Hofmann after scoring first league goal in nearly a year: "Hoping for trust and playing time."
German attacker Jonas Hofmann experienced a precipitous fall last season. From the "go-to man" in Bayer 04 Leverkusen's squad during the first-half of his German club's historic title-winning campaign to the "odd man out" during the 2023/24 Bundesliga "Rücke-Runde" it's been quite the rollercoaster ride for the 23-times-capped German international.
Hofmann scored five league goals for the Bundesliga champions last season, but still notched his last tally of the entire season on match-day nine. After managing just four assists in nine subsequent league starts, the Heidelberg native lost his regular status as a starter. Germany's red company team sought an upgrade for Hofmann over the summer, aggressive courting Frenchman Michael Terrier.
As many had predicted, Hofmann ended up getting his first major chance of the season against Kiel in a Saturday league fixture. While the final result certainly left a lot to be desired, the 32-year-old did open his 2024/25 league account with his first Bundesliga goal of the season in just his second start. Hofmann spoke on his situation with Bayer 04 Leverkusen correspondent Stephan van Nocks of Kicker Magazine.
“It wasn't easy, of course," Hofmann told one of Germany's leading footballing journalists, "when you don't play a minute in five games, just wait for your chance, and keep realizing it's not coming. You do question yourself, whether you're doing something wrong or why that is.”
"Naturally, you also talk to the coach," Hofmann also noted, "He gave me some ideas. I managed to implement them quite well today. Personally, it was nice for me to start the game like this and make a reasonably good impression back in the starting XI."
“I hope I continue to get the trust,” Hofmann concluded, “We have a very good squad and no injuries. It's clear that you won't get all 90 minutes every three days. But I am hoping that I will get more game time again from now on.”
For his part, Xabi Alonso assessed Hofmann's performance in the 2-2 draw with Kiel as "not top-notch" in his post-match comments. The Leverkusen trainer praised Hofmann's "correct attitude and goal" while also flatly noting that it "wasn't the best".