Mainz 05 striker Jonathan Burkards transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt was officially confirmed on Friday. Burkardt’s new Bundesliga club – in light of the publicity issues brought on by the move – obviously sought to hand the 24-year-old multiple media roll-outs. Burkardt had always been sternly committed to Mainz prior to making this move to a regional rival. A switch from the Rheinhessen to the RheinMainAdler requires some explanation.
At his official media presentation on Friday, Burkardt spoke of “constructive talks” and a “clear sporting perspective“. Both the player and his now former club also issued statements on the value of his years spent at Mainz. Burkardt moved to the FSV academy from his hometown club of SV Darmstadt 98 11 years ago when he was just 14.
At a Sunday media session, Burkardt claimed that Eintracht had always been his favorite club as a child. Such affinities aren’t necessarily unknown among Darmstadt natives. Many who grew up in the Hessen capital support the larger nearby club. Some even cheer for both as the two cities aren’t totally inimical toward one another. In Burkardt’s case, his father supported Eintracht.
Burkardt – flanked by SGE board-member-for-sport Markus Krösche on Sunday – spoke of cheering Eintracht on at the Waldstadion as a young boy. On the 34th matchday of the 2004/05 season, Burkardt was in the stands to witness the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga with a 3-0 win over Wacker Burghausen. It is the first stadium experience he can remember.
Despite all of this, Burkardt still needed some convincing to make the move. In addition to all of the regular recruiting from the Eintracht administrative and coaching team, Burkardt’s national team colleague Robin Koch sent him a few messages whilst he was on vacation. Koch recently took up more of a leadership role in Dino Toppmöller’s team.
“The coach, sporting director and everyone else have been incredibly supportive,” Burkardt said on Sunday. “They kept calling, asking how I was doing and expressing their interest. That was very special. The sporting situation offers a great opportunity to take the next step in my development. I’m extremely excited about the Champions League, which was a huge factor in my decision.”
“Jonny brings a lot of qualities that will benefit our game,” Krösche added during one of his turns. “He has proven his strong finishing skills in Mainz, as well as his tactical understanding. He is an absolute team player on and off the pitch.”
GGFN | Peter Weis
