‘Most incredible chapter of my career’: emotional Schonlau farewell to HSV! | OneFootball

With Sebastian Schonlau, HSV’s long-time captain has bid farewell and is heading to Vancouver. All those involved reacted accordingly emotionally.

After four years at Volkspark, Sebastian Schonlau’s time at HSV came to an end this past Thursday. And it happened in the most emotional way possible: The captain and defensive leader, who led the club back to the Bundesliga, is transferring with immediate effect to the MLS to join the Vancouver Whitecaps. There, he will meet none other than World Cup winner Thomas Müller, who, according to Mopo, already reached out via smartphone to congratulate the center-back on his transfer.

“The whole process from first contact to the transfer happened pretty quickly. Three, four days,” Schonlau explained. “Of course, we discussed it at home. But it’s a great opportunity. It was clear pretty quickly that I would do it.” On Thursday morning, he was already on the training pitch in Canada for the first time. At that point, he hadn’t even completed his medical check yet.

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HSV stars praise Schonlau in the highest terms

Despite the quick decision to transfer, saying goodbye is incredibly hard for Schonlau. “My time at HSV was unforgettable,” he told the HSV homepage. “This chapter will probably be the most emotional and intense of my career.”

The club’s management bid farewell to the 31-year-old with the utmost respect. Sporting director Stefan Kuntz said: “We want to expressly thank Bascho for his contributions to the club. He is leaving us through the front door. And that door will always remain open for him at HSV.” Coach Merlin Polzin added: “Without Bascho, we would never have been promoted.”

In an emotional farewell video shared by the Red Shorts on their social media channels, long-time teammates also had their say. They all paid tribute to Schonlau’s great contributions to HSV. Jonas Meffert summed it up especially well: “It was incredible how you led the way. I’ve played with many players, but I’d never experienced anything like that before.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.