Zimmermann on luck and late starters in professional soccer
For Darmstadt defender Christoph Zimmermann, it is a "very interesting trend" that so many older professional footballers such as Niclas Füllkrug, Pascal Groß and Marvin Ducksch have made it into the national team as late starters. "You're actually told that you have to make your breakthrough as young as possible to make it," said the 30-year-old native of Düsseldorf in an interview with "Kicker" (Monday). "In Barcelona, 16 and 17-year-olds play and still score with braces. If you haven't made the leap by the time you're 24, it's often over."
Older players, however, feel they have to prove themselves over a longer period of time. "In the case of Füllkrug, many people were also surprised at first as to what he was doing in the national team. His ratings show that he's quite rightly there," said Zimmermann.
In order to make a career as a professional, you also need great luck, as he experienced. Zimmermann started out at Borussia Mönchengladbach, then played for Borussia Dortmund's second team until former coach Daniel Farke brought him to Norwich City and he was promoted to the English Premier League twice.
The fact that he is now playing in the Bundesliga with Darmstadt 98 is something special for him. "I think there really are a lot of people for whom playing in the Bundesliga is the most normal thing in the world," he said. For him, this is "anything but normal: I see the time as a bonus and know how to classify everything correctly."
Zimmermann had a stint in Bundesliga 2 with Darmstadt before, demonstrating his versatility in German football. Despite his success in the English Premier League with Norwich City, he found joy in returning to Bundesliga 2 with Darmstadt.
Source: www.dpa.com
