An the early morning, Sheraldo Becker had just arrived at the parking lot and was about to get out of his car when he had an unexpected visitor. Behind him stood Michael Parensen. The technical director of 1. FC Union Berlin wanted to send his striker into the day with a little kindness. What he, Becker, is delivering is phenomenal, said Parensen and gave a friendly pat on the back.
Parensen was a footballer himself long enough, he still shared the dressing room with Becker when he came to Berlin from The Hague in 2019, and knows well what the Surinamese-Dutch player needs to realize his potential on the pitch. Small attentions like this play their part in the fact that Becker recently credibly assured the Dutch newspaper “De Telegraaf” that he felt very comfortable in Berlin.
At 1. FC Union, they were happy to acknowledge that, knowing full well that such declarations of love in the fast-paced football business are often worthless just two days later. But in the case of Becker, they could be an indication that the striker’s whereabouts beyond the summer might not be as unrealistic as was assumed a few weeks ago.
Most successful season in club history
In January there were a few inquiries for the 28-year-old, including from the financially strong Premier League. And who knows, if the transfer of the Spaniard Isco hadn’t burst at the last second, Becker might no longer be at 1. FC Union.
But things turned out differently, and so the Amsterdam-born striker, who plays for the national team of Suriname, continues to make a vital contribution to the Berlin Bundesliga club playing the most successful season in its history.
This Tuesday, Union has the opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the DFB Cup like last year with a win at Eintracht Frankfurt (6 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on Sky, as well as on ZDF). The chances for that are not bad. Eintracht is in a low form, has been eliminated from the Champions League and has slipped to sixth place in the Bundesliga.
The national cup is the only way for Frankfurt to reconcile with the increasingly bumpy season. Union won the most recent encounter in the Bundesliga 2-0 a few weeks ago.
A special gate
While Frankfurt regularly dropped points recently, the Berliners completed their own tasks with confidence. Like last Saturday, when they only managed to convince at times against VfB Stuttgart, but finally won 3-0 without any problems. The successful result was brought about by Becker, who scored to make it 1-0 shortly after the half-time break.
It was a special goal for him because he had gone 918 minutes without a personal sense of achievement. Such statistics are always popular with strikers. But they rarely reveal a player’s true value. Becker is an ideal example of this. Of course, his crisis in front of the opposing goal could not be denied.
Between November and April he didn’t score again in the Bundesliga, but the fact that Union still won games consistently during this time was also due to him. “He’s a very ambitious player. Just the fact that he’s on the pitch triggers something in the opponents,” said Union captain Christopher Trimmel.
Becker is indispensable for the style of play at 1. FC Union. With a top speed of 36 kilometers per hour, he is the fastest soccer player in the Bundesliga. Ideal for the 1. FC Union game designed for transition situations. After winning the ball, the teammates first look for the agile attacker, who can tear deep gaps in any defense with his speed runs.
Established in the top group
He is only too happy to run the balls that are hit far forward behind the opposing defensive line. In addition to eight goals, Becker has also contributed five assists in the Bundesliga. Values that make him interesting for a number of clubs in Europe. In the fall, he revealed to the Dutch specialist magazine “Voetbal International” where he would most like to go. A top club in the Bundesliga or a move to the English Premier League would be up to his taste, he said.
In the meantime, 1. FC Union has established itself in the national top group, there are not many clubs in Germany that are currently better than their current employer. Becker and Union have entered into a special symbiosis. It’s rare for players and clubs to develop at the same pace in the same direction.
Union marches directly towards the Champions League. There was a foretaste of this in February when Union played and won against Becker’s training club Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League. The prospect of being able to compete regularly with Union against clubs of this caliber in the future also appeals to Becker. His contract ends in June 2024, he will have to make a decision next summer. That this decision will be made in favor of Berlin becomes more likely with every game won.