‘They Called Me Mini Ronaldo’: Delron Buckley On Dortmund, Klopp, South Africa And The Club World Cup | OneFootball

Delron Buckley debuted in the Bundesliga in 1995, aged 18, with VfL Bochum. After helping the club secure a UEFA Cup place, he left in 2004 for Arminia Bielefeld, where he enjoyed his most successful season, scoring 15 goals and helping the team avoid relegation.

After one season at Bielefeld, Buckley joined Borussia Dortmund for a reported transfer fee of €425,000 and signed a four-year contract. Buckley played 28 league matches in season 2005-06.

Buckley was loaned to 20-time champions Swiss club FC Basel 1893 for the 2006–07 season, with which he won the Swiss Cup before returning to Borussia for the 2007–08 season under new manager Jürgen Klopp.

In February 2009, Buckley signed for Mainz 05 before joining the Cypriot then-champions Anorthosis Famagusta FC. He then returned to Karlsruher SC where the club ended the season in 16th.

Buckley finished his career in the South African Premiership with Maritzburg United. The winger played 454 matches as a professional, scoring 55 goals.

Since retiring in 2014, Buckley has written an autobiography entitled My Life. He now runs a football skills academy in Durban, South Africa.

For WFi, Ben McFadyean spoke to the Durban-based coach, who holds a UEFA B licence and most recently managed Amazulu FC in the South African top tier. He is also a regular panellist on Bundesliga coverage on SABC Sport TV.

You came to Germany in 1994 as a 16-year-old; what was your experience like back then?

“I couldn’t speak a word of German. Coming from South Africa, where we have winter temperatures of at least 25 degrees [C], and then jumping on a plane to come to Germany, where the minute you leave the airport, it’s minus five outside, it was tough.

“I had to overcome the language, the culture, the cold, and numerous challenges. At that time, Germany wasn’t a very cosmopolitan nation. No one spoke English in Bochum, so you had to learn German quickly.

“The first club I went on trial with was Rot-Weiss Essen. As a 16-year-old, I came into the changing room and could see the coldness in the players’ faces. They were like, ‘What are you doing here? Have you come to take my position?’ And they would show you that. You could feel a certain kind of coldness.

“You had to show them your ability. If you showed how hard-working you were and what you could do on the pitch, then you would fall ‘into the magic circle’.

“That’s what happened when I joined my first club, VfL Bochum. Coach Klaus Toppmöller took me under his wing and supported my development because he saw talent in me; that was my luck.

“I was 17 years old, but I was so fast with the ball that the coach said he had never seen a player who was so dynamic; I got the nickname’ Mini Ronaldo’.”

You spent nine years at VfL Bochum, initially playing in the second team and then breaking into the Bundesliga team. In 1996-97, VfL finished fifth; how did the club reach those heights?

“When I first started for Bochum, I was 17 years old and had my breakthrough into the first team at 18. Bochum, as a club, didn’t have good money to spend on players, so they would buy the players they could get to have the quality to survive, but if you don’t win games, you are bound to get relegated—every year.

“The club had been relegated, but the following year, it would be promoted again. In 1997-98, it was different; we had quality players like Poland internationals Henryk Bałuszyński and Tomasz Wałdoch.

“We had Maurizio Gaudino and Dariusz Wosz, who were playing for the German national team.

“There was great skill on the side. Coming from South Africa and having the opportunity to play with top players at such a young age was one of my greatest highlights.”

Qualifying for the UEFA Cup and reaching the last 16 in that competition. That must have been a highlight of your career at the Ruhrstadion?

“To play in the UEFA Cup for a team without real resources like Bochum was like winning the Meisterschaft. I learnt so much at VfL; It’s like a family club.

“But by the time they qualified for the UEFA Cup again in 2004-05, I had already been transferred to Arminia Bielefeld, and there were some differences with the club.

“Some of the players took to the newspapers to say they were happy I was moved. It hardly hurt to see Bochum knocked out in the first round by Standard Liege.”

You played an exceptional season with Arminia Bielefeld, scoring 15 goals —a career-best— in the 2004-05 season, which saw the team from eastern Westfalia finish in a respectable 13th place, ahead of teams like Borussia Mönchengladbach and SC Freiburg. You are known to have a special friendship with the Arminen, the fans of Bielefeld. Do you still follow the Pokal finalist and newly-promoted Arminia?

“You know, I played some of the best football in Bielefeld. It’s a great town with which I associate many great memories. I got married there, and my first daughter was born in Bielefeld. My wife is from Bochum, which is not far away, so I go back there when I am in Germany.

“I hear from many Bielefeld fans and my former colleagues regularly. I’m glad to see them doing well again; Die Arminen deserve top-tier football; they have amazing fans.”

Was it tough transferring from the Bielefelder Alm to Westfalenstadion, or was it an opportunity not to be missed?

“Well, signing for Dortmund was one of my dreams coming true. I signed a four-year contract for what was, for Arminia Bielefeld at that time, a comparatively hefty transfer fee of €425,000.

“But I got injured early on; I tore my cruciate ligament. There was a rehabilitation centre where we used to train almost every single day. The centre was next to the Westfalenstadion, so I always used to see players like Julio Cesar and the players who won the Champions League for BVB; that was pretty huge for me at the time.

“There were crazy high expectations on the part of BVB fans. Coming from Bielefeld with 18 goals in the league and five goals in the cup, everyone at BVB was expecting me to score 20 goals from the outset, but that is not how it turned out. It was dramatic because I couldn’t find the net, which, for a striker, is damning.”

What were the main challenges at BVB at the time?

“Those were challenging times for BVB. We had a lot of players who were injured. Our manager, the Dutchman, Bert van Marwijk, who also led Holland to the World Cup final, had the right concept because I was a good crosser.

“He wanted me to feed Czech striker Jan Koller. He told me, ‘You know you can make the space. You can cross. I want you to take on players, get down the wings, and put in crosses, and Jan Koller will finish.’

“Koller got injured and couldn’t play for six or seven months, so I couldn’t play on the wing anymore but had to play in midfield, and I felt the strain. The expectations of me as a striker were so high, and I had difficulty keeping up with the demands at that level.”

“You will know that that wasn’t the Borussia Dortmund you see now. BVB had a significant amount of debt; I don’t recall the exact figure, but it was reportedly around €120m.

“The situation was aggravated by the management. The fans were heartbroken. We players had to accept cuts to our salaries. A lot of players had been earning great money in Dortmund, and there was a lot of dissatisfaction in the locker room.

“For a young player, I came at the wrong time, in my view. Things were not working out for me, and the fans were getting on my back. I couldn’t take a walk in Dortmund because fans were unhappy due to bad performances, and they would let you know.

“BVB are a big club. I was expected to produce, and I didn’t; it’s as simple as that; frankly speaking, I didn’t have my ‘mojo.’ I lost my technique, my style. A lot of it was mental. I had to leave, and I asked the club to loan me out.

“The move to Basel couldn’t come soon enough. Winning the Swiss cup was, after the challenges at BVB, a revelation – Buckley was back.”

You returned to BVB in 2008, and in your first season (2005-06), you played with highly-renowned players like Koller, Sebastian Kehl, Florian Kringe, Christoph Metzelder, and Ebi Smolarek. Take us back to the locker room. What were the friendships at the time?

“I was very, very good friends with Jan Koller. He is a top guy. Ebi Smolarek had an astounding work rate and scored some great goals; he led from the front. Additionally, Florian Kringe was a great teammate and friend. These are the individuals who would show me the tricks of the trade.

“As a player, it only clicked in terms of play when I returned in 2007-08, after coming back from Basel to Borussia Dortmund. The club was a different place. The financial situation was different. Thomas Doll had taken over as coach, and BVB wanted me back.

“Guys like Sebastian Kehl brought me back into the heart of Borussia. When I returned to Dortmund, I realized what I had to do, how to act, and how to play, and the fans started to like me at BVB; that was special.”

That season, one young 17-year-old joined on loan from Bayern Munich. Was Mats Hummels’ ability noticeable in that first season? Could you see the player he was going to become?

“Mats Hummels was so young. Every time I drove to training, I had to pass by his flat. At that time, he didn’t even have a driving license. I used to pick him up from his apartment to take him to training and drop him home every day, so we became pretty close.

“He was inexperienced but a very clever player. Mats was learning the game. I was his mentor. I was teaching him how to be a professional. Mats is a very down-to-earth and sociable person.

“When he came at that time, I think he was playing in the wrong position. They were trying to play him as a six, and Hummels was never a six.

“When they discovered that he was a centre-back, that’s when his football started to take off. His contribution to the team was noticeable. He started playing well and became a valuable asset for Borussia Dortmund.

“I mean, he wouldn’t have won the World Cup with Germany if he wasn’t that great a player, would he?”

It’s 2007-08. . You’re back, playing regularly, and the fans love you. On your 30th birthday, there’s a heart-warming rendition in the Westfalenstadion, a special day, describe what happened…

“Yes, I remember that. How can I not? That was one of the great memories at the time, one of the best feelings I can remember as a player. I will never forget that; It was after the match against Bielefeld. I came on in the 70th minute.

“After the game, Nobby Dickel, the BVB stadium announcer, made a shout-out on the PA system ‘Delron Buckley turns 30 today, have we got a song for him?’

“Suddenly, I had 80,000 singing Happy Birthday for me. I mean, where do you get that many people wishing you a happy birthday when you turn 30? For me, that was something special, and I thank the BVB fans until today for that amazing memory.”

…And then BVB reached the 2008 DFB Pokal final?

“We made it to the DFB Cup final against Bayern Munich, that was the highlight, walking out in front of 75,000. I came on as a substitute. Although we lost 2-1, the whole experience was amazing -the fight, the atmosphere. I still have Ze Roberto’s Bayern shirt, which we exchanged after the game.

“We only finished 13th in the league, so getting to the final was special. What made the difference for me through the season was that I started discovering how the Dortmund mentality works and how the fans see the players. It’s amazing how things changed with the fans from 2006-07 to 2008 when I came back.

“The fans initially didn’t like me much. Then, coming back, the situation had changed; I was on the team, and we made the final, and I was on the side of the South stand again.

“I think if I had come to Dortmund at a time like, for example, the current era, when they are playing great football again, you know, it wouldn’t be a problem. Things would have been different, most definitely.”

What recollections do you have of Jürgen Klopp, who joined Dortmund in 2008?

“As a coach, he was unbelievable. He had a brilliant approach. He knew exactly how to motivate a team. When you are on the field, you are going to war for Klopp; that’s how good he is.

“You know, as a leader, he gets the players on his side. You know, the minute he puts you in, you are going to give your all for him because he knows how to motivate players to bring out their potential on the field.

“I believe his strength lies in his ability to apply his knowledge of psychology to help players reach their maximum performance.

“Although I didn’t get a lot of playing time in my final season, looking back, Jürgen is undoubtedly a brilliant coach. I can say I learnt a lot from him”.

Between 1998 and 2012, you were selected 73 times for South Africa, scoring 10 goals and taking part in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup tournaments. You are one of the few players to have gained their first cap at a World Cup, coming on in the 88th minute against Denmark at France ’98. You are South Africa’s eighth-most-capped player in a list that includes greats like Benni McCarthy, Quinton Fortune, and Lucas Radebe. What does playing for Bafana Bafana mean to you?

“I didn’t expect to be at the World Cup. At the time of the 1998 World Cup, I was playing football at VfL Bochum as a youngster, barely getting first-team football.

“I got called up to the national team. I was part of a preliminary 30-player squad invited to a two-week training camp. I never thought I would get selected for the final 22 players that would go to the World Cup.

“My whole family lived in South Africa. Especially for the family, it was special that one of theirs represented the country.

“I am a German citizen and married into a German family, but I was born in South Africa, and I was going to play for ‘Bafana Bafana’. Every cap was special, I have many of the kits to remember them by.”

“The reason why I opened a football academy is that when I returned to South Africa at the end of my career to play for Maritzburg United, I realized what a huge gap in terms of the development of the young players there is here.

“Many players are not taught how to stop the ball, how to play a ball diagonally, or the correct technique for turning with the ball. So I decided to open the Delron Buckley Soccer School. I teach kids the basics and help them improve their fitness.

“I have a partnership with Manchester United. Twice a year, I bring 22 kids to a one-week training camp in Manchester, where Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and Phil Neville coach them.

“They get to play against amateur teams in their age division in England. I also have a partnership with Mike Clegg, who trained Cristiano Ronaldo. Hopefully, through this initiative, one or two major South African talents will be discovered.”

Your former club, BVB, play Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. When you returned to South Africa after spending most of your career in European football, why did you join Maritzburg United instead of a top club like Sundowns?

“I wanted to play for those teams when I wanted to come back. I wanted to finish my career with Pirates or Chiefs or ideally Sundowns, but I was told that I was too old to play. I was 35. So, I was told, ‘No, he’s too old, and he won’t cope with the league.’

“So, this is how I ended up instead at Maritzburg. And then in the first season,  I was named Man of the Match four times.”

“From what I’ve seen at this tournament, anything is possible. Dortmund’s performance against the Brazilian team wasn’t up to standard in terms of the way we know Dortmund can play, but Fluminense is a good team that know how to move the ball around quickly.

“The Brazilian team have quick attackers and a solid defence. Sundowns have three points in the bag and are riding high, but Ulsan was not that strong;  their finishing was abysmal, although the South Korean team had many chances. Sundowns were also lucky to beat Ulsan. Against Dortmund, it will be a bigger challenge.”