Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Ex-star with a steep thesis
Dietmar Hamann issues Reus Qatar ban
By Stephan Uersfeld
Dietmar Hamann is mad at Marco Reus. Last summer he put his body above the well-being of the national team. An absurdity for the ex-national player who likes to knock you out to keep talking. Reus, says Hamann, is not allowed to go to the World Cup in Qatar.
Dietmar Hamann has once again cut one out. The ex-national player rarely lacks steep theses anyway. It is his way of fighting back from slowly disappearing into insignificance. People like to remember his assessment of Robert Lewandowski in February 2019. At that time, the former national player strongly recommended the sale of the Polish striker to Bayern. After a long excitement about the way the Bayern star played, he finally concluded: “He always wants to be seen as the third best player in the world – he is miles away from that. At the moment there are five, six or ten who have passed him are.”
Just one year later, Lewandowski was voted the best player in the world and another year later he broke Gerd Müller’s legendary 40-goal record. At the moment, hardly anyone doubts that Lewandowski is the best player in the world. In the upcoming elections, too, he is said to have the greatest chances. Perhaps even from Dietmar “Didi” Hamann, who long ago found another topic that brought him the necessary attention, also at this point. For some time now, Hamann has been working on BVB captain Marco Reus. According to the ex-Bayern player, he forfeited any right to participate in the 2022 World Cup and also to be appointed to the national team.
A Hamann does not forget
The Reus offense: renouncing the European Championship last summer. A deadly sin, almost treason, according to Hamann, who now speaks out in the program “Project World Champion – Road To Qatar” on Sky Sport News with his urgent recommendation to national coach Hansi Flick. “In the six months before that he played with the best football of his career. He would have been invited to the European Championship, and I also think we could have used him,” said Hamann, adding: “If you were of your own free will skip a big tournament, then your career as a national player is over. ” At most, as an emergency nail in the coming winter and only after twelve outstanding months, Flick should think about a nomination. The national coach will be happy to note and file the receipt of the recommendation.
Hamann is not even particularly wrong with part of his statement. After a long start-up phase, Reus managed to turn things around with Borussia Dortmund last season. The Dortmund captain had led his team back to the Champions League and the cup with some outstanding performances. In the final in Berlin he played a decisive role in the 4-1 success against Leipzig with two assists. As a result, Reus, who had come back into the field of vision of the then national coach Joachim Löw due to his strong performance, announced that he would not take part in the European Championship.
“It was definitely not an easy decision. It was important for my body and my further career. I came from a long injury that was very difficult to treat,” said Reus recently at Sport1. “I’m still convinced that it was the right thing to do. For the first time in a long time, I stayed healthy in preparation. I’m in top shape. That way I can help the national team a lot better.”
Flick thinks Reus is big
With a total of 49 competitive games in one season, Reus was able to start and finish a season with almost no injury worries for the first time since 2012/2013. The 32-year-old now took a break to be able to play at a high level for a few more years. Without Reus, who had not been part of the national team since 2019, Germany dropped out of the tournament early. And Hamann left no doubt with his airless statements that he made Reus jointly responsible for the departure.
In contrast to Hamann, the new national coach, Hansi Flick, thinks the Dortmund man is big. He has nominated him for every course so far, but has also given him a break, which briefly led to a Bundesliga squabble between Bayern and Dortmund. Against Liechtenstein, Reus scored four goals for the first time in his national team career, the “kicker” chose him as player of the game and before leaving for the game against Armenia, Reus Sport1 said: “After all the injuries, I know my body very well and I know it when to take a break. ”
Dietmar Hamann doesn’t know this body, but he knows how to get yourself back into conversation. And so he has now issued a ban on Qatar to Marco Reus. After everything that is known about Hamann’s previous statements, that means: Reus will be the player of the tournament in the coming year.