On his Bundesliga debut, Jamie Leweling scored straight away, and also on his premiere for the U21s. The young attacker took the momentum with him to Furth, but against VfL Wolfsburg he will still have to back up on Saturday.
For the Bundesliga game against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday they have invited a few special guests to the Greuther Furth game association. Managing director Holger Schwiewagner had already issued the invitation 16 months ago, but the circumstances have only made a visit to the Ronhof possible now.
In May 2020, when the first wave of the corona pandemic was rolling through the country, Schwiewagner invited doctors and nurses from the Erlangen University Hospital to a home game under the heading "Tickets for everyday heroes" as soon as "major events can take place with a clear conscience". Because this is only now possible again, and only under strict hygiene regulations, the guests can at least enjoy top division football.
In the past 16 months, Furth's footballers have taken the great opportunity to become heroes of promotion. Now, after the hard landing in the Bundesliga, new heroes are being sought at the clover leaf; at best, they are non-relegation heroes.
Jamie Leweling could be one of them. After a convincing first season with the professionals, he was rarely the first choice last season. At the next level up, surprisingly, it is one of the few bright spots in Furth. At the start in Stuttgart he scored a goal, even after his substitutions against Bielefeld and Mainz he brought a breath of fresh air. In contrast to many of his colleagues, he seems relatively carefree and acts liberated again.
"That is normal for a young player," says the 20-year-old, looking back on the past season with a little distance: "After a high there is often a low, but then another high." After his strong performances in the first season, significantly larger clubs showed interest. "You have to deal with that first," says coach Stefan Leitl, who had the feeling that Leweling had recently "put himself under a little too much pressure".
The attacker, who is still young, apparently used the summer break to pack some ballast out of his backpack. After his at least individually successful start to the season, he scored last week on his U21 debut against San Marino, and now he wants to take the confidence and momentum with him to Furth. He himself thinks it is unlikely that he will be allowed to play against Wolfsburg right from the start: "I haven't been there for ten days," he says, referring to the trip to the national team. "He will come to his games", Leitl is confident, maybe he will even become a hero in everyday Bundesliga life.