From villain to fan favourite: affection over money? | OneFootball

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"I'm so proud of the team, I'm so proud of each and every one of you. There's only one thing left to sing: Never second division again!" Goosebumps for the HSV fans, who probably couldn't even comprehend what had just happened at that moment. Hamburger SV is back in the top flight after seven years.

Seven years can be a damn long time. But it worked out. And the first one to grab the microphone in the stadium to speak to the celebrating fans was Davie Selke. Not the captain or the vice-captain. The striker took the lead, and not for the first time this season.

He has developed into a leader and is being carried on the fans' hands after the promotion. They know what they owe him, because he's having the best season of his career. 22 goals in 30 games - never more.

At the beginning of the season, it wasn't planned that Selke would get such an important role. As the second striker behind Robert Glatzel, the former Cologne player was signed, followed the call of Steffen Baumgart, and probably even turned down a better contract with the Billy Goats. Effzeh wanted to extend with the attacker, but Selke let the deadline for the extension pass. As ex-sports director Christian Keller confirmed to 'Bild', the door was closed after that.

"We would have liked to extend," Keller tells 'Bild'. "But at some point, it was also a strategic decision on whom we would rely if we couldn't extend him the way we imagined." The decision-makers opted for Damion Downs and Tim Lemperle. And against Davie Selke.

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2024 Getty Images

Under his Instagram post to say goodbye, the opinions of the fans were divided. Some would have liked to keep him, but many users also called him a "mercenary". Because after just one and a half years, he moved on to Hamburg.

Long an outcast

Skepticism spread again about whether Selke could really help HSV with the mission of promotion. Like so many times in his career. He was never an unrestricted fan favorite, often unpopular or at least controversial among his own fans. Even more so among opponents. He often had to put up with the accusation that he only switched for the money. A mercenary, after all. This is also evident in the comment columns on his Instagram page.

Meanwhile, these comments have become less frequent, instead, the striker is celebrated by the HSV fans. After the promotion, he enjoyed the bath in the crowd.

The fans cheer him on and recently crowned him the 2nd division player of the season in a vote by 'bundesliga.de'. The proportion of Hamburgers in this vote was probably high. Now the goal-getter cannon is waiting for him.

The fact that Selke is so successful this season is also due to his teammates. Because HSV plays the football he needs.

Miro Muheim and Jean-Luc Dompé provide him with the crosses, he just has to head them in.

But he hasn't just won over the hearts of the HSV fans with his goals. He shows his emotions on the pitch, but also suffers when he's just sitting on the bench. He played with a mask after his collarbone fracture, showed commitment and teamwork. His colleagues celebrate him, like after the win against Kaiserslautern. "Davie is a machine," said Fabio Baldé. Adedire Mebude called him a monster.

Teammates celebrate him

"You can't rate his value outside the pitch highly enough," added Loic Favé. As 'Bild' reports, Selke is the "training police". He always pushes his teammates. They should have the unconditional will to score the goal.

And how does the striker himself rate the best season of his career?

"I don't even want to talk about it. What matters is that the team is very appreciative of me. And I'm a type who needs that," he said in February after that win against Kaiserslautern. On the pitch, he's sought after by his colleagues. "That means a lot to me and also gives me the incentive to stay here," added the 30-year-old.

Words that all HSV fans will be happy to hear. They want to go to the Bundesliga with the striker. That's the tenor under his promotion pictures on Instagram. But the extension is still pending. As 'kicker' reports, Selke wants to make a final decision after the season. The sticking point is the contract length, because the striker wants to stay for three more years and, of course, get more money. The club, on the other hand, might have a shorter contract term in mind.

If he extends, Davie Selke could shed his image as a "mercenary" for the first time in his career. The fans would then cheer him on again and carry him on their hands. Especially if it's "never again" to the second division thanks to him.

📸 RONNY HARTMANN - AFP or licensors