Team
08.06.18
Tom Mickel extends HSV contract
The goalkeeper extends his contract with the Rothosen for a further two years and will remain at HSV until 2021.
The list of contract extensions grows further. HSV keeper Tom Mickel extends his contract with the Rothosen, which was due to expire in 2019, for two extra years until summer 2021. HSV have therefore secured another long-term signing for the club.
Mickel first joined the club in 2009 and initially played for the Regionalliga team. He made 58 appearances for the U21 team. He gained experience at Greuther Fürth in the second division between January 2013 and July 2015. Since his return to HSV, the keeper has made two Bundesliga appearances for the Rothosen. Despite making few appearances, Mickel has been a strong part of the team, both on and off the pitch. Head coach Christian Titz is including the 29-year-old in the squad plans for the upcoming season. Now both parties have signed a new contract.
“Now that Tom Mickel has extended his contract, we're well-positioned in terms of goalkeepers. At the moment we have good depth in our squad and we’ve been able to do a lot of what we wanted to do, including the extension with Tom. He’s a really important part of our team and a great lad, so we’re really pleased to have been able to extend his contract,” says HSV sporting director Ralf Becker.
Tom Mickel: "HSV is incredibly special to me"
Tom, with this contract extension you join a group of players who have extended their contracts despite the relegation. How do you explain this solidarity?
We met as a team shortly after our relegation. Despite it being a voluntary meeting, almost everyone turned up and we almost unanimously decided that we need to make amends for what’s happened here. As far as we were concerned, we wanted the new season to get underway immediately. There’s a huge amount of solidarity.
Nobody else in the team has been at HSV as long as you have now. With your new contract, you can celebrate a decade at the club. What does your attachment to the club mean to you?
I’m over the moon that I can continue to be a part of the club. It means a great deal to me, as does the fact that those responsible have placed their trust in me and believe that I can deliver in my role. I’ll continue to give my all, just as I always have, and then of course I hope to complete my decade – that would be really cool.
How big is HSV in your life?
I’m not only a player for the club, I live for this club. I’ve played for this club for such a long time; both my kids were born in Hamburg and have grown up with HSV, both have several HSV shirts at home. HSV simply means so much to me and my family. I can’t imagine any place or any club I’d rather be at than here. That’s why I’ll give my all for HSV.
Where do you draw your motivation from?
I’m really lucky to be able to do what I love every day. I love football. I love being a goalkeeper. And I love taking to the pitch every day and giving 100 percent, especially since it’s for this club. That motivates me every day and brings me joy.
Your teammates and coaches have praised you over the years for your joy, this 100-percent state of mind and your distinct team attitude. Is it in your DNA?
Yes, because I always see myself as part of the team. In a team, no one should be more important than anyone else, because you can only succeed as a team, not a bunch of individuals. And everyone contributes their part. No one should see themself and their role as more important than others, but should rather always give 100 percent and want to deliver the maximum for their club. That’s how I see it and I’m happy to continue to be a part of HSV.