With Diego, a very special player in the history of Werder Bremen is leaving the football stage. To bid him farewell, they gave the Brazilian one last special evening on the Weser.
It was a special relationship from start to finish between Diego and Werder Bremen. From 2006 to 2009, the Brazilian enchanted the fans of SVW. Unforgotten to this day: his goal from 62.5 meters away in April 2007 against Alemannia Aachen.
That goal – which was also named Goal of the Year in 2007 – was recreated on Saturday evening by a glowing robot several meters high. A special touch on a special evening.
“It was impossible not to cry here,” Diego said afterwards. The now 40-year-old thanked Werder Bremen for a “fantastic” evening that he “really enjoyed very much.” “It has become much bigger and more beautiful than I could have dreamed of.”
For the last dance of the great Diego, a selection of Werder legends including Ailton, Per Mertesacker and Torsten Frings took to the field with international stars such as Brazil’s World Cup winner Cafu and Portugal’s European champion Nani. Diego’s 14-year-old son, who already plays for Flamengo, was also allowed to participate. “The fact that I was able to play on the field with my son today, plus the light show at the end and this farewell, I cried,” Diego explained full of gratitude.
42,000 spectators flocked to the Weser Stadium in Bremen to celebrate their favorite one last time. Diego played for both teams for one half each. In the final minute of the game, he converted a penalty to make it 6-5 to Bremen, before leaving the pitch to the cheers of the entire stadium.
Mertesacker: “You could see that you never forget some things”
“You could see from time to time that the players on the pitch could still communicate,” said Mertesacker afterwards: “Of course not at the same pace, but there were one or two ball relays – you could see that you never forget some things.”
Frank Baumann, former Werder captain and later managing director at SVW, paid homage to “one of the most spectacular players to ever play for Werder and in the Bundesliga”. Frings added: “The atmosphere is amazing. But he absolutely deserves it. He has shown outstanding performances here for three years. People won’t forget that.”
Among the spectators was Niclas Füllkrug, a long-time admirer of Diego. “Diego’s time at Werder was exactly when I moved into the Werder boarding school and I saw almost every game he played in. He was a very special footballer for Werder Bremen. I never met him, but it was magical how he played,” enthused the German national striker, who is hoping for a speedy comeback.
