Mark Flekken, the Dutch goalkeeper who has earned a plenty of recognitions from his notable performances for SC Freiburg in the 2021-22 Bundesliga season. He had bagged the joint-most sheets (10), together with three other goalkeepers during the above one of most popular league.
In an exclusive interview with a leading English news channel, The ‘Drinking Goalie’ Flekken spoke about his journey from the German third to Europa League qualification. The Dutch goalkeeper also spoke about his manager Christian Streich as he compared him with other top goalkeeper.
Reporter: You have been in the Bundesliga in 2011. This year, you represented the Netherlands senior national team for the first time and also reached the final of the DFB Pokal. I am sure bigger milestones are yet to come, but tell us something about the journey so far.
Flekken: I started my first professional contract in 2011 during the Bundesliga. I was not I wasn’t the goalkeeper with the biggest talent but I am someone who has worked very hard to get where I am now. I have just put in a lot of hard work to come to this point in my career. Sometimes I had faced up and dows in starting career as professional goalkeeper. Also I had taken some breaksh from ground due to some big injuries which I faced during the matches.
Reporter: You already are an important member of the Netherlands national team and will be playing in Europe next season. There aren’t many who have had careers with such extremes. Now that you look back at your time in the lower divisions, how important was it?
Flekken: It was very important. Without those years and those leagues, I wouldn’t have become the man I am today. They shaped me not just as a goalkeeper but also as a person. Those years shaped my character, my personality. It is not the ideal route to take when you want to become a professional athlete. I am where I want to be.
Reporter: Share us something about your day-to-day interactions with Christian Streich, the one of the most respected managers not in Germany, but in European Football. Is he a strict taskmaster or someone who jokes around with players?
Flekken: Most of the time, he is very serious and focussed on the matter he wants to train. But, he always has time for little jokes. He is someone who wants to get things done.
Reporter: You are supposed to participate in FIFA World Cup which will be in this year and it’s also your first. You will also be playing in the Europa League for the first time. It must be really exciting to anticipate what all this year is to unfold?
Flakken: I am really looking forward to all that is coming up this season but I am not that kind of person who looks too forward ahead of himself in time. I am someone who wants to look from game to game. Like I already said before, I put the effort in every day. It’s nice to think about it but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.
Flekken expressed his opinion with confidently on several other important questions during the interview.
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