"We’re happy to have the ball back at our feet!"
"We’re happy to have the ball back at our feet!"
Since Monday, 6th April, the Hertha players have been ever so slightly closer to normality. After three and a half weeks without training, the boys in Blue and White were allowed back onto Schenckendorffplatz at the start of this week, doing what they love the most: Playing football, despite the sessions being of a very different nature from what the players are used to. Training is currently taking place with strict adherence to the health regulations. "Obviously this is quite a unique situation, not engaging in any physical contact and only training in small groups, but we are happy to have the ball back at our feet. We’re trying to enjoy that," said Maximilian Mittelstädt during the Skype chat on behalf of the team.
Hertha’s number 17 kept in touch with his passion, however, despite the footballing world going on hold, taking to the console. Alongside eSports pro Elias Nerlich, the 23-year-old Herthaner battled it out against his counterparts of SC Paderborn and SC Freiburg. After managing a 2-2 draw against Paderborn’s Rifet Kapic first time out, he suffered an emphatic 11-1 defeat to Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck the following weekend. What on earth happened there, Maxi? "I was overconfident, since Elias had already given me a 6-1 lead to defend in the first game. I just got complacent and let my guard down completely," said the Hertha academy star, grinning as he gave his analysis.
In recent weeks, said grin has been far from a permanent fixture on Maxi Mittelstädt’s face, given his personal experience with Coronavirus. "I didn’t feel so well for two or three days. I was experiencing the typical symptoms, such as losing my sense of smell," he described. He did, however, learn a great deal from this difficult experience: "A lot of my friends supported me, my girlfriend was always there for me as well and cooked for me. So I wasn’t all alone and got through the fortnight well. You see who your real friends are in times like these," said Mittelstädt, who has fully recovered from the illness and is now looking ahead with cautious optimism. "Your health is the most important thing, there’s no doubt about that, but I am happy to be back on the pitch with my teammates, because football is our job, our hobby and our life!" he added, eager to get back to playing football as he and his teammates know and love it.