who had impressed as a goalscorer at Karlsruher SC for the past three years, has respect for the recent performances of the Gelsenkirchen team. Schalke “deservedly deserved” the promotion, Hofmann clarified.
The Sauerland native went into even more detail: “It’s not easy to assert yourself in the 2nd Bundesliga, even as a favourite. HSV knows that from painful experience. Schalke also needed a while for the individual class to assert itself But in the end they put on an amazing run and in the end they were right to hold the trophy in their hands.”