‘I had to look up Huddersfield I didn’t know it’
HERO HEFELE ON HOW TOWN DREAM CAME TRUE
MICHAEL Hefele had been well aware of England’s green and pleasant land thanks to school books he read as a child.
But it wasn’t until a move to Huddersfield Town came about in 2016 that, as a 25-year-old, he would get to see the rolling Yorkshire hills for himself as he joined from Dresden - and he wasn’t disappointed.
It’s getting on for two years since the German defender left Town for Nottingham Forest after becoming a cult figure among fans.
And while he has moved on to pastures new he still remembers his first, and lasting, impressions of Huddersfield life. Speaking to the ‘And He Takes That Chance’ podcast, Hefele said: “Everything was set for me to stay (in Dresden). I was sitting on my sofa and my agent calls me and says that Huddersfield Town want to have me.
“I was like ‘oh my God, this is England, this is really England, this is impossible.’
“I looked up Huddersfield Town as I didn’t know it. I Googled the badge and I liked it straight away. I Googled the stadium, John Smith’s, and I said ‘mmm, delicious, looks nice, really nice.’
“It was a no brainer. I told my agent I wanted to do it as soon as possible. I had a little chat with David Wagner.
“We arrived at Manchester Airport and I was so nervous. We drove this motorway down to Huddersfield and at some point it was just green like in the books in the school. amazing.’
“Then there was this house in the middle of the motorway and then we came to Huddersfield and I was just surprised at the quality of the grass, you know? It was proper English grass. I was like ‘this is a dream.’
“I drank my first tea which was a little bit meh. I had to get used to it.
“Then I signed everything and I felt totally happy. I felt at home, it felt like home. It was like first love, you know? This is how my feelings were.”
Hefele, 29, made a flying start to his career when he netted with his first touch in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa just 26 seconds after stepping off the bench on his league debut.
He made 48 appearances in all competitions for Town and says his affection for Huddersfield and another one of his former clubs, Dynamo Dresden, will never diminish.
“I still love Dynamo Dresden the same as I love Huddersfield Town,” said Hefele. “Huddersfield Town gave me the opportunity to live my dream. When I go up to Huddersfield, they still show me so much love.
“When we went to Wembley and won promotion to the Premier League there were 40,000 people singing the Michael Hefele song. When I came over to the UK it was my dream that I get my own song because the players in the UK, they get their own songs. I was just thinking, try everything and do everything and you may get a song. It is amazing for me.”
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