The big party is followed by a hangover: Guaranteed promotion Marcel Hartel leaves second division champions FC St. Pauli. It is not known where the 28-year-old is headed. But he spoke of a “special opportunity”.
17 goals and 13 assists – there’s no doubt that Hartel stood out from a very good St. Pauli team last season. It’s no wonder that sporting director Andreas Bornemann was quoted in the club’s statement on Hartel’s departure as saying: “We would have liked to have kept Marcel with us for longer, but we respect his decision to go down a different path.”
“It’s not easy for me to take this step. But sometimes special opportunities arise in life.”
— Marcel Hartel
It is not yet officially known where this path leads. Hartel, who had previously scored just twelve goals in his second division years, has been traded to Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for weeks. The “Fohlen” are significantly financially stronger than the Kiezkicker, but finished the last Bundesliga season only one point ahead of the relegation zone in 14th place.
“Sometimes special opportunities arise in life”
“It’s not easy for me to take this step. But sometimes special opportunities arise in life,” said Hartel as he said goodbye. Maybe the new club has a little more to offer than Gladbach.
Coach Hürzeler: Hartel is not only important as a scorer
For coach Fabian Hürzeler, his playmaker wasn’t just important for success with his scorer points: “The kilometers ‘Cello’ covered on the pitch were impressive and important for our game. Working with him was always trusting and he has “We had an outstanding record last season,” praised the coach, who apparently managed to get everything out of Hartel. Bornemann said he had “become a leader” and thanked Hartel for his “great effort”.
For Hartel, who has played a total of 30 times in the Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Union Berlin and 1. FC Köln, this marks the end of the most successful period of his career to date. Or to put it in the words of Hartel, who was also at the forefront of the promotion celebrations: “An outstanding time. I am proud of what we have achieved together here. I will never forget that.”
