“We want to win more titles”
Marcel Halstenberg has experienced a number of unforgettable moments during his seven years at RB Leipzig, including our recent DFB-Pokal title. We spoke to Halste after he recently extended his contract until 2024.
Congratulations on the contract extension, Halste! We’re delighted that you’re staying at RB Leipzig until 2024! What was your main reason for deciding to spend two more years here?
I feel really settled here - after seven years, Leipzig has become my second home. I have experienced so much here, from the second division to the Champions League, becoming a Germany international, and of course ultimately winning the first major title in the club's history with the DFB-Pokal. Those things have united us as we continue our journey together.
Your close relationship with your teammates was obviously important too, then?
Yes, of course. To win a title like we did in Berlin – after going behind, going down to ten men and then going to penalties – shows that we’ve got a special group here.
So you’ve signed an extension just to make up for the red card in the final?
No! (laughs)
That was an extremely difficult moment for me because I knew that having one less player would make life so tough for the team. However, they were brilliant and we deservedly won the DFB-Pokal – thank you, lads!
Halste's emotional rollercoaster in Berlin
If somebody had told you during the winter break how the next six months would go, would you have believed them?
The last six months have been really incredible. I was injured for a long time and had to slowly work my way back into training. I made my comeback against Hannover 96 in the DFB-Pokal, that was a really emotional moment for me. I got more and more chances to play and had more trust placed in me. It then became clear that I would extend for two years.
What role did coach Domenico Tedesco play?
I’m comfortable with our whole coaching team. Thanks to a number of positive conversations, I’ve had the feeling that they wanted to keep me here. That’s obviously important when you have contract talks.
You’ve had seven crazy years with the club so far, starting off with life in the second division and then going on to play in the Champions League and then winning the DFB-Pokal. Can all that be topped over the next two years?
I always said that we finally want to win a title. We’ve got the first one now. I don’t want to actively set ourselves any goals, but obviously we want more titles. Winning the DFB-Pokal was such an amazing feeling, so we obviously want to experience that again!
A number of our fans have never experienced RB Leipzig without Marcel Halstenberg – how much are you looking forward to seeing their continued support again?
A lot! Especially after the DFB-Pokal final. They never stopped believing in us in Berlin despite us being behind. The scenes back in Leipzig were incredible. There were tens of thousands of them at the market square. Our joint train to the stadium and then the celebrations at the Festwiese were unforgettable. My friends and family were also really impressed.