Bremen – Call to Theodor Gebre Selassie, who is celebrating his 35th birthday on Christmas Eve. The friendly “Hello” is quickly followed by “I’m happy to finally speak German again, unfortunately it’s not that good anymore”. Typically “Theo”, the Czech is of course very easy to understand, just like when he was in Bremen, but he has a tendency towards perfection. That was already the case on the pitch, which he often left unsatisfied because he always strived for the maximum. The fans loved him for that too. As well as for his loyalty. Gebre Selassie wore the Werder Bremen jersey for nine years and even played for the green-whites in the Bundesliga more often than a certain Thomas Schaaf.
It was more than difficult for him to say goodbye in the summer – mainly because of the relegation of Werder Bremen. But the return home had to be – because of the family. He now has more time for them. That is great, is pleased Theodor Gebre Selassie, there, however, in conversation with the DeichStube also to: “It will take some time before we really get here. You plan everything, but everything doesn’t always work out. I imagined it would be easier. “
Happy are they Gebre Selassies anyway, but dad “Theo” is not someone who pretends to be, but talks honestly about his life for almost an hour – and also rather unconsciously Declaration of love to SV Werder Bremen gives away. It’s about his new house. That has to be rebuilt – because of Werder. “I got so many presents – and very special ones from the Ultras. I urgently need a special room for it, a men’s room, or rather a Werder room. ” Theodor Gebre Selassie laughs. Somebody seems to be fulfilling a heartfelt desire. So far, all these presents would be in the attic. But he wants to see them, remember the great time in Bremen and then show them to everyone on social media. Until then, it will not be revealed what impresses him so much about the gifts, especially from the Ultras. “That’s really awesome,” he says, adding to the tension again. He’s just as professional there as he is on the pitch. And who knows, maybe this special form of public relations will even be his profession in the future. Because the footballer had such a special experience.
Theodor Gebre Selassie in a DeichStube conversation: Painful memories of relegation with Werder Bremen
The announcement of his move to his ex-club Slovan Liberec, where he was now before 5,000 and no longer as in Bremen kicks off in front of 40,000 viewers, became a real internet hit with its own video. Theodor Gebre Selassie plays the intro of the cult 90s sitcom “The Prince of Bel-Air”. The new title: “The Fresh Transfer of Liber-Air”. A friend said to him: “We have to do something. It was really exciting to produce this video. The feedback was enormous. A lot of people in the Czech Republic didn’t even know me anymore, but I was approached so often about the video. It is not the career that is important, but such a short video. The world has gotten weird. ”But instead of quarreling, the Czech has taken a liking to this topic. Not acting. “No, no, that’s not for me.” In the future, he sees himself more as a producer of such clips – not just from himself. “This is an exciting business.”
But he is still a professional soccer player. It’s now more fun again. The start at his ex-club, for which he had already worked before he switched to Werder Bremen had played from 2008 to 2012 was more than bumpy. On the second day of the match he was knocked off the pitch in a league game for the first time in his career in the 5-0 defeat against Sparta Prague – with yellow-red. He tried to reach the ball with his heel and caught opponent Michal Sacek in the face. The wound had to be sewn with five stitches. “That wasn’t nice and I’m sorry,” recalls Theodor Gebre Selassie: “But that would not have happened to me as a right-back, there would have been the sidelines.” “He was top in terms of people, but his idea didn’t fit the squad so well,” reports Gebre Selassie. After five defeats and a draw from six games, there was not only a change of coach, but also “seven or eight new players, that was really special”. Lubos Kozel would now fit better, said Gebre Selassie, “for me too, I’m right-back again”. There he also performed his best at Werder and in the national team. In the meantime, Liberec has fought its way up to eighth place.
End of career in summer? What Werder Bremen legend Theodor Gebre Selassie is planning
“We can be satisfied after the bad start,” says Theodor Gebre Selassie. He himself had to get used to many things. The level is of course not as high as in the Bundesliga – and not just in terms of sport. “When I look back, it was an overall high level Werder Bremen“, Says Gebre Selassie and thinks about how he can best explain this without making his new club bad. That is far from him because he knows of course that the financial requirements are completely different. He doesn’t even want to complain about that. But there would be overnight stays in completely different hotels, there would be a different choice of food – and then there are also the training grounds. Without underfloor heating. “We have been training on artificial turf for two weeks,” groans Gebre Selassie: “When I come home after training, I can barely stand.”
At almost 35 years of age, the hard ground is quite a problem for him. Therefore it is not a good time to talk to him about his future now. The contract with Slovan Liberec expires in summer. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Maybe it’s a good thing that the season doesn’t continue until the beginning of February. At some point it will get warmer again and the artificial turf has had its day. “I still have a lot of fun playing. I would be missing a lot without football, ”says Theodor Gebre Selassie. But he doesn’t want to be the right time for either End of career miss.
It was clear that it was after Relegation with Werder Bremen still had to go on. “I didn’t want to and couldn’t stop like that.” When asked whether he had already processed the descent, Gebre Selassie was almost astonished. “Processed?” He asks back and answers himself: “Life goes on, but the decline will always be. It’s not nice to look back. That’s why it would be incredibly nice if Werder were to get promoted again straight away. ”
Still a fan of Werder Bremen: This is Theodor Gebre Selassie in the Czech Republic
Almost every week he fevered in front of the television. It is remarkable how the team of the SV Werder Bremen I put away all the unrest of the past few weeks: “They are just a really good group.” He actually only has contact with his own Landsmann Jiri Pavlenka, the keeper. And to physiotherapists and other employees whom he has known for years. “I miss these people very much,” gives Theo Gebre Selassie to. That also applies to his friends and neighbors in Bremen. And then he becomes a little melancholy: “You make a plan to stay in touch a lot, but then it quickly subsides.” This is not a reproach, just an honest statement. Just like his report from a night that was not long ago. “The other day before I went to sleep I thought: My God, we’ve been here for six months. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to stay here forever now. ”Everyday life is simply different from visits in the past. “That was vacation, everything is always nice. You have to get used to a lot again. “
His children Noe (7) and Eli (4) show him how. The boys would have changed quickly. It was important to the parents that the sons experience the start of school in the Czech Republic. “It’s going great,” says the proud dad. Thanks to the shorter trips away, he also has more time for the family: “That’s exactly how I imagined it.” Theodor Gebre Selassie sounds happy at this moment. Perhaps the other skepticism is also due to this never-ending corona pandemic, which is just as troublesome for the Czechs. “It’s annoying,” admits the family man. During the telephone conversation, it is not yet clear whether he will be able to visit the rest of the family in the Czech Republic 160 kilometers away at Christmas as planned. “We hope so.” On his Birthday on Christmas Eve as always, there should be carp with potato salad. “And I still have to have schnitzel,” reveals a laughing Gebre Selassie and wishes a “Merry Christmas” as a farewell. (knee)
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