Loved being part of the club – Schonlau sends farewell message | OneFootball

Sebastian Schonlau left HSV after four eventful years heading towards Vancouver. From there, he reached out once more to bid farewell to everyone associated with the club.

Since his arrival in the summer of 2021, Sebastian Schonlau wore the captain's armband at Hamburger SV. Athletically, he had already lost standing during the promotion season, and following the major changes due to the Bundesliga return, he no longer saw a future. Last week, the central defender left the Hanseatic city and joined the Vancouver Whitecaps.

After a week in his new Canadian home, Schonlau reached out again via video message, reflecting on his time at HSV. “Putting these four years into words is almost impossible,” he noted, referring to, among other things, two lost playoffs. He particularly highlighted the ever-present fan support: “You were always there for us, I mean really always. I know we had some tough moments, but you kept pushing us.”

Schonlau remains closely connected to HSV

On his fourth attempt after moving from Paderborn, Schonlau was finally able to celebrate promotion. The decisive factor, in his view, was the extraordinary solidarity around HSV: “It distinguished us that we never gave up. You as fans didn’t, we as a team and as a club didn’t.” Therefore, “the difficult moments and of course the promotion will forever connect us.”

Additionally, Schonlau expressed his gratitude to all the office staff, all coaches, the staff, and the team: “It’s your achievement that HSV stands where it does today.” He always led by example as captain, even when he lost his starting position. “Without Bascho, we would never have been promoted. What he did for the team behind the scenes – even in moments when he didn’t get the playing time – was outstanding and exceeded the duties of a captain,” emphasized Merlin Polzin during the announcement of Schonlau’s departure.

Nur die Raute – All News about HSV

The 31-year-old never took himself too seriously. His actions showed that HSV came first, which he underscored in his final words: “I loved being part of the club. I loved leading the boys onto the field again and again and taking on such an important role as captain of HSV.”

Looking ahead to tonight’s city derby, he appealed to his former teammates: “Show who the city really belongs to.” Schonlau played five matches against FC St. Pauli in the HSV jersey, winning three of them and even scoring a goal in the 2-1 victory in January 2022. All victories took place at the Volksparkstadion. A possibly good omen for the 112th edition, which Schonlau will surely follow intensely from over 7,000 meters away.

(Photo: Imago)

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