Ex-Herthaner Niklas Stark (right) clarifies in front of his former teammate Dodi Lukebakio Photo: City Press
By Michael Schroer
It was a very special game for Werder newcomer Niklas Stark (27).
The central defender played for Hertha from 2015 to 2022, was vice-captain and became a national player. On Friday he met his old love for the first time with his new club and was quite successful. Bremen won 1-0 with a late goal from Niclas Füllkrug – Stark played a solid game (BILD rating 3).
After the game, the ex-Berliner revealed that Hertha’s past played into his hands in this duel.
Stark explained: “I went to one or the other teammate and told them something about the Hertha players. I noticed it every day in training back then. You get to know the boys in a different way. That paid off. It has also helped me.”
Stark delivered especially in the direct duels with his ex-colleagues. In the first round he had the best rate of duels of all Bremen players (66.7 percent).
Stark: “I had to approach it professionally. It was an emotional game for me. But I didn’t want to let that get too close to me. This victory is very good.“