Serge Gnabry’s trip to Paris made waves. Dennis Aogo recognizes a generational conflict in this – and remembers his own case.
Serge Gnabry recently caused a stir with a trip – Dennis Aogo (right) knows this feeling.
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Did Serge Gnabry actually behave “amateurish” when he was at Paris Fashion Week on his Sunday off? That’s what Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic said about the national player, who had been the focus of numerous discussions with the record champions in the past few days. Dennis Aogo has little understanding for this.
“If Serge had looked at an art exhibition in the Louvre, he would not have been pilloried. He only pursued his passion, which has been known for years, fashion,” says the 36-year-old ex-national player to kicker and remembers remembers a “hunt” he experienced himself during his time at Hamburger SV.
Aogo’s Mallorca trip: “You’re immediately pigeonholed”
“After a defeat, when we had two days off, I was in Mallorca with my girlfriend at the time. This was followed by a huge media fuss,” said Aogo, even though he “of course wasn’t at the Ballermann”. But: “You will immediately be put in a drawer.” That now also applies to the Gnabry case.
Aogo recognizes a generation gap. “Football has to be ready to change to pick up the next generation.” This includes the acceptance of types like Gnabry, who are otherwise always shouted at. “The trend is towards increased awareness of individual stars. The extroverted professionals in particular play a major role for the clubs. I don’t mean to say that they can do everything. But a player like Gnabry represents added value for FC Bayern because he is what he is.” The club also benefits from Gnabry’s “manner” with regard to the brand.
“He has a role model function, but he is also entertainment”
Especially on days off you have to respect if the player as an employee has “a private interest in a certain topic”. Gnabry “didn’t move around the houses”. The associations with the Paris visit went in the wrong direction, as did the argument that it wasn’t all that bad if three goals followed: “As if a player could control it so easily. It’s almost disrespectful to the opponents. ” Aogo continued: “Football is about hard work, it’s a role model, but it’s also entertainment. The standards set here are a bit outdated.”
The ex-professional, who played for SC Freiburg, HSV, Schalke, VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 and finished third at the 2010 World Cup with the DFB team, remembers his personal case. This played a significant role in his move from HSV to FC Schalke. Many Bundesliga coaches were asked for their opinion on his short stay in Mallorca. Even then, Freiburg coach Christian Streich said: “We live in different times” – especially considering today’s travel options.
