Bundesliga: God of football “forever”: Petersen’s perfect walkout

They don’t need a new football god after Nils Petersen at SC Freiburg. “Nils can stay forever. It suits everyone. He absolutely deserves it,” said captain Christian Günter about the soon-to-be ex-professional, who delighted everyone again with a goal in the 2-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg.

And anyone who has seen the touching scenes with the fans knows what Günter means: Petersen is one of them. After his last home game, the 34-year-old waved a huge flag with his name on it, drank large gulps from a tankard on the fence and whipped up the big European Cup party with a megaphone.

Petersen: “I’m incredibly grateful”

“If I had had to write a screenplay, it would have been exactly like that. Everything should be like that today. I’m incredibly grateful,” said Petersen, who walked beaming through the interior of the arena until shortly before midnight and gave interview after interview completely relaxed. The basses were already booming loudly from the changing room, the colleagues were waiting longingly for the hero of the evening.

And that wasn’t the end of the evening. “My friends are still coming to my house. I haven’t planned anything else. I didn’t know it was going so well. I won’t go to bed for the next three hours,” said Petersen, who himself occasionally asked journalists for a photo together asked as a souvenir. He happily fulfilled wish after wish.

But even one game before retirement, the ex-national player didn’t forget his duty the following day. And that was: 11 a.m. training. “It was a cyclist, at least I can train tomorrow,” said Petersen. His trainer Christian Streich, all teammates and even the Wolfsburg opponents around Niko Kovac and Maximilian Arnold meanwhile bowed to a really great athlete, who will make the change from grass to curves this summer.

“Everybody Loves the Nile”

“All players should take Nils as an example. He is a role model. It’s not always just the one way that there is. It’s no coincidence. Everyone loves Nils,” said Streich about Petersen, who after complicated sporting Months after all, he scored his first goal of the season – and that on matchday 33 in the fight for Freiburg’s participation in the Champions League for the first time. Petersen and Jonathan Schmid were given an emotional farewell even before the kick-off, but the scenery only became really cheesy with the events in the game.

“You can’t write it any better than Nils making the decisive 2-0. Nils and Jonny are two outstanding personalities who have carried us a bit. I’m really happy about that,” said Günter. The captain had come off the bench for the first time since 2017 in a Bundesliga game and scored the important 1-0. But even that became secondary. Also because there was more to praise at Petersen than just the sporting performance. “The recognition is completely justified. Nils was loyal to the club for years, he could certainly have accepted another offer,” said Günter.

Freiburg coach Streich raves about Petersen

Streich paid tribute to his long-time protégé in his own way. First he ended his own press conference with the words “Can I stop now. Everyone go to the Nils. Thank you very much” before questions were possible. Then, in a smaller group, he raved for minutes about the footballer, whom he would still be able to score joker goals in five years and without much training. “This cleverness and this technique with Nils are unbelievable. He almost always makes the right decisions,” said Streich.

But Petersen’s decision stands, even in the event of a Champions League qualification, he will stop. “As a fan, I also hope that I won’t be needed in five years. That would be sad,” said Petersen. The farewell, the last home game, a goal out of nowhere and then the huge affection from the ranks of the fans: Petersen couldn’t really realize all that. “It was all too much anyway. The evening couldn’t have been painted any better. It makes me most proud that I left something behind,” he said.