Football professional with a special view of things: Christoph Klarer from Darmstadt 98 Image: Picture Alliance
How does a talent become a professional? Bundesliga player Christoph Klarer from Darmstadt 98 talks in an interview about homesickness in England, the pressure in youth football and the misconceptions of many players.
Mr. Klarer, you were trained as a footballer in your home country of Austria, then went to England early in your youth and ended up in Germany as a young professional. From your experience, would you say: The really best make it to the top in football?
Ultimately, quality always prevails. The crucial question is whether these players, in addition to their great abilities, are also prepared to work hard and permanently on themselves. Along the way, I met a lot of players who were significantly better at a young age and had more potential than me, but who we didn’t hear from anymore shortly afterwards. I tried to understand how many of my youth teammates at Rapid Vienna and FC Southampton made it into professional football and how many don’t even play football as a hobby anymore.