Season

Luka Vuskovic: “I couldn’t have imagined it going any better”

The 19-year-old loanee is set for his final appearance in an HSV shirt after an outstanding season. We caught up with him ahead of the game to talk about lucky charms and his brother Mario’s fitness levels.

A series of final moments awaits Luka Vuskovic. When Hamburger SV travel to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday (15:30 CEST) for their final game of the season, he will board the team bus, walk into the dressing room and pull on the shirt for one last time as a HSV player. His loan spell in Hamburg will officially end on 30th June, when he returns to parent club Tottenham Hotspur. It has been an emotional season for the 19-year-old, and one he can look back on with real pride. “We’ve all done a good job. I’m happy with how everything has gone. I couldn’t have imagined it going any better,” said Vuskovic.

The youngster has made a real mark on the Bundesliga. No player in the league has won a higher percentage of their duels, with Vuskovic coming out on top in 69.9% of them. He has also scored six goals – an impressive return for a centre-back. On top of that, his 2,562 minutes across 29 competitive appearances make him one of HSV’s most-utilised players this season. Only a bruised knee, a yellow-card suspension and the fact he did not arrive in Hamburg until shortly before last summer’s transfer deadline prevented him from featuring even more often. “I think it’s been a good year for me. My teammates, the coaching staff and the fans have really helped me a lot. When I made mistakes, they supported me and kept pushing me on,” said Vuskovic with his typical humility.

His HSV debut – a 5-0 defeat away at Bayern München in mid-September – is unlikely to live too long in the memory, but the same cannot be said for what he described as his “farewell party” in the home game against SC Freiburg last weekend. In his final appearance at the Volksparkstadion, HSV beat the Europa League finalists – and Vuskovic scored in front of the Nordtribüne. Afterwards, he held up the shirt bearing his name and number 44 towards the crowd. Asked about that moment, the Croatian was almost lost for words. “It’s hard to explain. It’s an incredible amount of happiness. I’m just over the moon,” he said.

The fact Vuskovic delivered that kind of performance in his Volkspark farewell may also have had something to do with his family. When dad Daniel, mum Sanja and brother Mario are at the Volksparkstadion, things tend to go well for HSV – and for Luka himself. In each of the four home games in which he scored, all three of them were in the stands: against 1. FC Heidenheim (2-1 win), SV Werder Bremen (3-2 win), FC Bayern München (2-2 draw) and, most recently, SC Freiburg (3-2 win). “They seem to be a bit like lucky charms,” said Vuskovic with a smile, before stressing: “HSV means a lot to us as a family. It’s a second home.”

His departure will not mark the end of the Vuskovic story at HSV, of course – quite the opposite. Brother Mario is targeting his comeback at the end of the year after serving his four-year ban. “He’s doing well. He’s training every day so he can come back in the best possible shape. When we play against each other, I can see he’s in a better condition. He can’t wait to return. I can see how much he loves the club, and how much he loves playing and training here,” said Luka, offering an update on his brother, who is five years his senior. He is convinced: “Next season is going to be really special.”

For Luka himself, Saturday now brings the season finale – and the end of his time with HSV and in Hamburg. One more appearance in a HSV shirt, 90 minutes of full commitment and, ideally, a fitting send-off with a third straight win celebrated together with the travelling fans.