What connects Poulsen with HSV and van der Vaart
Since late Monday afternoon, Hamburger SV has been based in the national team's "living room," at Adidas's home ground in Herzogenaurach. The first training session in the early evening took place without Yussuf Poulsen.
Starting Tuesday at HSV: striker Yussuf Poulsen. IMAGO/kolbert-press
The HSV entourage traveled by train to Erlangen on Monday. Among them were six young talents: Omar Megeed , Dorian Migalic , Moritz Reimers , Lukas Bornschein , Emmanuel Johnson , and goalkeeper Colin Poppelbaum . The only professional player not traveling with the team was midfielder Immanuel Pherai , who will complete his rehabilitation program in the Hanseatic city after tearing the medial ligament in his knee on Thursday.
Despite the pain of leaving, great enthusiasm for the new taskAt 5 p.m., Merlin Polzin called for the first training session in Franconia – without the most prominent signing of the summer so far. The reason: After arriving in Hamburg on Sunday morning, undergoing a medical check, and signing a two-year contract that evening, Poulsen hadn't yet traveled with his new teammates for organizational reasons. Instead, he traveled later and only arrived at the home ground that evening.
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old Dane will complete his first training session as a HSV professional – and both the management and the attacker himself leave no doubt about his enthusiasm for the mission in Hamburg. On Sunday, Poulsen bid farewell to Leipzig football fans after twelve years in a highly emotional, nearly five-minute video. And despite the genuine pain of saying goodbye ("Leipzig will always be a part of me"), he exudes anticipation for the new challenge. One reason: a special encounter in the fall of 2005.
"The first international match I ever saw," the Copenhagen native revealed, "was the UEFA Cup match between FC Copenhagen and HSV." The Hanseatic League won 1-0 after a 1-1 draw in the first leg thanks to a Rafael van der Vaart penalty in injury time, advanced, and made an impression on the then eleven-year-old Poulsen. He says: "HSV is a great club. I'm looking forward to the fans and the atmosphere in the Volksparkstadion. I experienced that at our DFB Cup match with Leipzig." In 2019, Poulsen won 3-1 with RB Leipzig in the semifinals at the Volkspark, even scoring in the process – and recalls: "The atmosphere was phenomenal. I always said, hopefully HSV will get back into the Bundesliga soon."
Now HSV is back, Poulsen is in Hamburg, and sporting director Claus Costa explains: "During the discussions, he immediately felt a desire for the job at HSV." It's a role in which he will play a crucial role. "Yussi brings a high level of intensity and commitment, and isn't afraid to run for a single meter. We'll benefit from this overall package in the Bundesliga." Poulsen's mission will truly begin on the training ground starting Tuesday.
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