The dressing room party in Wolfsburg is followed by the celebration with the fans at the Mainz Arena, then we head to the Balearic Island. The farewell is particularly emotional for Leandro Barreiro.
Emotional farewell: Leandro Barreiro. Getty Images
After his 141st and last Bundesliga game in the Mainz 05 jersey, the 3-1 win in Wolfsburg, Leandro Barreiro had tears in his eyes when the team gathered in front of the fan curve, where the 5,000 or so FSV supporters who had traveled along were loud celebrated staying in the class with the players. The following day it was similarly emotional at the Mewa Arena. When Barreiro enters the stage at 2:24 p.m., the 5,500 fans become particularly loud, which is also the case later with Jonathan Burkardt and Brajan Gruda. After the fan festival, part of the team travels to Mallorca to end the season.
The 24-year-old Barreiro is leaving the club after eight years to join Benfica Lisbon. Merveille Papela (23) and Jessic Ngankam (23) were also farewelled alongside him. Papela’s contract is expiring, he is looking for a club, Ngankam is on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season. Barreiro’s working paper also ends, which is why he can move to Portugal on a free transfer; the 56-time Luxembourg international has Portuguese roots.
On stage he thanked the cheering fans for “the appreciation I have received from you over the years” and received “Once a Mainzer, always a Mainzer!” for his performance. a special applause. The day before in Wolfsburg he had already given credit to the 5,000 to 6,000 05 supporters who had traveled with him for “turning an away game into a home game.”
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05/20/24 – 2:45 p.m. 14:21 minutes
Sports director Christian Heidel praised: “I have rarely seen a player like Leo.” The midfielder had been in agreement with Benfica about the change for a long time, kept Mainz 05 informed about every step and played with open cards. “Because we didn’t want a personnel discussion,” said the 05 boss, it was decided to confirm the change only after it had been confirmed that the team would remain in the class.
Heidel did not see any danger that Barreiro would no longer be able to support his training club in the relegation battle: “Leandro even accepted injuries in order to be successful with Mainz.” With winter addition Nadiem Amiri, Barreiro complemented himself perfectly in the double six. “He integrated so quickly. I told him a few weeks ago that I was happy that he was part of the team and that he was a great person, regardless of his footballing qualities,” enthused Barreiro about his partner, whose contract runs until 2026 , but contains an exit clause.
2024-05-20 12:12:04
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