Meffert looks back: "My most emotional moment was that day in Sandhausen" | OneFootball

Jonas Meffert scored in the last Hamburg duel with SC Freiburg. However, he will not be participating in tomorrow’s encounter.

The central midfielder returned to Holstein Kiel at the beginning of the year. This means that his goal in the DFB-Pokal second round match in Breisgau was also his last for HSV. Meffert spent a total of four and a half years at the club, but after promotion, he lost significant sporting influence and received an early signal from the club that his expiring contract would not be extended.

During the years in the second division, the 31-year-old was one of the defining figures. Together with Sebastian Schonlau, Daniel Heuer Fernandes, Ludovit Reis, Robert Glatzel, and Miro Muheim, he formed the leadership axis over several seasons. Meffert was ever-present, playing in 126 out of a possible 136 matches and experiencing numerous special moments, crowned by promotion on 10.05.2025.

Meffert almost transferred before promotion

He almost didn’t experience the season at all. In the summer of 2024, Meffert was on the verge of a move to Hull City, where his supporter Tim Walter was briefly working as coach at the time. In the end, he was glad to have stayed in Hamburg (via Abendblatt): “Promotion was very important to me. It would have been sad if I hadn’t experienced it.”

But even in previous years, there was plenty of turmoil surrounding HSV. “The derby wins were always very special. The most emotional moment was certainly the day in Sandhausen, I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Meffert reported. In 2023, a return to the Bundesliga was already within reach. Fans were already celebrating on the pitch before Heidenheim dashed their hopes with two late goals in Regensburg, plunging them into despair. The Hanseatic team had to go into the relegation play-offs against VfB Stuttgart and lost clearly (0:3/1:3).

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Despite the dramatic setbacks, the right-footer never gave up on the big goal: “We scored around 60 points every year, so it was really only a matter of time before we achieved promotion.” In the end, even 59 points were enough. Meffert, who had previously lost in the play-offs with Karlsruhe and Kiel, finally made the long-awaited leap to the Bundesliga but was unable to assert himself in Hamburg against the strong competition.

At least he played his Bundesliga matches two to five there. His only previous appearance had been in October 2016 with SC Freiburg. That’s where HSV will be playing tomorrow, Saturday (3:30 p.m., live on Sky) – and will continue to be supported by their former vice-captain, who is especially looking out for his long-time companions: “I’m already looking forward to seeing the guys like Bakery Jatta or Bobby Glatzel. I hope Bobby scores again right away if he plays. They’re still my boys. I wish them all the best, and of course, HSV as well.”

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