Soccer player Erëleta Memeti moved from Freiburg to Hoffenheim in the summer. A lot has changed for the 23-year-old: about how she deals with it and why a drill was a door opener.
Erëleta Memeti clenches both fists and then grins broadly. Just a moment later, Nicole Billa and Julia Hickelsberger are there and celebrating their next goal for TSG Hoffenheim with Memeti. “If I see it like that in the games now, I got on well and I’m having fun playing with the team,” says the attacker in an interview with SWR Sport. She has already scored three goals for Hoffenheim – across all competitions in just six games.
Memeti only switched from SC Freiburg to TSG in the summer. But that was anything but easy. Because a lot has changed for the Kosovar international. “Change is always difficult because you have to get used to a new environment, a new team and new tactics,” says Memeti. “I had to find a way for myself.”
patience and conversation
She gives herself time to get to know the new environment, the new processes and is patient. She communicates a lot, asks questions. “It helps to understand the mechanisms and routes. Then you get a feeling for how things work and you feel comfortable,” she says. “And I spent every day at the training ground and at some point you get in.” The teammates also helped. “Because the team and the club were so accommodating and welcomed me well, it was easier then.”
Because with the move to TSG, not only the club for which she scores goals has changed for Memeti. Things are also different privately now. “I moved from the city to a village.” And that at the age of 23. For Memeti, however, that was also a conscious decision. “I wanted a stress-free way to the training ground and I know that in summer I can just ride my bike and be there in two minutes. That was a relief for me,” she says.
Drill as a door opener
Memeti enjoys the peace and quiet and drives to nearby Heidelberg on days off. But now she wants to arrive where she plays soccer. And she got into conversations with her neighbors right after her move. “I didn’t have a drill here – so I just asked around in the neighborhood. Now everyone greets me,” she says and laughs. “It’s nice, it feels so homey and makes you feel comfortable.”
Memeti also feels comfortable on the pitch. “It’s going well, but there is also a training week where things don’t go well,” she says. Units with ups and downs. “I have individual analyzes and I can tell that I haven’t solidified all the principles yet.” Memeti is self-critical and chooses her words carefully. Yes, she has found her way into the team, but she herself wants to continue to improve: “There is still a lot missing to refine it.”
Next step Hoffenheim
That’s another reason why the striker decided to move to Hoffenheim. “I made a good development in Freiburg,” says Memeti. “I just wanted to continue this development.” TSG as the “next step”, a step towards fulfilling a dream. “I want to be closer to the top three and Champions League qualification with Hoffenheim,” she says. “Every footballer dreams of playing in the Champions League – against teams like Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris.”
In the league, TSG also competes with Eintracht Frankfurt – behind the top teams from Wolfsburg and Munich, the duel between these two clubs should decide for third place. Eintracht will come to TSG on Saturday (1 p.m.). “I think it’s going to be a very hot game,” says Memeti. Because the Frankfurt team, currently in second place in the table, have recently even left Bayern Munich behind and with Laura Freigang a goalscorer in their ranks, who shot Eintracht alone to win against Duisburg last weekend.
“It’s going to be a game where we throw everything in to get those three points,” said Memeti. And maybe the dream of the Champions League will come true for the striker next season. The goal celebration works before – and the neighbors should also be happy about it.
