Marcell Jansen: "A smile and a tear in the eye"

Marcell Jansen is filled with anticipation. The DFB Cup quarter finals has thrown the 31-year old a reunion between two of his former sides. Born in Mönchengladbach, he came through Borussia’s youth setup and made his way into the first team, before leaving for Bayern Munich and from there for Hamburger SV. As Borussia and Hamburg prepare to meet one another in the cup, the former Germany international spoke to DFB.de about the upcoming clash, his early retirement at the age of just 29, winning the trophy with FC Bayern, his love of football and life after the game.

DFB.de: Marcell Jansen, with Borussia and HSV set to meet in the DFB Cup, where will your allegiances be lying?

Marcell Jansen: I try to see the positive things. One of the teams will advance either way. I have a greater emotional tie to HSV, but the boys have to earn the game. The game has to go to the team that deserves it more. Either way, I will be watching with a smile and a tear in the eye.

DFB.de: Who do you think will make it from a purely sporting point of view? Hamburg’s dress rehearsal against Bayern did not go so well…

Jansen: It is tough to say. HSV had actually looked a lot better before the 0-8 in Munich, but Borussia have also been playing a much higher level of football lately. In theory Borussia should be a good opponent for Hamburg, as they will have most of the play and HSV can play effectively on the counter, and I think their having the home fans behind them could give them a small advantage.

DFB.de: When you are sat in the stands, do you ever get the feeling that you want to be out on the field and playing again?

Jansen: When you spend your whole life as a footballer you will always feel that itch when you experience the stadium atmosphere. Regardless of when you stop, there will always be that space where football was. I play once or twice a week myself. It is important that I get my ‘football fix‘ and that I can play the game with my kids.

DFB.de: Do you have any regrets about your decision to drop out so early?

Jansen: No. It was a thoroughly considered decision. I am very thankful for the twelve intensive years I had as a footballer. What many do not see is the fact that the road is far longer when you consider family and friends. You have to give up a lot in your youth, and train every day with the aim of getting better and better. That caught up with me a little and I wanted to make my own decisions about my future, and ut myself in a position to learn the things that will be important to me for the next 20, 30 years. I wanted to put myself under positive pressure and not remain in a comfort zone.

DFB.de: Rudi Völler said that you never loved football, and the business of football. What was it about it that put you off?

Jansen: At 18 years old you enter the wonderful world of football, and as a professional you are in a privileged position and make a lot of money. But it is fundamentally a business. You work, you lose your private life and once you are surplus, you are out. I knew that when I came into things but it did not have the passion behind it that got me into football in the first place. It was a considered call, as I say. I wanted to go a different way and make it authentic because I believe that if you only play for the material gain, you do not truly love the game.

DFB.de: When did you begin to reflect on the two sides of the career as a professional footballer?

Jansen: Very early on, but I thought it made sense more on the positive side. I come from a family that did not have very much money who all had to work long and hard their whole lives, but were happy despite that. I was not dependent on the Bundesliga circus to improve my life because I was also happy before that. However, in the early days I asked myself: what if I get two major injuries tomorrow? Will someone still be interested in the fact I was a great talent? Does it really interest people if you were a world champion and then have to go on reality shows? What is any of it worth? It was always more important to me to try and forge my own authentic path than having some hugely decorated career and a river of tributes afterwards. That is why early on I undertook projects, experimented with other corners and tried to learn things tht interested me and that remain relelvant to me now.

DFB.de: How is your post-football career going?

Jansen: Things are going well and as planned so far. We are currently working on a number of projects and I hope that we will gather more as the years go on. A few things are already underway – companies in lifestyle, an online sport label and another startup. I hope that we can get another app up and running soon as well. I have plentya to do and I am enjoying the workload of my new life.

DFB.de: What made you happy as a player?

Jansen: When the referee blew his whistle and I was able to play at home or under the floodlights. Those were my favourites. Or standing for the national anthem with Die Mannschaft. Those things stuck with me. The rest did not have a massive impact.

DFB.de: Are those the things you miss the most?

Jansen: Yes, definitely, but I can still go back a little bit, whether for an indoor tournament or a charity match. It is not the same, sure, but nor would the professional career have been. There were also the small, significant moments, like having discussions with great figures in the game like Ottmar Hitzfeld and Oliver Kahn, or the championship celebrations with Bayern. Getting third place at the 2006 World Cup was the most special because it really brought the whole country together. But there were also more difficult things like fighting relegation, though I found that helped make me strong.

DFB.de: How do you view the recent developments, like action against RB Leipzig, the Südtribune ban at Dortmund and the spitting affair with Carlo Ancelotti?

Jansen: The picture of the current world and that of football are unfortunately looking quite similar. More violence, envy, hatred and selfishness. I find it deeply sad and tough to understand. As a fan of a traditional club you do not have to look elsewhere and concern yourself with the actions of RB Leipzig; there should be pride at the club you are, the greatness of that and the fact you have 25,000 fans of your own in the stands.

DFB.de: How do you see the progress of HSV since your retirement?

Jansen: When change happens, the hope always exists that it will get going and take hold in a positive way. At the moment there has been a small boost, but they are still in a dangerous situation for the whole club. HSV has a lot of work to do over the years ahead. They need a new start: to find a lot of good people to help the club find itself again. Perhaps we are on the road to the new beginning.

DFB.de: Borussia have developed in the last few years as HSV had hoped to themselves – has this surprised you?

Jansen: No. Borussia have been run in an exemplary way since the time of Rolf König’s presidency. There has to be a big respect for the way they have constructed themselves over the years. I experienced it from the earliest youth levels, and seen how unique things are there across the board. I would like to see this kind of calm action and competence at HSV, in line with the same overall structure to aid their progress.

DFB.de: At least one of the two teams will be in the semi finals, and from there only 90 minutes from the final in Berlin. You were on the bench for your final – how did you experience things from that standpoint?

Jansen: It was a great experience even though I did not get onto the pitch, especially having fought against relegation as a young player just a year before that.

DFB.de: How would you describe it to someone who has not experienced it before?

Jansen: It is very difficult to describe because you experience a lot emotions at once. How can you explain the feeling of standing up with the cup in front of the fans? It has to be experienced rather than told, but can be understood by a fan of a club who has won it. The emotions run parallel.

DFB.de: What memories still stick in your mind from the DFB Cup?

Jansen: I always really enjoyed the trips to play against smaller clubs, which is what makes the competition more special. The atmospheres that stay with you, and things are a lot closer to the fans. I would often here shouts from the terraces of “hey, Marcell, fancy going for a beer after the game?” I really liked that – that is what football is at its core.

DFB.de: You were a member of the third-place finishing sides at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and the EURO 2008 finalists: what are your memories of the national team?

Jansen: I have plenty. The EUROs final is one of the biggest events in football. Or the World Cup on home soil – that cannot be beaten. That summer will always be a fairytale to me, regardless of the end. In addition to that, there was a great atmosphere within the DFB and that has remained, which I believe is significant part of its success.

DFB.de: You slipped out of the squad just before the 2014 World Cup. Did you take time to get over that?

Jansen: Not at all. The decision was a completely understandable one. I had suffered a serious ligament injury in the build-up and had not actually ended the season due to the situation at HSV. That worked out, but it left me ill-placed to be a part of the tournament. I have no regrets about it, either. I feel as strongly at the moment of Mario Götze’s goal as I would have done had I been there.

DFB.de: Can you picture yourself returning to football?

Jansen: I would not rule it out entirely. You never know what is going to happen next. I have said before that I have clear ideas about what I can and cannot do. In the context of visionary and sales, I would have to evaluate all the options. Still, I am very happy to go off the beaten track and try my hand at these new projects.