“It’s an honour for me” | OneFootball

David Abraham on how Eintracht are perceived in his native Argentina, his life back home, an enjoyable experience in Sachsenhausen, watching the Eagles play over breakfast, and Tuta’s development.

David, welcome back to Frankfurt. Now that you live in Argentina, what’s the reason for your visit here? “I do a couple of things for Eintracht, but I can’t say more than that at this stage. Obviously I’m going to make the most of being here to visit a lot of friends in Frankfurt.”

The question probably answers itself, but are you enjoying it?" “Absolutely. I always love coming back to Frankfurt – I love the city and the people here.”

Fans always recognise you straight away and talk to you when you’re in Frankfurt, and you’re hugely popular in the Eintracht community. How does that feel? “It feels great. Every time I come here I think that maybe people won’t be as interested in talking to me, but that’s not the case at all. I was at a festival in Sachsenhausen last weekend and some people recognised me. They called me ‘Capitano’, rather than David. That’s an honour for me.”

When was the last time you were at Deutsche Bank Park? “Good question, let me think. It was the draw against Augsburg in December last year.”

Do you regularly watch Eintracht’s matches when you get the chance? “Yes. Previously only Bayern or Dortmund games were really shown on TV in Argentina, but now you can also watch Eintracht and Leverkusen as well. I make myself breakfast and watch the game.”

That’s an indication of Eintracht’s development in recent years, that our games are broadcast on the other side of the world. What do you make of the club’s progress? “It’s incredible what’s been achieved here. Eintracht are now one of the top four teams in the Bundesliga and usually do well in Europe too. That makes me very happy. Things weren’t looking so good back in 2016, but since then things have improved step by step. The club regularly plays in Europe, and has now done so in six of the last 10 seasons. That’s impressive.”

Eintracht will participate in the UEFA Champions League in the coming season. How far do you think they can go? “Obviously you have to wait for the draw to be made, but regardless of who they get, I love games against the top teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City. I hope there will be games against the best of the best.”

You moved back to Argentina in 2021, primarily because of your son. Has everything worked out the way you hoped it would? “I spend a lot of time with my son, every two weeks. I’m on my own for two weeks, so I meet up with family and friends and travel around Argentina, which is a huge country. And then for two weeks I’m dad (laughs).”

What do you tell people in Argentina when they ask you about Eintracht Frankfurt? “It wasn’t easy a few years ago, but now everyone here has heard of Eintracht – partly thanks to their first season in the Champions League. I always tell them about our unbelievable fans and the unbelievable feeling of playing in front of them at Deutsche Bank Park. When I meet other Latin American or South American footballers who played against Eintracht in Frankfurt, they always say: “David, it’s incredible.” A lot of them don’t expect that kind of emotion in Germany, but then they see otherwise.”

Tuta was signed in 2019 with a view to developing into your successor in defence. He’s now made 187 appearances for the club and wore the captain’s armband for the first time in 2024. How do you view his development over that period? “The speed at which he’s developed has been incredible. Obviously at the start he lacked experience, but he’s done really well since then. I think he’s a top-class player who’s always there for the team. He’s also a really good guy, more the quiet type.”

Capitano, what do you think makes the perfect Eintracht captain? “He needs to show emotion and he has to love the city and the club. He needs to have that sense of identification, to understand the club and the people.”

Who are you still in contact with? “With Timmy Chandler, Kevin Trapp and Robin Koch. I also keep in touch with Seppl Rode, Goncalo Paciencia, Filip Kostic and Marco Russ, and of course with my fellow Latinos Carlos Zambrano and Marco Fabián. It’s not easy to see them all in person because everyone’s spread out across the globe, but we text each other and communicate a lot with each other.”