Martin Hinteregger had little hope that he would make it back to the big soccer stage after his outbooting at FC Augsburg. The central defender confirmed this in an interview with Hessischer Rundfunk.
“I had almost finished my career, and suddenly Frankfurt came along and gave me the chance again,” said Hinteregger, who sees this as the reason for his good performance at the SBU.
He wanted to give something back “for the trust that Frankfurt gave me shortly after the whole story with FC Augsburg”, explained the 26-year-old Austrian national player.
Hinteregger had been suspended at the end of January by the Fuggerstadters after publicly criticising FCA coach Manuel Baum for his tactical attitude after losing 1-0 to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Frankfurt’s Eintracht subsequently reached an agreement with Augsburg on a loan deal until 30 June 2019. Hinteregger immediately became a top performer and has achieved cult status among the fans of the SBU within a second round. The followers of Eintracht even dedicated a song of their own (Hinti Army Now) to the darling of the audience.
“It’s simply indescribable,” said Hinteregger: “How many times have I caught players humming that in the shower? I’m curious to see when the song enters the Austrian charts.”
However, it is more than uncertain whether Hinteregger will continue to play for Eintracht Frankfurt in the coming season. From 1 July, the central defender will again be under contract with FCA. A circumstance he would like to change as quickly as possible.
“My wish is clear to all. Just as everyone here took me in from the very beginning and took me to their hearts, so it was with me too. My wish and my request stand. But from now on I can no longer exert any influence,” explained Hinteregger.
The kicker reported on Tuesday that Augsburg is “most likely” demanding a two-digit million euro redemption. This would make Hinteregger the most expensive newcomer to Hessen. The SBU paid seven million euros each for Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller.
With a view to the last game at FC Bayern Munich, Hinteregger demanded that all forces be mobilized again and that everything be “knocked out”. But he didn’t want to know about the physical exhaustion caused by the long and intense Europa League season, which was obvious in Eintracht’s past Bundesliga matches and led to a negative series of five consecutive games without a win.
“It’s just such a great phase in my career that I would like to start the new season again on May 25th,” said Hinteregger: “Of course there’s the joy of a short break. But it still hurts because it’s so much fun.”
For Hinteregger and Eintracht, Saturday afternoon will be the day for the German record champion to reap the rewards of a strong season. With 54 points, the SBU is still in sixth place in the table, which entitles it to participate again in the Europa League. In the event of a defeat in Munich and the simultaneous victories of Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg, however, the SBU could still miss out on international business.
