Mainz 05 could really do with an Alexander Hack at the moment, but the 30-year-old is now playing in Saudi Arabia’s second division. Contact with FSV remains close
“I’ve probably seen all but one of the Mainz games and often the Saturday conference due to our schedule. I still have a lot of contact with Silvan Widmer, Robin Zentner and Karim Onisiwo in particular, as well as with the youngsters who used to sit next to me in the dressing room and sometimes asked for advice,” says Hack.
He is also fully aware of the personnel shortage in central defense, where Maxim Leitsch, Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Josuha Guilavogui are out with injuries and Sepp van den Berg and Dominik Kohr, who helped out at the back in the 0-0 draw at Darmstadt, are missing due to yellow cards. Coach Jan Siewert only has Edimilson Fernandes and Stefan Bell, who is back in team training after an Achilles tendon problem, available for the back three. On Sunday in Sinsheim against TSG Hoffenheim, Anthony Caci or Widmer will probably have to be withdrawn to the back three. “I’ll be happy when everyone gets back on their feet, they’re good lads. I’d also like to help, but I’m contractually bound,” said Hack, who is currently at a training camp in Dubai with his club Al-Qadisiya. The Saudi Arabian club’s next second division match is not until Tuesday.
Ex-Real player Michel on the bench
In the Persian Gulf, the 30-year-old is a permanent fixture in an ambitious team owned by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil production company. After matchday 10, Al-Qadisiya FC occupy third place in the table, which would be enough for promotion after matchday 34. However, the sporting management is not satisfied with the team’s performance so far, which is why Michel has been on the bench for the last two matchdays. The former Real Madrid player, whose full name is José Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo, replaced former England international Robbie Fowler, who only arrived at the start of the season.
Hack has been a regular since his arrival. After being ineligible for the league opener, he missed one game due to illness and played 90 minutes eight times. “I just wanted to get back to playing, and that worked out. Of course, the second half of the season in Mainz didn’t go as I would have liked. For my career, the move was a good step to get my footballing game back on track after my groin operation in the summer break,” emphasized the defender.
Hack lives in gated community with private beach
At Al-Qadisiya’s home games in Khobar, a city with a population of 400,000, there are 6,000 to 8,000 spectators, “including a few young people who get into the mood and sing for 90 minutes, but of course it’s a completely different atmosphere than in Germany”. The world stars who play in the Saudi Pro League were one of the reasons “why I embarked on the adventure”. Khobar has undergone incredible development in recent years. “I imagined it to be completely different, a bit more desert. I was pleasantly surprised,” says Hack, who lives with his girlfriend in a gated community. “A lot of things there are up to European standards, we have a supermarket, a restaurant, a pool and a private beach. You slowly get used to it,” he says.
“I earn many times more “
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of the fact that the financial aspect was also one of the deciding factors. I earn many times more than what I would have received in Germany. I’m very grateful for that and it can’t be taken for granted. The club wants to build something and be one of the top clubs in Saudi Arabia. I am part of that. I’m very excited to see how things develop,” said Hack, who has signed a two-year contract.
The clubs in Saudi Arabia have a long history, with Al-Qadisiya winning the Asian Cup in 1994 before being relegated to the second division in 2008. “People are crazy about soccer here, two of our international players come from Al-Hilal, that’s the FC Bayern of Saudi Arabia, all the kids always want to take photos. You see the kids playing soccer in the street. We probably didn’t need the international players, but they are perhaps the icing on the cake to make the country better known for soccer,” believes the ex-Mainzer. At the same time, the social situation in Saudi Arabia does not leave Hack cold: “As far as the human rights debate is concerned, I naturally keep myself informed. I help where I can, just like I would in my home country. “
