Crazy tale: HSV star once played with Gnabry’s cousin in the Oberliga! | OneFootball

It was only on his second attempt that Daniel Elfadli made the leap to becoming a professional. Along the way, his paths crossed several times with those of Serge Gnabry.

When Hamburger SV takes on FC Bayern on Saturday (6.30 p.m., Sky), it's not just the first top match in the Bundesliga on the agenda for Daniel Elfadli. It's also a very special reunion: The defensive all-rounder will meet Serge Gnabry in Munich, with whom he had a curious connection as a teenager. They even attended the same school. During his time at SSV Reutlingen, Elfadli also played with Gnabry's cousin Janick in the Oberliga. The two even formed a carpool back then.

"I saw Serge a few times in the schoolyard and later played with his cousin Janick," Elfadli reported in an interview with the HSV homepage. "Back then, I thought how cool it would be to follow a path like Serge's and eventually make it to the top. The fact that it's actually happening now is somehow the irony of life."

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Today, the 28-year-old has indeed "made it to the top". Just one year after his transfer to HSV, Elfadli's dream of the Bundesliga came true. And already on matchday 3, he will meet the class leader for the first time. But despite all respect for the star ensemble around Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Gnabry, the Libyan approaches the duel confidently. "We go there with the conviction that we can win the game. We don't need to talk ourselves down," he emphasizes.

The Red Shorts want to put on a brave performance at the Allianz Arena and take advantage of the few opportunities that arise against the record champions. The Arsenal new signings Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga, who were signed on Deadline Day, could also play a role. "So far, we've been lacking a bit in setting up our forwards to become even more dangerous in the final third," says Elfadli. "They give us different elements that will help us in our game."

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