Krieschow club legend Hebler: “A homebird and village lad”

Andy Hebler usually needs five minutes to get from his home to VfB Krieschow’s sports ground. For training on Wednesday, however, the 37-year-old will exceptionally be arriving by plane. Hebler is still on holiday in Turkey. “We have two school-age children and we both work, so there’s no other way,” the Krieschow club legend says of his nine-day family holiday. He has also brought a training plan with him so that he will be ready for the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Sunday at 15:30. The meeting with Mainz 05’s first-team players at Krieschow’s own Sportpark will also be the biggest game of Hebler’s long career, as captain, record appearance holder and symbolic figure of the club.

“It is not something you can take for granted, to still be able to experience my first DFB-Pokal match at my age,” Hebler admits. With Energie Cottbus, he once played in the third division in front of 30,000 spectators away to Dynamo Dresden. “Of course, that was special too. But Sunday’s game is one of the highlights. No one can take that away from me afterwards. I can tick that one off the bucket list,” says the 37-year-old, who is optimistic that he will be on the pitch against Mainz 05.

Completely swept up ahead of the highlight match

Krieschow has around 500 inhabitants and is located 14 kilometres from Cottbus in the Spree-Neiße district. Facing a Bundesliga side in the DFB-Pokal is an exciting experience for the whole club. “It’s hard to grasp,” Hebler says. Many volunteers are making sure that everything runs smoothly from an organisational point of view. “Especially the long-standing club members, who have been involved for 50 or 60 years, feel like they haven’t been able to sleep for three weeks. They are completely swept up in it, and that cannot be valued highly enough.” The game has also been in the back of the players’ minds since pre-season. The Oberliga campaign has not started well, with two defeats. Hebler will be glad when the wait is over on Sunday. “And after that, everyday life will return a little.”

For him, that “everyday life” is his home. The “Spreewald boy” enthuses about the family-like environment in Krieschow, something he says is rarely found elsewhere. “One big family,” says Hebler, who is proud of the path VfB have taken from a small village. Krieschow have been an Oberliga club for ten years, and a few times the Regionalliga was even within reach. “I think there is still a lot possible in the next few years,” says the 37-year-old, looking to the future with optimism. “If my body holds up, I can still help and I keep performing, then I could carry on for another two or three years.”

Looking forward to duels with Bundesliga professionals

And the anticipation for Sunday’s highlight is huge. Fifth tier against first tier, and it is clear that Mainz 05 are the firm favourites. “We’ll set their dressing room to 40 degrees and put a few rotten bananas in there,” Hebler recently joked in an interview with the Lausitzer Rundschau. “Seriously, though, we’ll approach it in a sporting way. I don’t think we have more than a one or two percent chance of winning. But in the end, it’s football, and everyone knows the stories from the cup,” he emphasises. “Maybe it’s our turn for a miracle. But basically, we’re realistic. We’ll try to get the maximum out of our limited resources. Above all, I’m looking forward to the duels on the pitch,” says Hebler, who views Mainz from the outside as a calm and composed club. “They do serious, good work, have a top team and manage to deliver something every year.”

At 37, Hebler is slowly entering the home straight of his career. Can he imagine life without football? “Personally, I can’t, but my wife would welcome it,” he says with a wink. “I work a normal 40-hour week, train three evenings a week and spend the weekends at games. House, family and children, that’s all great, but when you’ve been doing this your whole life, a big part would be missing. That’s why I don’t think the journey will end after my playing career. Whatever form it takes, I want to stay involved in football.” Perhaps VfB’s veterans’ team will offer him a place. He already played with them during the summer break. “It’s better than going for a run.”