I needed to feel appreciated again - Starke
In his first competitive game for new club FSV Zwickau against SpVgg Unterhaching, Namibian international Manfred Starke delivered an inspiring performance when he scored to help Zwickau beat Unterhaching 2-1.
The Namibian recently joined Zwickau from Kaiserslautern and the 29-year-old offensive midfielder has since described his arrival at Zwickau as much-needed career boost. Starke spent a year at Kaiserlautern before moving to new club.
At former club Kaiserlautern, the change of coach from Sascha Hildmann to Boris Schommers and poor results meant that the Namibian international could no longer deliver the performance he wanted and ultimately, his choice fell on Zwickau – where he has fitted in with one hit.
“It was important for me to feel valued again. The audience was also one of the reasons we won the game in the closing stages,” he explains, saying it was a great feeling to be able to play with fans in the stadium again after a long time.
Even though they started the season with a win, Starke still sees room for improvement. A strong passion for football was aroused early on for Starke. His father was a coach in Namibia for first division team SK Windhoek for several years.
His sister Sandra Starke is no stranger either. Most recently, the Bundesliga player from SC Freiburg prove herself in her first game for the national team against Montenegro (3-0). “Unfortunately, I couldn’t follow the game live,” said Starke, who of course watched a summary and is proud of the younger sister.
It will take some time until he is back on the pitch for the Namibian national team. The qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) starts next month and Starke, who scored one goal in six games for the selection, made it clear: “The national team is still a goal for me”. - www.kicker.de
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