Edson Braafheid interview: "I couldn't handle the pressure at Bayern Munich"

Edson Braafheid played 19 games for Bayern Munich.
© imago images / ActionPictures
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Who do remember especially from your teammates?

Braafheid: The team itself was absolute madness, a perfect mix of talented and experienced players. For me as a defender, Luca Toni was an incredibly frustrating opponent in training. He always placed his body perfectly between the ball and his opponent, shooting with his right foot, shooting with his left foot. He was also a weapon in the air. You couldn't stop him.

Was Toni the best player in the Bayern squad back then?

Braafheid: I wouldn't say that. Everyone was special in his own way. I often took my imaginary hat off to Philipp Lahm. I can't remember a bad game from him. The guy didn't even play a bad pass in training. He was cold as ice.

And Ribery, your partner on the left wing?

Braafheid: Franck is the kind of football player who tells you a joke and tackles you ten seconds later. With him, fun can turn into seriousness very, very quickly. Especially when things aren't going well. There are a lot of supposedly great football players, but they hide themselves when it really counts. Franck never hid himself. And that's what really makes a great player. He was always angry when he didn't get the ball. "Offensive, offensive," he always shouted. You always knew: You can count on him. For me it was wonderful to play with him. He and Robben were amazing wingers, surely two of the best ever in football.

So how did it feel for you in January 2011 to leave this great team and join TSG Hoffenheim?

Braafheid: Hoffenheim was a village club compared to Bayern. But the people there gave me a very warm welcome. And I was full of positive energy because I wanted to finally prove myself in the Bundesliga.

Had a lot of fun together: Edson Braafheid and Franck Ribery (r.).
© imago images / Ulmer
Had a lot of fun together: Edson Braafheid and Franck Ribery (r.).

Braafheid: "I never caused any problems at Hoffenheim"

Which only partially worked. In summer 2013, you ended up in the "Training group two" where you weren't allowed to train with the first team.

Braafheid: I will never forget when I contacted the sporting director after the summer break because I wasn't informed about our return to training. I thought to myself: Okay, they probably forgot to contact me. Then one Saturday I was told to come by two days later. There I only met a small group of players and we were told: "Hey guys, the manager wants to try something and you're out for now. Train here and find another club as soon as possible."

What was your reaction?

Braafheid: I thought at first that they want to fool me. There was no reason to treat me like this. I never caused any problems or trained unprofessionally before. But they were serious. So I was supposed to go there every day and train isolated from the Bundesliga squad. Like I was a criminal.

The problems actually started one year before when Hoffenheim coach Markus Babbel sent you to train with the under-23 team. Didn't you ever have an open conversation with him?

Braafheid: Yes, yes. But it took me two months to arrange this conversation with him. "What is this circus? What have I done wrong?", I asked him. He replied, "It's all right, Edson, you didn't do anything wrong, but we don't think you fit into the team anymore." I went on: "Then why can't I train with the team for once? Is it my smile that bothers you or what's the problem here?" He said: "No, there's no personal problem. This decision is based only on sporting reasons." I didn't let up and asked him to train with the whole team. "And if I'm only third choice on a position: I will work my ass off." Then he smiled and said, "I like your attitude. I'll see what I can do and get back to you in a few days." I never heard from him again. What a joke, man!

You know who ordered the decision to create a "Training group two"?

Braafheid: No. I've never been in contact with the people in charge either. In my three years there, I never spoke a word to Dietmar Hopp.

"The worst experience": Edson Braafheid played 34 games for TSG Hoffenheim.
© imago images / Claus Bergmann
"The worst experience": Edson Braafheid played 34 games for TSG Hoffenheim.

Braafheid: "I was in a deep hole"

How badly did this situation affect you?

Braafheid: I wanted to leave immediately, but it didn't work out. The thing went straight to the media. It was partly written that we are problematic professionals. I had a bad-boy image, which is why other clubs hesitated to talk to me, even though they didn't even know me personally. They probably thought: If these guys train in a separate group, there must be something wrong with them. It was the worst experience of my career because I couldn't do anything against it. I had the feeling that I was in a deep hole.

At that time, were you also thinking about ending your career prematurely?

Braafheid: The fear of not finding a club was there, of course. But I was 29, 30 at the time, which is actually the best age for a footballer, at least in terms of physical fitness. That's why I didn't give up and trained with the hope of getting a chance at another club one day.

With Tim Wiese there was another prominent player in the "Training group two". How did he deal with the situation?

Braafheid: Tim was angry, like all of us. But I can only talk about myself: I turned that anger into motivation. Without my family I would probably have become depressed. It distracted me. I was never alone, thank God.

In 2014, you got the opportunity to escape from Hoffenheim. Lazio signed you, you stayed in Italy for two years.

Braafheid: The time at Hoffenheim taught me that even after the longest rainstorm the sun shines again sometime. In Italy I rediscovered the fun of football. I had a great time there.

After your time in Italy you returned to your first professional club, FC Utrecht. Now you play in Texas for Austin Bold, a second-league club. Like many athletes in the United States, you are committed to fighting racism in the social media. What do you think about the #blacklivematters campaign after the death of George Floyd?

Braafheid: It's important to point out that racism and discrimination are unfortunately still very present in our society. The death of George Floyd shouldn't be forgotten. I can see from myself that I have been silent on this topic for far too long.

Braafheid: "You have to expect monkey noises"

Tell me about it.

Braafheid: Unfortunately, I have had negative experiences with racism everywhere in my private and professional life, whether in Italy, the USA or Germany. As a black player these days you almost have to expect monkey noises or other snide noises from the opponent's fans when you have the lead with your team. They want to make you feel bad, get you out of your comfort zone. I have heard such noises sometimes in my career, and they have been directed at me or other black players in my team. The problem: I more or less ignored it during the match itself because I was focused to finish and win the match. Looking back, I should have been more active against it. But honestly, even with 37, I still sometimes don't know how to deal with it.

In what way?

Braafheid: The question is: How do I recognize racism? By remarks? By gestures? If it isn't a clear insult about your skin color or origin, the room for interpretation is big. The important thing is that you feel comfortable and treated equally. I often didn't have this impression. For example, when I was shopping, I often thought: Why is this person treating me like this now? Of course, it could be that this person also treats white people in this way, but I don't know. Such situations often left me with the question: Was this racism? It is important to ask this question actively instead of thinking: Oh, that's not worth it, I think it's better to be silent and avoid a possibly unpleasant discussion.

Football is slowly coming back in the United States. How long do you want to play?

Braafheid: We recently had two positive corona cases in the team. I tested negative. But regardless of the test result, it was clear to me that I wouldn't train for a few weeks. My wife and I are expecting a baby and we are looking forward to it now. My career is coming to an end anyway. It is possible that I will finish to play this year.

Edson Braafheid plays for Austin Bold in the United States.
© Austin Bold
Edson Braafheid plays for Austin Bold in the United States.

Braafheid: "It's time to start being a family man"

And after that?

Braafheid: I think it's time to start being a real family man. With all the training sessions and travelling as a professional, it is very difficult to lead a regular family life. I still have two children in the Netherlands that I see very rarely. I want to be there for everyone. That doesn't mean that I'm giving up football completely.

Does that mean you can imagine working as a coach?

Braafheid: As a coach your relationship with the individual players is rather superficial, because you're in charge of a squad of 20 to 30 players and have to put the collective above individual needs. I would therefore prefer to work specifically with individual players, in management. It's important to understand a footballer as a person. Everyone has their own story that shapes them. Football is 90 percent mental. No matter how much talent and physical strength you have, you can only get your best out of you if you are mentally strong.

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