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15.09.2026
Back at HSV: How Mario Vuskovic’s first day unfolded
The number 44 is back in team training. HSV.de followed the Croatian’s return to the Volksparkstadion minute by minute.
8.30am: Mario Vuskovic is back. Two months before his four-year doping ban expires, the Croatian is allowed to take part in team training for the first time. His working day begins with medical examinations, which the 24-year-old undergoes at the Athleticum at the Volksparkstadion, right next to the stadium. Vuskovic is put through a thorough medical check. Several performance tests await him over the next few hours. The centre-back appears excited, motivated and visibly happy.
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10.22am: Vuskovic is sitting on a stationary bike, with several electrodes attached to his body. The member of staff at the Athleticum asks the defender: “Are you ready?” Vuskovic gives a short and clear answer: “Yes.” He completes a step test in which the pace is increased every two minutes. The initial workload is low and gradually increases. Afterwards, he heads to the Volksparkstadion.
10.53am: On his way to the HSV dressing room, head coach Merlin Polzin meets Vuskovic. The two warmly embrace. “Finally,” says the coach. Vuskovic takes a look at his locker, number 44, where his training kit and a “Welcome home!” brochure from the club are waiting for him. He is delighted to find his former teammates Miro Muheim and Bakery Jatta sitting next to him. A few metres further on, Vuskovic spots three pairs of football boots and wonders who the size 49 boots belong to. Team manager Mats Wesling tells him that they belong to youth player Jason Bissi-Mouelle. Vuskovic smiles. Shortly afterwards, he walks past the “Free Vuskovic” banner and the clock counting down to the end of his doping ban in the dressing-room corridor. One quick glance is enough. Vuskovic is focused. In the moments that follow, sporting director Claus Costa and the rest of the coaching staff also stop by. “Welcome back” can be heard in many places.
11.45am: HSV physiotherapist Andreas Thum, who has been with the club since 2015 and therefore already knows Vuskovic, also sits down with the returning player and checks him from head to toe, as is customary for every player before a training session.
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12.30pm: It is time for lunch. Vuskovic uses the opportunity to reconnect with old teammates and get to know his new ones. Alongside Miro Muheim, Bakery Jatta and Daniel Heuer Fernandes, three players from his time before the ban are still part of the HSV squad.
2.07pm: Around an hour before training begins, the Weiß car park at the Volksparkstadion is becoming increasingly busy. HSV fans are counting down the minutes until it gets underway. Many have chosen a fitting shirt for the occasion: Vuskovic’s number 44 shirt. Naturally.
2.12pm: In the meantime, the team has gathered in the dressing room for a video analysis session. Board member Kathleen Krüger is also there. She welcomes Vuskovic back to the team and emphasises the sense of togetherness within the HSV family. Merlin Polzin then gives an emotional reflection on the past four years, during which Vuskovic was unable to play. The player himself then addresses the team and is visibly moved by the moment.
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3.17pm: Vuskovic and the team step onto the pitch at the Volksparkstadion. The former Croatia U21 international heads out into the stadium alongside captain Nicolai Remberg and vice-captain Nicolas Capaldo. He is welcomed by more than 3,000 fans standing in the Nordtribüne and chanting his name, just as they have done over the past four years. One banner reads in Croatian: “It's been a long way, but the destination is getting closer. Welcome back, Mario.” At the beginning of the session, Vuskovic walks through the obligatory guard of honour – naturally facing the home end.
3.21pm: Vuskovic makes his first contact with the ball. During the warm-up, he plays a simple pass to a teammate. The crowd erupts as if a goal has just been scored.
3.32pm: From the HSV box, and in the presence of board members Kathleen Krüger and Eric Huwer, Vuskovic’s family – including his parents Daniel and Sanja – are not the only ones following the action. Numerous people who have accompanied him over the past few years are also there, including former teammates Sebastian Schonlau and Jonas Meffert, as well as former HSV head coach Tim Walter (now all signed at Holstein Kiel), his former assistant coach and fellow Croatian Filip Tapalovic (Borussia Dortmund).
The emotions are running high here, too. “You come in here and the first thing you see is Mum – that’s a completely different moment because she and Dad, as parents, have had to go through an incredible amount, and yet they’ve remained so positive,” Tim Walter tells the HSV.de editorial team. Looking at his former player’s return to the training pitch, he adds: “I always had the impression that Mario remained focused despite the difficult time. It’s wonderful to experience this moment today. He’s simply happy to have the grass beneath his feet again. I’m happy for him, I firmly believe in him and I’m keeping everything crossed for him.”
3.46pm: During one exercise, Vuskovic is back in an 11-man formation for the first time. The right-footer forms a defensive line with Shafiq Nandja and Nicolas Capaldo. Behind him is Daniel Heuer Fernandes in goal, with whom he shared the pitch in 41 competitive matches. The stands applaud Vuskovic when he produces successful actions, such as escaping the press or finding a teammate with a pass.
4.04pm: During a training game, Vuskovic sets up a goal. He plays a long ball to Miro Muheim, who heads it across from the far post into the centre. Jordan Torunarigha then gets the final touch, extending the ball towards Louis Lemke, who taps it in from just a few centimetres out.
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4.06pm: It gets really loud at the Volksparkstadion: Vuskovic scores himself – and what a goal! From around 15 metres, the defender takes aim and smashes the ball into the bottom-left corner. Miro Muheim puts his hands on his head as the fans erupt.
4.15pm: The training session comes to an end after just under an hour. Vuskovic heads over to the North Stand once more and thanks the supporters. He also repeatedly taps the left side of his chest, where the HSV diamond sits beneath his training bib. His name echoes around the Volksparkstadion.
4.18pm: A lively Vuskovic plays a few more passes with Nicolai Remberg before leaving the pitch.
4.32pm: Vuskovic arrives in the aforementioned Box 37, where his parents, the HSV board members and numerous former teammates and companions are waiting. Tim Walter is the first to embrace him and tells him he had a good training session.
4.37pm: A video is played on a television in the box, featuring further invited former teammates and companions who were unable to attend in person, sending Vuskovic their greetings and words of encouragement. Among those featured are his former teammates Robert Glatzel (VfL Wolfsburg), Ludovit Reis (Werder Bremen) and Ransford Königsdörffer (Mainz 05), as well as former HSV board member Jonas Boldt (Hannover 96), former HSV assistant coach Julian Hübner (Holstein Kiel) and former HSV physiotherapist Christian Tambach. Almost all of them greet him with “Brate”, emphasising that Vuskovic is not only a good footballer, but an even better person. Mario sits on a chair, visibly moved, and has to swallow hard several times.
5.05pm: After his visit to the box, Vuskovic plays Teqball with Nicolai Remberg in the stadium's Mixed Zone. His first day back at the Volksparkstadion then comes to an end. Part one of the long-awaited comeback is complete. Now, step by step, the journey continues until 15 November, when he will be eligible to play again. To put it in the words of the fans: the destination is getting closer.
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