He broke his fibula, missed an important penalty and only scored three goals: Last season, things went rather mediocre for Luca Waldschmidt. That is now set to change for the seven-time national player.
New season, new luck: Cologne striker Luca Waldschmidt wants to lead the team in the future. picture alliance / BEAUTIFUL SPORTS
The failure of one person can sometimes be a source of encouragement for another. That’s a bit the case with Luca Waldschmidt. “Even Cristiano Ronaldo misses sometimes,” says Waldschmidt about the Portuguese’s missed penalty in the round of 16 win against Slovenia. He himself had recently missed from the spot in 1:1 between 1. FC Cologne and Mainz 05 – in a match in which everything was at stake for the team that was later relegated. “It happens,” says Waldschmidt, emphatically calm. However, he shot wide of the goal, while Ronaldo’s attempt was saved. Waldschmidt nevertheless announces: “I’ll take the next ten.”
Second division debut at 28 years old
It is not yet clear whether the new coach Gerhard Struber will make him the first penalty taker. But the message is clear: Luca Waldschmidt wants to do better than he has done recently and he does not want to be thrown off course. At 28, he is already one of the five oldest players in the FC squad. Seven international matches also make him one of the most experienced players. “I definitely want to be at the forefront,” says Waldschmidt about his first season, which he will play in the 2nd division.
He has scored three goals in 22 top-flight appearances, but his average rating of 4.25 from kicker is rather mediocre. A broken fibula has had a significant impact on this season, but things have not been going well for the striker, who was loaned from VfL Wolfsburg last summer. Sports director Christian Keller decided against exercising his purchase option for him worth three to four million euros, but brought the left-footer to Cologne permanently in mid-June. This was also possible because Wolfsburg planned without Waldschmidt and he is foregoing his salary. Waldschmidt is unlikely to become poor, however.
In top form there is no way past him
A second year in Cologne, the difficult “project of promotion” in the 2nd division. “I feel extremely comfortable in Cologne,” emphasises Waldschmidt and reveals: “I don’t want to say that I have often run away in my career. But in difficult situations I have often said: OK, now it’s time for a fresh start. This here in Cologne is certainly a difficult situation. It hasn’t gone as we had imagined. But now I want to repay the trust that was put in me last season.”
If Waldschmidt gets back into top form, Struber will not be able to avoid him. Especially since the offensive player can be used flexibly in the front row, hanging behind or even on the wing and shoots dangerous set pieces. “He has a good mixture of energy, enthusiasm and matter-of-factness when he interrupts us in training and shows us how he wants it,” says Waldschmidt about the coach. That goes down well with the team.
Waldschmidt can prove on Friday that he is serious about his new role in Cologne: 1. FC Cologne will be playing a friendly against Sportfreunde Siegen (4 p.m.). His best friend Julian Bibleka, with whom he once played in Frankfurt, will be there for the top division team. Waldschmidt will still be merciless, even if it might hurt a little: Bibleka is a goalkeeper…
2024-07-03 13:30:37
#time #running #Waldschmidt #lead #Cologne
