Marcel Halstenberg has had to endure months of personal and sporting setbacks. In the new year, however, the Leipzig player wants to get back on his feet again.
Lap in the past: In the 4:1 win against Portugal at the European Championship in the summer, Marcel Halstenberg was substituted after a good hour. What nobody could know at the time: It was to be Halstenberg’s last minutes of competition in 2021.
The 30-year-old was subsequently set back by injuries: First, an ankle injury slowed him down, then he had to undergo knee surgery. “It was a long and already difficult time of suffering, especially because of the long absence,” Halstenberg described his convalescence. Gone. “The whole body feels right again,” said Halstenberg, whose plan is to return to full team training in mid-January.
In addition to the injuries, Halstenberg also suffered hard blows in his private life – within a few months, the national player’s parents passed away. “Everything that happened last year was definitely the hardest thing I had to go through in my life,” said Halstenberg. Halstenberg found support in his wife and child, “who picked me up. “
Halstenberg even had thoughts of ending his career – albeit only briefly
Despite this support – Halstenberg even thought about ending his career during this difficult phase. “When so many things came together, there were actually thoughts like that,” he confessed, “but fortunately they didn’t stay in my head for long.” Rather, he would like to play for a few more years, feeling “well prepared” for it in terms of health. And Halstenberg can imagine spending them at RB beyond the end of his contract in the summer – as long as his performance is right: “I believe that a solution will then be found and I can have a future in Leipzig. “
