Carsten Ramelow enjoyed a long and successful career. He made 333 Bundesliga appearances and wore the German kit 46 times. He played in a World Cup final and a Champions League final with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Today, the 41-year-old is a partner with "Booker GmbH" and continues to take part in the game of football as vice-president of the player's union VDV.
He entered the football stage with a bang, when his career started with the legendary Hertha amateurs, who wrote history in the 1992/93 season by reaching the DFB Cup final in Berlin. In an interview with Steffen Lüdeke, Ramelow talks about the upcoming DFB Cup semi finals next Tuesday and Wednesday, about his time with Hertha's amateur side and how it all began.
DFB.de: Mr. Ramelow, many of your team mates from the 1993 Hertha amateur side failed to establish themselves among the professionals. Their accomplishments often get reduced to what they achieved in the 1993 season. But it's different with you, isn’t it?
Carsten Ramelow: Not a whole lot different to be honest. I still get asked questions about the DFB Cup season with Hertha's amateurs. It's an extraordinary and unique story, even today. It was a special time and a special team. The atmosphere in the team was exceptional and I never experienced an easy-going mentality like that since. I had several highlights after that final in my career, played several more finals as well. But the DFB Cup season with Hertha's amateurs will always remain a special memory for me for a lot of reasons.
DFB.de: From that team, only Andreas Schmidt and Christian Fiedler went on to have successful professional careers apart from yourself. Do you have an explanation why it was only the three of you?
Ramelow: We had a good squad back then with a lot of talented players. It's wasn't just an accident that we made it that far. Until the final we had been the better team in every game and there was only very little luck involved for us to reach the final in Berlin. A lot of the amateurs had already signed professional contracts, trained with the first team on a regular basis and even made appearances for them on some occasions. There was a lot of quality in our team. There a lot of individual reasons why it didn’t work out for a lot of the players but it isn't really surprising. Three or four players went on to enjoy a successful career, which is quite a good ratio if you ask me.
DFB.de: Unfortunately you lost the final against Leverkusen. What do you remember from that game?
Ramelow: The main thing I still remember is the atmosphere in our team. Everyone was so relaxed. We went out there and played our game, we didn’t worry about a negative outcome. In my entire career I never once experienced such a joyful and funny coach trip to the stadium, as I did before that game.
DFB.de: Were you disappointed about losing the final, or were you proud of having gone so far in the competition?
Ramelow: At first you're obviously disappointed and sad. It's never easy to lose big games. Unfortunately I experienced a few of these games throughout my career. But looking back at it today I do have a sense of satisfaction. Obviously I would've liked to win a few titles. But I'm also happy to have been given the opportunity to take part in these games.
DFB.de: Arminia Bielefeld are also enjoying a very special Cup campaign this season. Do you think that they can reach the final as a complete underdog, just like Hertha's amateurs in 1993?
Ramelow: It's not impossible. They have a real character of a coach in Norbert Meier and I have confidence in his and his teams' abilities. Bielefeld have already beaten big teams this year – Gladbach for example. Why shouldn’t they be able to do it again in the semi final?
DFB.de: Would Bielefeld have a chance in the final against either FC Bayern or Dortmund?
Ramelow: I wouldn’t even think that far ahead. They have a semi final to play first and reaching the final would already be a huge accomplishment. The atmosphere in Berlin's Olympic stadium is simply one of a kind. If you've got the chance to experience it, you should do whatever you can in order to get there.
created by mmc/jm
Carsten Ramelow enjoyed a long and successful career. He made 333 Bundesliga appearances and wore the German kit 46 times. He played in a World Cup final and a Champions League final with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Today, the 41-year-old is a partner with "Booker GmbH" and continues to take part in the game of football as vice-president of the player's union VDV.
He entered the football stage with a bang, when his career started with the legendary Hertha amateurs, who wrote history in the 1992/93 season by reaching the DFB Cup final in Berlin. In an interview with Steffen Lüdeke, Ramelow talks about the upcoming DFB Cup semi finals next Tuesday and Wednesday, about his time with Hertha's amateur side and how it all began.
DFB.de: Mr. Ramelow, many of your team mates from the 1993 Hertha amateur side failed to establish themselves among the professionals. Their accomplishments often get reduced to what they achieved in the 1993 season. But it's different with you, isn’t it?
Carsten Ramelow: Not a whole lot different to be honest. I still get asked questions about the DFB Cup season with Hertha's amateurs. It's an extraordinary and unique story, even today. It was a special time and a special team. The atmosphere in the team was exceptional and I never experienced an easy-going mentality like that since. I had several highlights after that final in my career, played several more finals as well. But the DFB Cup season with Hertha's amateurs will always remain a special memory for me for a lot of reasons.
DFB.de: From that team, only Andreas Schmidt and Christian Fiedler went on to have successful professional careers apart from yourself. Do you have an explanation why it was only the three of you?
Ramelow: We had a good squad back then with a lot of talented players. It's wasn't just an accident that we made it that far. Until the final we had been the better team in every game and there was only very little luck involved for us to reach the final in Berlin. A lot of the amateurs had already signed professional contracts, trained with the first team on a regular basis and even made appearances for them on some occasions. There was a lot of quality in our team. There a lot of individual reasons why it didn’t work out for a lot of the players but it isn't really surprising. Three or four players went on to enjoy a successful career, which is quite a good ratio if you ask me.
DFB.de: Unfortunately you lost the final against Leverkusen. What do you remember from that game?
Ramelow: The main thing I still remember is the atmosphere in our team. Everyone was so relaxed. We went out there and played our game, we didn’t worry about a negative outcome. In my entire career I never once experienced such a joyful and funny coach trip to the stadium, as I did before that game.
DFB.de: Were you disappointed about losing the final, or were you proud of having gone so far in the competition?
Ramelow: At first you're obviously disappointed and sad. It's never easy to lose big games. Unfortunately I experienced a few of these games throughout my career. But looking back at it today I do have a sense of satisfaction. Obviously I would've liked to win a few titles. But I'm also happy to have been given the opportunity to take part in these games.
DFB.de: Arminia Bielefeld are also enjoying a very special Cup campaign this season. Do you think that they can reach the final as a complete underdog, just like Hertha's amateurs in 1993?
Ramelow: It's not impossible. They have a real character of a coach in Norbert Meier and I have confidence in his and his teams' abilities. Bielefeld have already beaten big teams this year – Gladbach for example. Why shouldn’t they be able to do it again in the semi final?
DFB.de: Would Bielefeld have a chance in the final against either FC Bayern or Dortmund?
Ramelow: I wouldn’t even think that far ahead. They have a semi final to play first and reaching the final would already be a huge accomplishment. The atmosphere in Berlin's Olympic stadium is simply one of a kind. If you've got the chance to experience it, you should do whatever you can in order to get there.
