Igor Matanovic, 22, conflicted after brace sinks former club St. Pauli | OneFootball

Igor Matanovic scored both goals in Freiburg’s 2-1 win at St. Pauli on Sunday, then refused to celebrate against his boyhood club, who are fighting relegation.

“It was a special game for me,” Matanovic said. “When I came out onto the field earlier, the fans gave me a really warm welcome.” He told DAZN.

The Hamburg native joined St. Pauli’s academy in 2010 aged seven, worked as a ball boy and broke into the first team in the 2020/21 campaign. Eintracht Frankfurt signed him for €1.8m in 2021 and loaned him back for two seasons, when he scored three times, before a 2023/24 loan at Karlsruher SC.

Eintracht inserted a buyback clause when selling him to Freiburg and, with form surging since the turn of the year, that clause might be activated. His estimated value has risen by €3m to €10m over the past three months.

“I’m nevertheless wearing the Freiburg crest on my chest today and have to give everything for this club. That’s what I did today. I was lucky the ball bounced that way.”

Head coach Julian Schuster said the 22-year-old has now fully met Freiburg’s demands, praising his work off the ball, tight-space quality and growing goal threat.

Schuster added that Freiburg were happy to beat a good side, felt fortunate to come back against them, and voiced confidence St. Pauli can avoid relegation next year.

Source: Get German Football News