Dennis Geiger is only 23 years old, yet the Hoffenheim player has already thought about hanging up his boots. The numerous injuries have left their mark.
An inflammation of the pubic bone with Hoffenheim’s juniors in the 2015/16 season, a serious thigh injury and a groin operation as a professional in the 2018/19 season, in December 2020 again the thigh: Dennis Geiger knows the feeling of having to take months of rest. He has not got used to it. On the contrary.
“Many think it’s easier to deal with when you know the situation, but for me it was even worse than with the previous injuries,” said Geiger in an interview with TSG club magazine “Spielfeld”. “It was the same spot on the thigh again and I knew immediately how bad it was. I knew from the beginning what it meant. Of course I was worried about it afterwards. Why me? Why now? Why me for the third time? “
“I was just at home, thinking a lot about myself and wondering if there was any point in continuing to play football. “
DENNIS GEIGER
The first three to four weeks were “extremely bad”, the midfielder said. “I was just at home, thinking a lot about myself and wondering if there was any point in continuing to play football.” He had not even been able to watch football anymore, neither in the stadium nor on TV. “Neither Hoffenheim nor any other game. It just didn’t work. It triggered something negative in me, and I didn’t want to associate that feeling with football.” Only after a month did this feeling subside.
In rehab, Geiger kept his distance from his colleagues, staying in Munich for weeks. “By agreement with TSG, I wasn’t supposed to be on site in Zuzenhausen every day and see the boys at training, but just get my mind off things,” said Geiger, who comes from the region and has been with the club since 2009.
Contract runs until 2023 – exit clause probably included
In September, Geiger extended his expiring contract until 2023, it is assumed that the contract includes an exit clause for the coming summer. He has four Bundesliga appearances to his name this season and was in the starting eleven for the recent 1-3 defeat in Stuttgart.
But Geiger, who also missed the U-21 European Championship due to injury, is not too sure about his exact performance level himself. “It’s hard to say at the moment what one hundred per cent is with me. I was simply out for too long. “