By Matthew Koch
Winter time, training camp time! The Iron Ones are preparing for the second round on the Costa Blanca – around 1900 kilometers from home. Too far away from family for Union attacker Sven Michel (32).
BZ: Do you miss your family?
Sven Michel: Yes, in January 2022 I became a father. She was just three weeks old (her daughter’s name is Lena – ed.) when I came to Berlin. It’s her birthday on Friday. This is a bit annoying for me. I would have liked to have been there. She has developed splendidly and has already started to walk.
There is also a dog in your family. How is he?
Rico is ten years old. During the preparation time he walks by my side. After ten, 15 minutes, he usually tears off a bit. Then I have to tease him to come after me.
What is your herb garden actually doing?
In Paderborn I put a lot of effort into that. Not in my current rented apartment, we’ll only do that again when we have our own four walls. Now I live in Brandenburg. It takes me 20 minutes to train from Königs Wusterhausen.
What do you do here in Spain on days off or afternoons?
I’m not one to go to bed early. I am a bundle of energy. We sit together, we also watched darts here. There is a dart board. We play a round of Playstation. Sometimes we go to bed at 11 p.m., sometimes at midnight. After strenuous sessions, you tend to fall into bed. On a free Sunday I might drive into town to organize a present for my daughter.