Becker: “You have to be there in the crucial moments”

Finn, we are with you on the MS Queen Silvia on the Neckar. As an Elmshorn native, are you seaworthy?

“Honestly, I haven’t spent much time on ships, even though I’m from the north. (Laughs) But I can take a few waves and won’t get seasick right away. Of course, the Neckar is also calmer than the North Sea. But I’m used to the water from my home town and I really like it.”

What does home mean to you?

“When I take the train home and go past the Alster in Hamburg – that is unbeatable. Being close to the sea is a slice of home for me. We went to the North Sea so often, I practically grew up in St. Peter-Ording.”

So we chose the right photo location. You’re from northern Germany, you were born in Elmshorn, and you played for Hamburg-based club St. Pauli for more than a decade. Do you sometimes miss home?

“Definitely. I think that’s normal. Unfortunately, we don’t get to play many away games in the north at the moment. I hope that there will be at least one more next year in Hamburg. It is also a very long way to just drive up there. But I also feel really comfortable here in Heidelberg. I have settled in really well and made a lot of friends away from football together with my girlfriend. And above all, the weather here is much better. (Laughs) Hamburg is beautiful for a month, otherwise it rains almost endlessly. But I will always miss the air in northern Germany, no matter where I am. And of course, I miss my family.”

Was it a conscious decision to leave the north a year and a half ago?

“Yes, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and see something else. But I was also desperate to play in the Bundesliga, which I unfortunately couldn’t do with St. Pauli. Then the enquiry came from Hoffenheim and I just thought the total package looked good. Here, you have everything you need to get better. Of course, it wasn’t easy without my family, but that’s a step you have to take.”

Speaking of your family, your younger brother is playing for FC St. Pauli’s U15s. Does he often come to you for advice?

“He’s already going his own way. I haven’t seen him play for a while now, because he went to St. Pauli when I came to TSG. Unfortunately, we just missed each other. I only ever hear that he is a huge talent. We’ll be playing together soon. I’m very excited to see what he can do. (Laughs) But I think he would never admit that I am his great role model.” (Laughs)

2023 was very turbulent year for you: after a long relegation battle, you celebrated staying up, you made your first start in the Bundesliga and you were in the squad for the U21 Euros. How do you feel, looking back on the year?

“Even though it was not always easy – especially in the second half of last season – 2023 was really good fun. My biggest goal was to develop as a player. And I managed that – as the starts prove. And, yes, the fact that I got to play at the U21 Euros was also great, of course. It was a cool experience, even if the tournament did not go to plan for us as a team. I hope that my first goal or assist in the Bundesliga will come soon. Unfortunately, that has not materialised yet.”

This season, you have made regular appearances, and you have been in the starting eleven in three games. Do you feel that you have really arrived in Hoffenheim now?

“I’ve had that feeling for a long time. I already felt that way in winter a year ago. I try to get better every day and in every training session. I am still enjoying it just as much. If that leads to me playing more, it’s all the better for me personally, because I can then also help the team in matches.”

On Matchday 33, you were in the starting line-up against Union Berlin – in the game in which TSG clinched Bundesliga survival. However, you didn’t play in central midfield, but on the right wing. Were you expecting that?

“Of course, I was surprised that the coach put his trust in me for this important game in a position I have never played before. But what kind of sportsman would I be if I didn’t believe in myself in a situation like that? I was given real responsibility and I wanted to repay that faith. I was sure I could. That was something very special, playing in that game and celebrating Bundesliga survival – even though it came much too late, of course.”

You said it yourself, last season was not easy for the club or for you personally. What were the reasons for that?

“It took me a bit of time to find my feet. I had spent my entire life at home before that. But I am self-critical enough to say that was down to me. I needed some time to get going. At the start of the season, things were going very well for us as a team, so the coach had no real reason to change things. But when the defeats did come, I was definitely hoping to get more game time. Finally, when we changed coaches, I also got more chances.”

Did you immediately feel the confidence from Pellegrino Matarazzo?

“I was also doing better in training right after the change of coach – I finally showed what I could do. But in the first two games under Rino, I was not in the squad. I carried on working hard and got a very good feeling from him. We get on well and he knows what I can do and what I still need to work on. That makes me feel good.”

In the summer, the club signed other players in your position. How did you react to the signings of Anton Stach and Florian Grillitsch?

“It’s the Bundesliga – you have to perform. I want to assert myself, so anyone who wants to come in is welcome to come. I still have a lot to learn, and the quality of the new players is also helping me develop. I want to compete with the best. Because the new lads have come in, the quality in training is also high, which helps me, because then I also get better. And in the end, football is very fast-paced: you can always get a chance through an injury, suspension or other circumstances, as long as you don’t let up in training. You have to be there in the crucial moments.”

Did you approach pre-season differently than last year?

“I noticed that it is very important to keep your mind occupied away from football. I started to learn Spanish, firstly using a language app, and also Tom Bischof and I get tuition from a teacher once a week. I have just started playing golf and I’m thinking of starting a distance learning course. In my first six months in Hoffenheim, when I was barely playing, the situation got me down. If you find other things in life that inspire you and that you can learn from, that also helps your performances on the pitch. I now have much less time to think negative thoughts about football. Having things like that, which you have to think about, but have little to do with football, really helps me on a personal level. In the end, it’s just football – you should never forget that. My girlfriend and I have also consciously made outside the sport so that we don’t always have to talk about the same things.”

What kind of course are you thinking about doing?

“It will probably be business administration. I would have liked to go to university and lived the student life. Sometimes, I would like to be a normal student – like other people my age – but that’s going to be difficult now. (Laughs) I am currently looking into which distance learning course might be suitable for me. And that certainly won’t hurt to have after my career, even though I want to play football for many, many years, of course.”

And what made you choose to learn Spanish?

“I like Spain a lot. I like to go on holiday there and the language is just very nice. I took it at school and now I want to improve further. On holiday, I tried to place orders in restaurants in Spanish and to use it as much as possible in everyday life. Of course, you only learn the language properly if you also speak it. That is not always possible here – and we are also lacking a Spaniard in the squad since Angeliño left.” (Laughs)

The topic of holidays also came up when you were called up for the U21 Euros. You were actually on your way on a trip to the mountains with a friend when you got a late call-up for the tournament. Have you already planned a new trip?

“He is studying in Copenhagen, so I visited him there recently. Robert (editor’s note: Skov) also gave me tips at the time, but he could have warned me about the Little Mermaid, which was not really spectacular. (Laughs) My friend is currently completing his Master’s degree, but next summer, we will finally go on the holiday. Funnily enough, we were in South Tyrol at the time, where the U21s also had their training camp. It seems the late call-up was just meant to be – even though the tournament didn’t go to plan on the pitch.”

Do your family sometimes visit you here in the Kraichgau?

“As my two younger siblings also play sports and have matches every weekend, it’s obviously not that easy for my parents. But they came up in their caravan during the autumn holidays. I will try to get up there again during the international break. But I’m more of a hotel kind of guy on holiday – I’m not much of a fan of camping.” (Laughs)

One last question: we always put “Finn Ole” on everything, but you just call yourself “Finn” on Instagram. Can we just call you by one name?

“Finn is definitely enough. But my parents see Finn Ole as one name. Ole is not my second name for them – it is part of my first name. (Laughs) It’s a frequent topic of conversation with them. But for me, it’s definitely fine to just call me Finn from now on.”