Frankfurt veteran David Abraham bids farewell
He will move back to play for Huracan Chabas in his native country Argentina after a seven year Bundesliga term.
| David Abraham. | Photo: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
While he could have moved to England or Austria, David chose to stay in Germany: “The atmosphere in the stadium, the passion of the fans, it is something that reminds me of Argentina. In January 2013 my first game in Germany was with Hoffenheim in Frankfurt. I watched the fans and the scenery from the bench - it was incredible, incredible. The whole game they created the mood and pushed their team forward. I thought: "Man, it would be a great thing to play for Eintracht one day."
The offer arrived two and a half years later and he had no second thoughts of moving to Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee of €1.50m, a bargain for a player of his stature.
David Abraham played for 1899 TSG Hoffenheim for two years between 2013 and 2015, but eventually moved to Frankfurt and subsequently etched his name in the starting line-up over the years – appearing for the west German club more than 150 times.
Arguably, his stand-out moment came in the 3-1 win against Bayern Munich in the 2017/18 DFB Pokal final – a moment he ranks as one of the best three in his career: “The first highlight in Argentina was the nomination for the U-20 World Cup in 2005, including winning the title. My first championship with FC Basel in 2010 was also special when we made a huge comeback against Young Boys Bern and won on the last match day in Bern. The very best, however, was Mijat Gacinovic's run to 3-1 in the DFB Cup final against Bayern 2018. He runs, he runs, he runs, he runs - and pushes the ball into the goal. That moment is still buzzing around in my head and it was the greatest of all.”
The 34-year-old plays his final game against Schalke 04 tonight, before moving back to native Argentina where he his hopeful of playing for his hometown club Huracan Chabas. The Argentina defender is a fan favorite among the Frankfurt faithful and he says he will remember them fondly: “I'm not saying goodbye, it's rather a goodbye, a see you soon! Of course, I would like to come back at the end of the season and visit again and again next season.”
In a career spanning fifteen years, he began his career fruitfully, winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta. His professional club career was given a head-start by Independiente, followed by stints at Spanish sides Gimnastic and Getafe that was sandwiched by a successful 4 year stay at Swiss champions FC Basel where he won three consecutive league titles among other accolades.
You can read his full interview here.