Hamburg Seeler-Enkel Öztunali
In grandfather’s big footsteps
Status: 28.06.2023 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Levent Öztunali has completed more Bundesliga games than any other HSV kicker
Source: dpa
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Levin Öztunali goes back to HSV. His grandfather is the club’s biggest legend. Comparisons with Uwe Seeler cannot be avoided, even if the 27-year-old made a clear statement early on.
“Now he has to walk the path all by himself” – words from HSV legend Uwe Seeler about his grandson Levin Öztunali. An interview with “Kicker” from 2015 is more relevant than ever. Öztunali, whose late grandfather was the biggest star of the second division soccer team Hamburger SV, will play for the Hanseatic League in the future – more than 50 years after Seeler’s last HSV game. The image of his right foot is a large sculpture in front of the Volksparkstadion. Öztunali follows in huge footsteps.
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The comparisons with his grandfather don’t annoy Öztunali, the then 18-year-old assured in 2015 after his loan move to Werder Bremen. “Having Uwe Seeler as a grandfather is something special.” As Seeler’s grandson, Öztunali had the reputation of being an excellent kicker from an early age. In 2014 he was awarded the U18 Fritz Walter Medal in silver and in 2017 he became U21 European Champion with the DFB selection.
A foot memorial in front of the Volksparkstadion commemorates Uwe Seeler
Source: dpa
Öztunali, son of Seeler’s daughter Frauke, had long since stopped playing for Hamburg. “It’s pathetic what happened to my grandson,” Seeler raged to “Bild am Sonntag” in 2013 after a contract extension fell through and his grandson moved to Bayer Leverkusen’s youth team. Seeler’s criticism: “At HSV you often react too late.” Ten years later, Öztunali finally found his way back to Hamburg via Leverkusen, Bremen, Mainz 05 and finally Union Berlin. “Being able to play here as an HSV player is an absolute dream for me,” Öztunali said in a HSV press release on Tuesday.
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Jonas Boldt also plays a major role this time. Today’s HSV board brought Öztunali to Leverkusen at the time. “My story together with Levin began ten years ago – I’m all the more pleased that we were able to bring Levin home now,” said Boldt. Öztunali, now 27 years old, comes to the Elbe on a free transfer. In Berlin, most of the time he didn’t even find his way into the squad. Öztunali recorded a meager two Bundesliga appearances and eight minutes of play last season. “The aim is for him to find his way back to his old strength and thus help us to achieve our common goals,” said Claus Costa, HSV director of professional football.
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His CV speaks for Öztunali. He has already completed 190 Bundesliga games – more than any other current HSV professional. Reaching similar successes as Seeler should be almost impossible for Öztunali and not his goal. “I have my own career,” Öztunali said at the age of 18. He tries to “look at it separately. I’m Levin Öztunali – that’s it.”
But he also wants to go his HSV way now. Alone: without his famous grandfather. With a view to Öztunali’s career, he had already said in 2015: “Grandpa can’t help him with that.” However, he would certainly have been extremely happy about his grandson’s latest change.
