Mainz veteran Stefan Bell speaks on following in Thomas Müller’s footsteps | OneFootball

Mainz 05 defender Stefan Bell’s unwavering loyalty to his Bundesliga club was rewarded late last week. Both player and club found choice words to express their longstanding relationship when the 33-year-old signed a one-year contract extension on Friday. One could scarcely have scripted Bell’s involvement in his first league match since signing the deal better.

In yesterday’s Bundesliga encounter with European rivals Eintracht Frankfurt, Bell entered on behalf of another Mainz storybook player recently awarded a new deal. Dominik Kohr had to exit proceedings injured in the 10th minute. Bell came on in relief. Despite making a few errors, it would be fair to say that Bell helped his team earn an unexpected 1-1 draw against heavily favored Frankfurt.

Bell spoke on the match in his post-match interview with DAZN. The Andernach-native and former Mainz academy man was also asked about what it felt like to soon be the Bundesliga’s most loyal player. German footballing legend Thomas Müller’s departure from Bayern Munich this summer will leave Bell the top-flight professional who has served the longest with his club.

“Thomas Müller is an absolute legend, and it’s difficult to follow in his footsteps,” Bell said. “But I’m happy and I hope I can extend my time a little longer and help get things on the upswing.”

Mainz 05 head coach Bo Henriksen – in typical tongue-in-cheek fashion – also found a way of praising his veteran after the match. Henriksen sarcastically remarked that Bell had a cat’s “nine lives” and joked that his veteran defender was “55 years old”

“What a legend and player,” Henriksen gushed at the post-match press conference.

GGFN | Peter Weis