Special matches, special times. DFB.de looks back at influential figures from a Bundesliga fixture that will take place this current matchday. Today: Lewis Holtby on the game between his two former clubs Schalke 04 and Mainz 05, who meet on Saturday (15:30 CET) in Gelsenkirchen.
Ahead of matchday 13 in the Bundesliga, we go back to 7th May 2011 with HSV player Holtby. On that day, he scored a goal in Mainz’s 3-1 away win at Schalke to secure a place in the Europa League. It was a first in Mainz’s history. Here is Holtby’s account of what happened.
It was the perfect end to a great season
“It was a special game for me. I was on loan at Mainz from Schalke, my family were in the crowd and we qualified for the Europa League. I remember clearly that I was involved in all three goals. I scored the goal to make it 2-1 and I set up the other two. At the time, it was hard for me to celebrate. I put my hands in front of my face. The “Bruchweg-Boys,” as we were known in the media, only celebrated after the final whistle. Our goal celebration at the corner flag was part of the fabulous season. Even though band member Adam Szalai was missing on the day, I grabbed Andre Schürrle to play the (air) guitar- the delight just had to come out.
And the reception in Mainz was unique. Thousands of people were at Bruchweg celebrating as if we had won the title. Some of them even came onto the bus. Even manager Thomas Tuchel hung on the fence at the stadium in the evening to celebrate with the fans. It was the perfect ending to a great season that began with seven wins, which was a Bundesliga record. There were games where we outdid ourselves. We beat Bayern away and came back to win 4-3 in Wolfsburg after being 3-0 down.
I was in two minds with my feelings
We wanted to get 40 points in order not to go down. After the last game before the winter break in St. Pauli, we needed a new aim as we were in second. The pressure increased in the second half of the season but everyone in Mainz pulled together and we were on a high for 365 days. The team spirit at the club is unique.
We were then in fifth with 58 points and we had assured a Europa League place after the Schalke game on matchday 33. The game and the experience was something special for me. I would put it among the top three moments of my career. But I was in two minds with my feelings because I was on loan from Schalke and had to go back. I showed that they were probably wrong to send me out on loan in 2010. But it was sad when I had to leave Mainz because the fans were chanting that I should stay. Everything was amazing at Mainz and I am still in contact with some of the people there.”
Lewis Holtby has already played for seven clubs at the age of 24. The midfielder came to the Bundesliga in 2009 as has played for VfL Bochum, Schalke 04, Mainz 05 and HSV, making 109 appearances and scoring 16 goals. When he was 17, he played for second division Alemannia Aachen and also played for Tottenham Hotspur and FC Fulham in the Premier League from 2012. He has been in a HSV shirt since August. Holtby, who is also eligible to play for England, was captain of the Germany Under-21s team and has played three times for the Germany’s first team.
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Special matches, special times. DFB.de looks back at influential figures from a Bundesliga fixture that will take place this current matchday. Today: Lewis Holtby on the game between his two former clubs Schalke 04 and Mainz 05, who meet on Saturday (15:30 CET) in Gelsenkirchen.
Ahead of matchday 13 in the Bundesliga, we go back to 7th May 2011 with HSV player Holtby. On that day, he scored a goal in Mainz’s 3-1 away win at Schalke to secure a place in the Europa League. It was a first in Mainz’s history. Here is Holtby’s account of what happened.
It was the perfect end to a great season
“It was a special game for me. I was on loan at Mainz from Schalke, my family were in the crowd and we qualified for the Europa League. I remember clearly that I was involved in all three goals. I scored the goal to make it 2-1 and I set up the other two. At the time, it was hard for me to celebrate. I put my hands in front of my face. The “Bruchweg-Boys,” as we were known in the media, only celebrated after the final whistle. Our goal celebration at the corner flag was part of the fabulous season. Even though band member Adam Szalai was missing on the day, I grabbed Andre Schürrle to play the (air) guitar- the delight just had to come out.
And the reception in Mainz was unique. Thousands of people were at Bruchweg celebrating as if we had won the title. Some of them even came onto the bus. Even manager Thomas Tuchel hung on the fence at the stadium in the evening to celebrate with the fans. It was the perfect ending to a great season that began with seven wins, which was a Bundesliga record. There were games where we outdid ourselves. We beat Bayern away and came back to win 4-3 in Wolfsburg after being 3-0 down.
I was in two minds with my feelings
We wanted to get 40 points in order not to go down. After the last game before the winter break in St. Pauli, we needed a new aim as we were in second. The pressure increased in the second half of the season but everyone in Mainz pulled together and we were on a high for 365 days. The team spirit at the club is unique.
We were then in fifth with 58 points and we had assured a Europa League place after the Schalke game on matchday 33. The game and the experience was something special for me. I would put it among the top three moments of my career. But I was in two minds with my feelings because I was on loan from Schalke and had to go back. I showed that they were probably wrong to send me out on loan in 2010. But it was sad when I had to leave Mainz because the fans were chanting that I should stay. Everything was amazing at Mainz and I am still in contact with some of the people there.”
Lewis Holtby has already played for seven clubs at the age of 24. The midfielder came to the Bundesliga in 2009 as has played for VfL Bochum, Schalke 04, Mainz 05 and HSV, making 109 appearances and scoring 16 goals. When he was 17, he played for second division Alemannia Aachen and also played for Tottenham Hotspur and FC Fulham in the Premier League from 2012. He has been in a HSV shirt since August. Holtby, who is also eligible to play for England, was captain of the Germany Under-21s team and has played three times for the Germany’s first team.
