THOMAS HITZLSPERGER “AS A YOUNG GERMAN In ENGLAND, I SOON LEARNED THE PHRASE ‘BANTER’. I HAD TO GET USED TO THAT!”
‘The Hammer’ lifts the lid on being a fan favourite at Villa, scoring derby winners and having his heart broken by Jogi Löw
What was it like having to move to England so young, leaving Bayern Munich for Aston Villa aged 18, in 2000?
It was a fantastic experience. I hadn’t heard of many of the Villa first-team players when I arrived, although I instantly realised that they were household names. Of course, Paul Merson and Gareth Southgate were already known to me back then, but several other players such as Dion Dublin and Ugo Ehiogu were great personalities also. I was a young German lad living in England, so there were those prejudices; they were still there at the time, but in a nice way. I quickly learned the expression ‘banter’. I had to get used to that.
How was your relationship with your first manager, John Gregory? He had a number of high-profile bust-ups during his reign...
I wouldn’t say he scared me – but close to it. He was a real character. I soon learned what a ‘gaffer’ truly was. He was always storming into the dressing room, banging against the door and throwing water bottles around. But I really liked and had a lot of respect for him.
The 2001-02 season must have been quite a whirlwind for you: loaned to Chesterfield, recalled, then thrown into the first team after Graham Taylor succeeded Gregory...
Timing is always everything in football. The new manager took charge and immediately identified me as a young player he wanted in the first team. He watched me play in the reserves, then I found myself in the squad to face Manchester United at Old Trafford that weekend. He brought me on after about 70 minutes. I was the same player the previous week when John Gregory was there, and he didn’t pick me. Such is life!
What was your favourite Aston Villa goal?
My goal against Birmingham when we drew in 2004 is my favourite. I watched it again just the other day. Scoring in derbies always felt special: I also remember the late winner at home to West Bromwich Albion in 2002. I get goosebumps just thinking about that. As a footballer, you want to score important goals and win the derbies; people always ask, “Do foreigners understand what it means to play Birmingham, West Brom or Wolves?” – well, nobody had to tell me!
Did you ever imagine you would become such a fan favourite at the club?
I didn’t go to Aston Villa wanting to be a fan favourite – I went to become a professional footballer. The longer I was there, the more I realised the importance of the club, the city and its status within the country. You grow with it. In time, you think, ‘I’m really enjoying this!’ It’s so rewarding. Then people come up with a nickname and scream “Shoot!” when you receive the ball, and you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’ Then you start to love it. I’m delighted it happened, and not many people can say they had a special nickname as I did.
The 2006-07 Stuttgart side that won the Bundesliga featured yourself, Cacau, a young Mario Gomez and an even younger Sami Khedira – were there any unsung heroes as well?
We had Pavel Pardo that season from Mexico. It’s rare even to this day to bring Mexican players to the Bundesliga. I’d say
Pavel was an unsung hero. People knew how important he was and liked him immediately, but the strikers got all the headlines; Gomez and Cacau scored a lot of goals, and I scored a cracker on the season’s final day. Pavel has a great personality and he played the No.6 holding midfielder role almost to perfection.
Which midfield partner complemented you the best, in your 52 caps for Germany between 2004 and 2010?
I’d say Michael Ballack – he was a different type of player: he wanted that free role. He wouldn’t stick to the No.10 or No.6 position; he’d move around everywhere. That wasn’t easy at times, because he’d do whatever he thought was right, but his goalscoring ability was brilliant. It just made life hard when he came deep to receive the ball. If he wasn’t part of the game, he’d drop into the back four to get it. I’d be like, ‘Stay upfield – I’ll get the ball, then give it to you!’ But I admired his understanding of the game. He’d pop up in the box and score, even from set-pieces.
You made one appearance at the 2006 World Cup on home soil but had a bigger role at Euro 2008, assisting the winning goal against Turkey in the semi-final…
I think that was the best pass I ever played. [Philipp] Lahm took a wonderful touch and finished it. I didn’t start the first game, but I gradually got into the team and ended up in the starting line-up for the quarter-final against Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo was in that side and I was up against Deco. To be part of the national team at that time was probably the pinnacle of my football career.
How disappointing was it to be left out of the 2010 World Cup squad, having played in all but one of the qualifiers?
I was devastated when Joachim Löw finally rang me. I could see it coming in the weeks leading up to the phone call, as I was having a really difficult spell at Lazio. But I’d played the most minutes of any player in qualifying, so not to be in the squad was shattering. It was a period of change, with young players coming through, and it was a positive World Cup for Germany – a turning point – but it was also the first difficult moment for me.
As Stuttgart’s director of football and then CEO, what did it mean to you to take them back into the top flight in 2019-20?
I started as a pundit, which I enjoyed, then Stuttgart called to say they wanted me back. They’d just been relegated. I worked my way up and became CEO – another thing I never tried to achieve. When people have faith in you at a football club, you’re able to do more and more. That was excellent. Getting relegated is the worst thing that can happen to a big club like Stuttgart and it’s so difficult to go straight back up – it’s expected, but not a given. It’s tough. We managed it and it was a superb achievement – I was delighted.