First team 05.02.2026 - 12:02 Uhr
Bell: “This club just fits my character”
The term legend, at least in a footballing sense, was invented for players like Stefan Bell: the 34-year-old has now hit 300 Bundesliga appearances as a 05er, and is still often asked to put in a shift at the heart of Mainz’s defence. We sat down with him for an interview this week, in which he discussed why FSV is the perfect club for him, who could end up eventually beating his record, and why Mainz’s chances of avoiding relegation have been looking up over recent weeks.
Let us put this storied career into context for you: back in December 2012, when Stefan Bell made his Bundesliga debut for 1. FSV Mainz 05 against Hannover 96 at the MEWA ARENA, Kacper Potulski had only just turned five years old. Last weekend, when the side ran out 2-1 winners away at RB Leipzig, the two centre-halves started side by side in the backline. The game marked a particularly special day for Bell, with the match marking his 300th appearance in a Mainz shirt. He joined us for an interview following the achievement, where he spoke about this incredible milestone, how he sees FSV’s current position in the fight to avoid relegation, and the upcoming game against Augsburg on Saturday, right in the middle of a very special time to be in Mainz (15:30 CET kick-off).
Hi, Stefan. We’ve now picked up ten points from our first five games of 2026. Why do you think things are working out better now compared to the first half of the season?
“We’re doing well in a tactical sense, there are individual players who are in really good form right now, and we’re also playing with more confidence than we were before the winter break. We’re scoring when we need to, and we’ve been taking the lead more often. We want to play our way, regardless of results. We didn’t quite manage that against Union or in the second half against Heidenheim. In our most recent games, we’ve managed to implement our ideas and our game plan, no matter whether we miss a penalty, squander a big chance, or indeed concede first and go down.”
Just like against Leipzig and Wolfsburg.
“In this respect, we’re feeling settled and confident at the moment. We were better in Leipzig, but then of course we went behind out of nowhere, really. Still, though, we carried on doing what we needed to do. We have a sense of security on the pitch, we’re moving the ball up the pitch well and creating a lot of chances going forward. There are phases in between all that as well, where we’re comfortable in possession. Combined with the defensive solidity that we’ve been showing, it’s a good mix. What really counts is finding the right balance of everything in that regard. We’re working on that, and we’re on the right track at the moment.”
What role does mentality play in all this?
“In the first half of the season, we had a period where very little was going right for us, and you start to think that a lot has to come together for us to start creating anything and to get on with scoring the goals that we needed to. That messes with your head a bit. Right now, we’re starting to see the exact opposite. It’s important to remember, though, that although we’ve picked up ten points so far in the new year, we still know where we are in the league. We’ve managed to fight our way up from the bottom of the table, but we’re still a long way off from achieving the goals we’ve set.”
Mainz have bolstered the squad with four new players arriving in the winter transfer window. What do the newcomers offer us on as well as off the pitch?
“All four are experienced professionals with a lot of quality, and they also all know the Bundesliga well. For those guys arriving in January, it’s a real positive if they’re able to get up and running straight away and help the team, you know what you’re getting with these players. They’ve each strengthened our options in their respective positions and brought a lot of quality to the side, that’s already been clear to see.”
The win away at Leipzig wasn’t just special because of the three points you secured there – it was also your 300th Bundesliga game in Mainz colours.
“That really is something special. It’s obviously not been the case that I’ve been playing week in, week out for ten years straight. Especially in the last six or seven years, I’ve had my issues with staying fit all season. The fact that I’ve managed to keep coming back and running out for the side, even this year, is a really great thing.”
When you were starting out in your career all those years ago, did you ever think that you might end up sticking with the same club for all these years?”
“When you’re a professional sportsman, you can’t plan that far ahead. You can only really think about the next year or maybe two. Right at the beginning of my career, it was more about gaining experience in the second division and then breaking into the team here at Mainz. That was difficult enough, and it’s all I was concentrating on. When I made my debut for the first team, made the most of my opportunity and managed to secure myself a starting spot here, the challenge was then to keep my place in the team. There’s always competition in that respect, and you have to make sure you keep playing up to standard and constantly fight for the right to be in the team.”
Stefan Bell (fourth from left) made his Bundesliga debut more than 13 years ago in a 2-1 win over Hannover 96 in December 2012.
How do you think you’ve managed to keep performing at this level over all these years?
“It’s important to be flexible, to not tie yourself down to one style of play and to be able to adapt to different coaches and different teammates, while making sure you don’t lose who you are as a player. You have to keep adapting, even if you’ve been there for such a long time and have so much experience.”
How has football changed since you made your debut back in December 2012?
“There’s more opponent-specific preparation than there was before. Teams have become a lot more tactically flexible as a result of that. You now adapt your own style of play depending on what kind of side you’re coming up against. Of course, the fitness standards in football are a lot higher now. Everyone’s training is managed individually, the data plays a huge role, and training gets moulded around the players as a result.”
What about off the pitch?
“Social media has become almost the centre of attention now. I’m not really into all that, but it’s been a big transformation, of course, even for the players as well. It makes it more difficult to keep a clear head these days, because there are a lot more distractions.”
Why has Mainz 05 always been the perfect club for you, ever since you joined the U17s here in 2007?
“The club’s identity is based on sustainable development and resilience, together with a calmness in the way we work, which helps you avoid going crazy in the difficult periods. That works for me, it just fits with who I am. The fact that I’ve been here since the age of 15 is also an important factor. I graduated from high school here, and I’ve built my social life in the city, which is outside the whole footballing world. It gives me that extra sense of stability. It would have always taken a lot to tempt me to move to another club. I’ve always had a lot to appreciate here, and I know better than to take that for granted.”
Robin Zentner currently has 207 Bundesliga games under his belt for Mainz 05. Do you think he could overtake you in that respect?
“Robin has a good chance of doing so, it’s possible to keep playing for longer as a goalkeeper when you’re thinking about age. If he keeps going here, it’s definitely possible. I’m trying to push the bar a little bit higher. Of course, I wouldn’t have a problem if someone did beat my record over the next few years, because ultimately that would mean that we’d stayed in the Bundesliga for years to come. That’s the special thing about this kind of statistic, in that it shows how a lot of guys have worked hard here and we’ve kept our place in the top flight, otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible.”
Karneval is rolling around in Mainz this weekend, and you've got a home game against Augsburg to look forward to on Saturday. What are you expecting?'
“That’s going to be an exciting match, I reckon. We won in Augsburg in the reverse fixture. We both had a different head coach in the technical area back then, though. I’m expecting a different kind of opponent as a result, probably with a distinct style of play. They’ve really steadied the ship in recent weeks, picking up important points. We might see more of the ball than we did in Leipzig, but our main aim is clear. We want to keep fighting our way up the table and pick up another three points.”
That would be the cherry on the cake in Karneval season!
“We know what we’ve got to do. We want to add to the excitement in the city with a successful day out at the MEWA ARENA.”
