Different faces

There was no holding back Jurgen Ekkelenkamp on his Hertha debut. After just 87 seconds on the pitch, our new number ten headed in crucially to make it 1-1 against Greuther Fürth, before storming to the corner flag with his arms outstretched. There, he celebrated exuberantly with his new teammates. The scenes were almost identical 18 minutes later, when Ekkelenkamp forced an own goal from Fürth’s Maximilian Bauer, with the substitutes and the sporting director getting involved. It was a brilliant moment for me and I was overjoyed to score my first goal for Hertha after just two minutes,” the 21-year-old reflected a few days later. Arne Friedrich was also delighted with the former Ajax man’s debut goal. “I was very happy for Jurgen as he didn’t play against Bochum. On the other hand, it was pure emotion as the boys had deserved to turn the game around,” the 42-year-old explained his dash to celebrate with the team.

Ekkelenkamp: “On the pitch I’m a different person”

The perfect debut for our new attacker, who showed one of his two faces during the celebrations, leaving Hertha fans excited for more. “Off the pitch I’m actually quite a shy guy, and I’m not loud at all, but on the pitch I’m a different person. I don’t know why. I love this game and I always give everything fighting for my team and our fans, which is probably the reason why,” explained the Dutchman, whose performance against the Cloverleaves was only the beginning. “I just want to play a lot of games for Hertha and that’s the main reason I decided to come here. I hope that we can pick up a lot of points and finish in a good position come the end of the season.”

Friedrich: “A player we have been looking at for a long time”

The Hertha hierarchy worked patiently this summer to ensure that Ekkelenkamp would be plying his trade in the capital this season. “Jurgen is a player that we’ve been looking at for a long time and we’re very happy that he is finally part of our project,” said Sporting Director Friedrich, who looked ahead to what’s to come alongside the Dutch U21 international. “We were all delighted with Jurgen’s terrific debut and hope that he can continue to develop with us and that there are a lot of great moments to come.”

The midfielder would certainly love to live up to the expectations placed on him but knows that he needs to stay focused. “The way I’ve started has given me confidence, but I’m keeping calm because that was only my first game for Hertha and first and foremost I have to play in more games,” he commented. When asked whether his successful start would be followed by his full debut in Leipzig on Saturday (15:30 CEST), the Zeister-born player reacted with modesty and explained smiling: “I don’t know as it’s the coach’s decision.” Whether he starts or comes off the bench, there is no doubt that the reaction will be similarly ecstatic should Ekkelenkamp manage a similar performance this weekend.