Season

Glatzel set for 150th HSV appearance: “I’m incredibly grateful”

The centre-forward is closing in on his 150th competitive appearance for HSV. He talks about his time with the Rothosen, the importance of confidence for a striker and what will matter in the final weeks of the season.

If recent weeks are anything to go by, Robert Glatzel can expect a few congratulations on Saturday. Having featured in each of the last four games, starting three times and coming off the bench once, he looks likely to be involved again away to Eintracht Frankfurt. For “Bobby”, it would be his 150th competitive appearance for HSV. Of the current squad, only Bakery Jatta (231), Daniel Heuer Fernandes (188) and Miro Muheim (158) have reached that milestone.

“I never thought I’d play 150 games for HSV and I’m incredibly grateful. Being able to stay at a club for this long is anything but a given,” said Glatzel. If anyone knows that, it is him. Before joining HSV, he had never spent more than two years at one club in senior football. The 32-year-old is now in his fifth season with the Rothosen and means much more to the club than goals alone. HSV’s number 9 is a fan favourite and an icon to many supporters.

Glatzel has now been at HSV for 1,764 days. The right-footer describes his time in Hamburg as “wonderful” and “incredible” in equal measure. Asked for his highlights, the striker first needed a moment to think. Given the journey he has been on, that is hardly surprising. “I could sit here for a long time. There have been so many special moments and so many special goals. It’s really hard to pick anything out. There have been so many highlights,” stated Glatzel, who has scored 84 goals and set up a further 22 for HSV so far.

In the end, his answer brought him back to the gratitude he mentioned at the start. “The everyday side of it is what’s really special. I mean the encounters with the fans and the way people see you. Then there’s the bond with your teammates as well. None of that can be taken for granted,” said Glatzel, whose name is roared particularly loudly when the line-up is read out at the Volksparkstadion. Unsurprisingly, he also looks back fondly on everything that came with last summer’s promotion, from the Ulm game and the final whistle to the celebrations at Hamburg City Hall and across the city. “Those moments are unforgettable for me,” he stressed.

The odd goal has stayed with him too, whether it was one in the 5-3 win over FC Schalke 04 on the opening day of the 2023/24 season or his winner in the 1-0 derby victory over FC St. Pauli later that same campaign. “Emotionally, they’re right up there,” he explained. Beyond that, he says every Bundesliga goal is something he “really enjoys.”

Speaking about his own season in the Bundesliga, the goalscorer described it as one of “ups and downs”. Glatzel had to wait until matchday 12, the 2-1 win over Stuttgart, for his first start of the season – and when it came, he scored before being forced off injured. He then spent several weeks on the sidelines. After returning to action, he found himself alternating between the starting XI, the bench and the stands, but right now, he is back in the side. “You have to wait for your chance. You have to keep going and you can never give up. It’s really important to keep believing in yourself. You always have to keep going,” said Glatzel, who has scored once in each of the last two games. “The main job of a striker is to score goals. When that happens, it gives you confidence, and that’s hugely important for a striker. Without confidence, you think for a millisecond longer, and that can make all the difference,” explained HSV’s number 9.

On Saturday, he wants to play his part in helping the Rothosen end their run of six games without a win – and take a big step towards Bundesliga safety. “We know it’s in our own hands. Three points would put us in a very strong position. We need to deliver as a team. We have to take in the atmosphere that will be waiting for us at the stadium and use it to our advantage. Frankfurt are a good side, so it won’t be an easy game,” warned Glatzel. Whatever happens, it will be a special occasion if he makes his 150th appearance in an HSV shirt.