Transfermarkt interview
The SSV Ulm 1846 did not succeed in the long-awaited promotion to the 3rd division. SV Elversberg narrowly prevailed in the Southwest Regional League in the last few meters – SSV still have the opportunity to end the season on a positive note by winning the state cup against the Stuttgarter Kickers. Central defender Michael Heilig (23) spoke to Transfermarkt about the season finale, support from the fans and his personal goals.
transfer market: Mr. Heilig, the SSV missed the great opportunity to make the promotion race really exciting again with a 1:3 in Großaspach. How long did it take to realize that the dream of promotion was over?
Michael Holy: It was realized relatively quickly that we didn’t manage to achieve a big dream that we as a team had been working towards for a whole year. Since we still had two important games ahead of us after this disappointment, we haven’t really bothered to look for explanations, but rather to get our heads up and end the season with maximum success by winning the WFV Cup.
transfer market: The SSV fought a hot race with SV Elversberg and Kickers Offenbach. Did Ulm put themselves under too much pressure to win the championship?
Holy: I don’t think it was the pressure. The teams mentioned certainly had more pressure to be promoted. For us, on the other hand, it was an enormous opportunity to achieve something big. Ultimately, serious injuries to very important players and several corona outbreaks presented us with challenges that we were able to absorb as well as possible. In order to become champion, almost everything has to be right for a whole year. In the end that worked out best in Elversberg, so congratulations to the SVE.
Heilig about Ulm’s cup final and inquiries from other clubs
transfer market: Instead, how important is a win in the state cup final against the Stuttgarter Kickers on May 21st?
Holy: This final is extremely important for the club and the fans, you can feel that immediately around here. Winning the trophy five times in a row would be extraordinary for the club and for us players. So we’re looking forward to a great final against a strong Stuttgarter Kickers team in front of a great crowd and we’ll do everything we can to bring the trophy back to Ulm.
transfer market: It’s not just the fans who are longing for the 3rd division – will the team make another attempt next season?
Holy: We fell just short this year and everyone has seen that finishing at the top is not impossible. Accordingly, there is no reason not to want to attack again next season.
transfer market: However, their future is not yet clear. Have there already been contract talks with the “Spatzen”?
Holy: Yes, the talks are currently ongoing.
transfer market: Do you have any further inquiries?
Holy: The mutual respect between the club and me is high. In addition, the focus was and is on the important games at the end of the season. Nevertheless, there are also several inquiries from other clubs. Together with my family and my advisor Manfred Müller, we will weigh up the situation after the final and make a decision that is the best for me in terms of sport.
Ulms Heilig on personal results and coach Wörle
transfer market: How do you rate your personal record, especially since you still had to find your way into the starting eleven at the beginning of the season?
Holy: Personally, I am satisfied. Except for the beginning of the season, where I missed a few games due to illness, I got a lot of playing time and trust from the coaching staff. Nevertheless, the goal and the claim must be to continuously develop and improve.
Michael Heilig at SSV Ulm, 2022
transfer market: Your coach is Thomas Wörle, who replaced Holger Bachthaler at the start of the season. What is your impression of him?
Holy: He is a great trainer with high social and professional skills. From day one, he completely won me over with his style, as did everyone else in the team. Together with his team of coaches, he played the biggest part in our almost perfect season.
transfer market: You have been with Ulm since 2019. How did you get to know and appreciate the club?
Holy: What impresses me the most is that despite all the professionalism and high standards, there is a family atmosphere. In addition, everyone in the club identifies 100 percent with SSV Ulm, from the board to the team. Of course, the best examples of this are Jo Reichert and Holger Betz, who exemplify SSV Ulm like no other. Furthermore, the character of the team is incredible and makes it very easy for any new player to feel at home at the club and in the city. What I really appreciate about the club is this mixture of great sporting ambitions and the team spirit on and off the pitch.
transfer market: The game against Steinbach took place in front of about 4,000 fans in the local Donaustadion. How do you experience the support of the fans in general, does that spur you on personally?
Holy: Of course it’s nice and motivating to be able to play in front of a lot of spectators. The way our fans supported us throughout the season, but especially at the end of the season, was outstanding. The fact that they celebrated us for minutes after the final whistle in Großaspach, the hardest moment of the season, was unique!
transfer market: You can be used in a variety of ways in defence. Which position and formation do you feel most comfortable in? Is there a role model?
Holy: I feel most comfortable as a central defender, the formation does not play a decisive role. In general, I am a defender who prefers the football solution, but there is no direct role model.
transfer market: So far you have only played for two different clubs. In Memmingen you went through various youth teams, where you were prepared for senior football. Which experiences there were particularly helpful, and how is the contact with the old homeland?
Holy: Of course, it was particularly helpful to have the chance to prove myself in the regional league during my first year in senior football. Being thrown in at the deep end in the relegation battle and then still being able to stay up in an almost hopeless situation was of course an experience that shaped me a lot. The contact with the old footballing home has never broken off. Many friendships have developed over the six years, which fortunately still endure and I am always happy when I meet old acquaintances or watch a game of FC Memmingen.
Heilig: “Of course, the absolute highlights were the games in the DFB Cup”
transfer market: If you look at your career, it’s always going up for you, your development and deployment numbers are increasing. Corona got in the way in the first season, and injuries slowed you down the following season. Where do you see yourself sportingly, but also mentally, at the moment?
Holy: I think the sporting development went steadily upwards. The step from amateur to professional football was initially a change and not easy, but now I see myself at my best level, both physically and football-wise. Mentally I’ve never had any problems, I can always keep a cool head both in pressure situations and in heated moments.
transfer market: Where do you see yourself in five years at the latest, what are your sporting goals?
Holy: Long-term planning in football is difficult. That’s why it should always be the goal to get the most out of the situation and your career. One can never say in advance where and how far this will lead. But it would be nice to be able to play in the 3rd division at some point.
transfer market: What do you do when you’re not playing soccer?
Holy: I’m also studying at the university here in Ulm and am currently doing my master’s degree in economics. If time permits, I spend days off as often as possible with family and friends in my home on Lake Constance.
transfer market: Please tell us an experience from your sports life.
Holy: The absolute highlights were of course the games in the DFB Cup. The narrow defeat against 1. FC Nürnberg at the beginning of this season, but also the second round game in the Veltins Arena against Schalke 04 last season will remain unforgettable. Another incentive to win the cup final next Saturday and then get another chance at an absolute football festival in the coming season.
The interview was conducted by Sven Bauer
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