Interview with Magdeburg’s Atik: “It was good to really fall flat on your face”

FCM contract expires

The big breakthrough in Hoffenheim was not quite enough under Julian Nagelsmann. He tried it in Graz, in Darmstadt, at Lautern and Dynamo Dresden, until Baris Atik saw the light: “Talent alone is not enough,” says the winger today and hopes to be able to try his hand at a top league again with this experience . His contract with 1. FC Magdeburg, where he made history last season and still has the next milestone in sight, expires in the summer. Atik could go on a free transfer. Is staying on the Elbe still conceivable? In the Transfermarkt interview, the 28-year-old Turk talks about his important insights from the time he was without a club, raves about coach Christian Titz and explains why he doesn’t just want to leave.

transfer market: Mr. Atik, let’s get straight to the point: Where are you playing next season?

Baris Atik: (laughs) I would not have thought that you would be so aggressive.

transfer market: We adapt to your offensive urge.

atik: We are having an intense season right now. Of course we want to hold the class. Right now I’m not worried about my future at all. I know from the past that if you are too fixated on what lies in the future, it can be extremely inhibiting. As a team we want to collect as many points as possible, that’s the focus.

transfer market: Your contract in Magdeburg runs until the end of the season. As we heard, they would like to extend it. Is that still an option for you at FCM?

atik: Of course that is an option, but we do not comment on the content of the contract. One thing is clear: the FCM is my first point of contact. But I’m not worried about this at all. We’re all very focused on holding the class.

transfer market: The fact that you are still there at all is a bit remarkable: Your contract expired, extended with the option of being promoted, and as the record scorer in the third division last season, you don’t have to think twice about whether you had many interested parties . Didn’t you want to, or were you not let go?

atik: I had a valid contract, felt comfortable and made history with Magdeburg. It was clear to me that I didn’t want to switch to any other second division team because we could and can show our class with coach Christian Titz – even in the second division.

transfer market: Your personal start to the season was anything but smooth.

atik: It was a difficult time at the beginning because an injury stayed with me for three months. Up until the last game in the first half of the season I was battling injuries and often played in pain. I had a thorough preparation for the second half of the season that I didn’t have in the summer. It went well and was painless. Now you can see that I’m getting going and the performance is getting better and better. I want to show that, and I knew in the summer that FCM, the boys and Christian Titz were the best way to do it. I’m also convinced that we will hold the class with the club. The FCM has never been two years in a row in the 2nd Bundesliga. I would like to contribute to this.

Atik: “Won’t let the team down”

transfer market: It is obvious that you developed excellently in Magdeburg. Conversely, this must also mean that the next step must come. Bundesliga?

atik: Every player dreams of it, and no fan would take it amiss if the Bundesliga came knocking and you were rewarded for your development over the last few years. I am currently hiding any possible interest from other clubs. It’s important for the team that I’m fully there. I’m not going to let the team down by putting my head somewhere else.

transfer market: In the discussion about you in the TM forum, one community member noticed positively that you would not accept every offer just to play at a higher level.

atik: It is important that my family feels comfortable. A lot of things fit together very well at FCM. I’m not the kind of player who accepts the first offer and leaves immediately.

transfer market: You came to Magdeburg after several years in the second division. You also had a foot in the premier league. How did you then come to the FCM in the 3rd league?

When I was without a club I understood that you can’t rest on your laurels and you can’t believe you’re the greatest player while not using your talent properly.

atik: It was a gut feeling. Also from my family. I was without a club and my family noticed that being without a club also set me back quite a bit mentally. There were offers, but none that I had the right feeling about. Then came the opportunity in Magdeburg. My family and I had the feeling that I could give my career momentum again. It was a win-win situation for the FCM and for me. Luckily we took this step.

“Give something back” after the upswing at FCM: Atik also plays for coach Titz

transfer market: Did you take a step in Magdeburg that you hadn’t before at the other stations?

atik: Extreme! Both sporty and human. To put it succinctly: It was good to really fall flat on your face. When I was without a club I understood that you can’t rest on your laurels and you can’t believe you’re the greatest player while not using your talent properly. It was nice to have come down to earth, then to go to FCM and to feel this familiar, down-to-earth quality. And then of course Christian Titz! He gets the maximum out of all players every day in training and games. He has developed the team and me in all areas, so I want to give something back. On the pitch, I not only give everything for the team, but also for the coach. You can still develop at a certain age. It’s in your head, you have to accept it.

transfer market: Which position do you actually feel most at home in? You have strong numbers both on the wing and in the centre.

atik: I’ve played offensively everywhere under Titz. It is extremely important to me that I can actively express my creativity. And the coach also allows me to do it the way I want. I’m looking for the gaps, which of course I get shown by the coaching team. I’m good at moving in certain spaces that other players don’t always dare to enter. This is my great strength.

Atik insightful: “Too busy with other things outside of football”

transfer market: What else do you want to achieve?

atik: At some point I would like to have the chance to play in a top league again with the experience I have now – also with the mistakes from the past – to show that I can also gain a foothold at the top. This is my dream. I can’t force that, but I can influence it by giving everything and staying focused on the pitch. I don’t know what happens after that, but it’s important that I can still look in the mirror because I’ve tried everything to get to the top.

transfer market: What were these mistakes in the past?

atik: That I relied too much on my talent, never worked extra shifts, was too busy with other things outside of football. The food wasn’t the best either. It only came when I fell flat on my face. Then I changed things, worked hard. Talent isn’t everything. Now I’m living a professional life as it should be. My wife and the club also help me with that. Now I want to pay back everyone who helped me during the difficult phase. Where I am and where I could be only works with the people who have my back.

transfer market: What can you still improve about your game?

atik: That is difficult to say and may have to be judged by others. I would like to play with a little less emotion (laughs). But after all these years, I have to say that it’s just part of Baris Atik. That’s the way I am. When the referee whistles, my heart goes into it – sometimes maybe a little too much. If I could control that even better and focus even more on my game, I would definitely be able to score more goals and assists.

transfer market: … to switch to an even better league and perhaps one day to play for the Turkish national team. Would that be something?

atik: Naturally! If that happened, the biggest dream of my career would have come true.

Interview: Tobias Picker

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