Thomas Doll: “All it takes is the word Copenhagen"

HSV.de: Thomas, it's been a long time! How many details do you still remember from the UEFA Cup matches against Copenhagen?

Thomas Doll: I don't remember quite so much about the first leg, but the second leg is still very vivid in my mind. I've often spoken about it with one or two people since. On the way to the match, 10,000 fans lined the route outside the stadium and banged on the team bus. The players stood up to see what was going on. They weren't used to anything like that. I hardly had to say anything in the dressing room because the players were already so fired up. It remained 0-0 for a long time, which wouldn't have been enough for us. To make matters worse, Sergej Barbarez missed a penalty, I was sent to the stands and Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off. Then, shortly before the end, came that one incident which led to the penalty – a decision that not everyone would probably have agreed with. Rafa (van der Vaart; ed.) converted it with ice-cold composure. It was an important victory for HSV, both on the pitch and financially. A real highlight.

Although it was only September, these were already your 14th and 18th competitive matches of the season.

Copenhagen marked something of a conclusion to a special period, even before the fantastic 2005/06 season had really got going. By that point, we had already won the UEFA Intertoto Cup. There had been some wonderful moments, but it was a long journey. We had to bring everything together: the European fixtures, our actual preparations for the season and the start of the Bundesliga campaign. At times, we flew straight from a training camp to a European match. Or, after the Copenhagen game, we travelled to Kaiserslautern, where the lads won 3-0 in very convincing fashion because they were still full of euphoria. It was a fantastic week that brought the team even closer together.

When it comes to remembering things, are you someone who relies on your long-term memory or do you actively make an effort not to forget?

All it takes is the word ‘Copenhagen’ and I can picture the bus and the fans again, or feel the drama of the occasion. It all comes back to me very quickly. Other than that, I don't spend too much time reminiscing, unless I'm sitting around with friends and someone starts telling one of those stories. Then it all comes flooding back. After all, we're not getting any younger. (laughs)

Rafael van der Vaart recently said that he would have run through fire for you. How does it feel to know that your time working together still means so much to him, even all these years later?

It's wonderful that he holds me in such high regard. He's a fantastic lad who enjoyed an impressive career and won numerous caps for the Netherlands. We had a brilliant time together, during which he developed into a world-class player. He had an exceptional left foot.

How do you build such a close relationship with a player?

Footballers are sensitive. It's important to make them aware of what they're doing well and where they could improve. For example, I didn't just mollycoddle Rafa; I was also very direct with him. But it's equally important to move away from football when having conversations and make time for other topics. I didn't have that during my own playing career, so I wanted to do things very differently myself. It turned out to be exactly the right decision.

Your former HSV players are now in their forties and fifties. Will they always remain ‘your lads’ in some way?

My mum is 89, I'm 60, and I'm still her ‘little one’. (smiles) It's not quite as deep-rooted with the players, but you can compare it to the bond between parents and their children to some extent. That's why they will, of course, always remain my lads. Everything worked really well. The boys enjoyed themselves, were happy to come to training and looked forward to the matches. And when you're winning as well, you walk into a stadium with your chest puffed out.

The European nights of 2005 marked the beginning of the friendship between HSV and FC Copenhagen's supporters, which has grown ever stronger in recent years. What are your thoughts on that?

It's obviously a wonderful thing that a genuine friendship between the fans has developed over all these years. That's quite special. All the more reason why I'm looking forward to seeing it celebrated on Sunday. It's more about coming together than the result. That's brilliant. Hamburg and Copenhagen feel like neighbouring cities. I've always been a big fan of the Danish mentality, anyway. There's something special about the Danes – they have a great sense of humour and plenty of fire. I played alongside Thomas Gravesen and Stig Tøfting, for example.

How much are you looking forward to your visit to the Volkspark on Sunday? And how regularly do you make it to the stadium?

I'm looking forward to it and am curious to see who else will be there. Unfortunately, it's been quite a while since I last visited the Volksparkstadion, even though I'm often up in the north. My mother and sister live in Heide. In fact, Merlin Polzin has just sent me a message a few days ago. We've never met in person, but we keep in touch from time to time and have a lot of mutual respect for one another. I'd love to meet up with him, and I'm sure we'll manage to make it happen.