Mr. Gebhart, what are your plans for Tuesday? Will you be sitting between Cacau, Sami Khedira and Jens Lehmann in the stadium in Madrid?
I watch football, I definitely won’t miss it, but on TV. As the last VfB Champions League squad, we didn’t get everyone sent tickets – but I didn’t ask. (laughs)
Is it a worthy welcome-back gift that the record winner of the premier class invites you to the game right at the start?
This is a huge success, especially after a 15-year absence, and after the way VfB played last year, it is absolutely deserved. I often go to the stadium to support the boys or see my old teammates, and last season it was really fun to watch. There is nothing bigger than having Real Madrid as our opponents now. The boys can show straight away what they can do.
Sebastian Hoeneß’s team is slowly getting back on track in the Bundesliga. Is Real also a perfect opponent to build up against because they have nothing to lose?
The players will somehow manage to deliver. This may sound a bit strange, but you go to Madrid to win. Of course, the Stuttgart team knows what to expect and no one is angry if they lose. But the VfB boys play great football and if they can bring that onto the pitch, they will get their chances. In my opinion, they will not go under, but anything can happen with the world stars in Madrid. And even if it did, a defeat would mean absolutely nothing in the new format with at least eight games.
You also go to Madrid to win there. Of course, the Stuttgart team knows what to expect and no one is angry if they lose. But the VfB boys play great football.”
Timo Gebhart
After the departure of the key players, can we expect another miracle season from VfB or would a place in the middle of the table be acceptable?
Seventh or eighth place in the league would be too little. If you came second last year, you want to attack again this year despite the departures. As a footballer, you always want to get the most out of it and you don’t just settle for a lower place. If you always give it your all and then add a little luck, a lot is possible. Even the great FC Bayern Munich doesn’t get it together every year, as last season showed. With three competitions, it’s obviously a real burden, but I’m looking forward to it.
Are the rollercoaster years finally a thing of the past?
Hopefully, it won’t happen again that we’re fighting against relegation. With the way we play, we’ll be in the top 10 in the long run. If we keep strengthening the team in a targeted manner, the team always has the potential to play at the top. Of course, it also depends on the coach, Sebastian Hoeneß, but as VfB fans, we hope that the coach is a long-term thing and we’ll just enjoy what comes next.
It almost seems too cheesy that 15 years after the round of 16 exit against FC Barcelona, Real Marid, the second big club from Spain, is coming straight away. In 2010, you headed in Cacau’s 1-0 lead (final score 1-1) in the first leg. Was that your greatest moment as a footballer?
I don’t even need to think about whether anything in my career was better. Playing in the Champions League is the best thing there is. Providing the assist for the lead against Barca in Stuttgart was the greatest. Barcelona with coach Pep Guardiola and players like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta was a great team and the best at that time. The fans still remember those games today and I’m often asked about them.
The Champions League season began in September with a match against Sevilla and ended in March in Barcelona in the round of 16. How do you remember those months?
It was a long time ago, but I scored a penalty in Romania during the qualifiers. Then we played in Glasgow and those are all stadiums and impressions that you can never get out of your head. The game against Barcelona was pure goosebumps. For example, one of my absolute favorite players, Thierry Henry, was on the bench at Barca. I couldn’t believe it at all and it was indescribable for me as a footballer. That’s why I’m telling the boys now: they’ll never forget playing in Madrid and in the new stadium against world stars like Kylian Mbappé. It will of course be a huge task, but both the players and the Stuttgart fans should soak up every impression. Even if something like that hopefully happens again in the coming years, they should just enjoy Real for now.
You were 20, 21 years old and played with people like Jens Lehmann, Khedira, Cacau, but also Alexander Hleb, Ricardo Osorio, etc. What kind of structure was that back then?
We had a great team, the chemistry was really good and we got along really well. Whether on the pitch or in the dressing room, there was a lot going on. If you see each other twice a day, then it has to work and that was the case back then. It was also familiar and not aloof.
Recently you reported in the “Bild” newspaper about the unknown side. How you had an accident with your mother’s car at a race in the presence of the team, or how you drove to the Eurocup game with alcohol in your system. That sounds very wild, was it?
It was a really wild time, I was young and crazy. Now I can laugh about most of it. Football-wise it was everything you dreamed of as a child, and I had a really cool time outside of that too. Even if I could have saved myself a few evenings.
I treated myself to expensive clothes like a jacket for 1000 euros and luxury cars back then and that was cool. I would still do that today.”
Timo Gebhart
You mean parties and headlines and luxury? Was it worth it?
I earned a lot of money and then everyone can do what they want with it. I never squandered it all and I’m still doing very, very well today. I treated myself to expensive clothes like a jacket for 1000 euros and luxury cars back then and that was great. I would still do the same today. And as long as you don’t get into trouble, everything is fine. Spending 15,000 on my birthday or other expensive party nights was obviously totally stupid.
Salaries have increased since then, but some anecdotes are hard to imagine in the social media world. Or are today’s players just particularly clever?
Social media is very dangerous. You can have an apple spritzer in your hand and the pictures will make it look like vodka and Red Bull and you’ve got the whole drama on your hands. It was pretty intense back then and it’s even more extreme today. But the guys aren’t quite as crazy anymore. They’ve been brought up in it and aren’t so wild anymore. They also know that some media outlets are just waiting for something to happen. And fans are everywhere, everyone knows you, has a cell phone and access to the networks. Any action that even looks stupid can blow up in your face.
How do you generally view the development with the huge salaries, the desert transfers and the bloated schedules?
The players who play in the Champions League and for the national team are under a lot of pressure, but that’s only a small percentage. And as far as Saudi Arabia and things like that go: the guys only have one career and should do what they want. Some want titles and always play at the highest level, while others are more focused on money. To them I say: do it, why not? You mustn’t forget what a high standard of living they have, a big family and a lot of expenses after their careers, and you should still have a lot in the bag. If someone can earn 15 million instead of 6 million, that’s a completely different story. You provide for your family and the next generations. The rest of the world has no business interfering. You mustn’t forget that every footballer has had to work hard for these opportunities their whole life. But of course I don’t know whether Neymar will have to add 200 million more to his probably 300 million.
Your second great football love is 1860 Munich. You played for the Lions three times, including in the 2nd division and the Regionalliga. Why did the club and you fit together so well?
I’m a guy who has never forgotten where he came from. I had some great moments in the youth team at 1860, I became German champion there as a youth player, as a national player, U19 European champion and as a professional. I was always warmly welcomed by everyone and it just worked. My heart still beats for the Lions. But we won’t say anything about the developments of the last few years.
Your heart especially beats for your homeland, which you have never completely left. Back then, you felt like the “King of Memmingen” because of your finances. What is it like today?
You get older, but I still feel really comfortable here. I’m a coach at my hometown club BSC Memmingen in the district league and train with all the boys and my brothers. It’s just great and memories keep coming back because I learned to play football here myself. I live right near the stadium and I’m there almost every day and enjoy life. I’ve built everything up here and I’m still in the process of doing so. My house, my family, my friends – they’re all here and if I need a big city or a vacation, I just fly away. I have football to thank for it all.
