German journalist Hartmut Scherzer celebrates 80 years
Last Wednesday, the prestigious German journalist Hartmut Scherzer turned 80 years old and he was celebrated in Russia, at the concentration of the German national team, which he has accompanied in the last 15 World Cups, from 1962 to the present. In a simple act, the president of the German Federation, Reinhard Grindel, acknowledged his career and the coach Joachim Low gave him a jersey signed by the entire team with the number 80 and his name. Scherzer, a short and captivating individual, always with a half smile, is a historic reporter for Frankfurt Neue Presse.
We met him in Brazil 2014. He is the star among European journalists in every press center or stadium here in Moscow. In Russia 2018, he attends his fifteenth World Cup. He started his World Cup journey in Chile 1962. A life behind the ball carousel. In addition, he has witnessed 12 Olympic Games and has covered the Tour de France cycling race 32 times. He is also a boxing specialist, which he still practices today. At 80, he looks impeccable and remains active, he even seems very vital. Hartmut is an expert in football, but above all, he has seen a lot of this sport, over 66 years, and can speak with absolute authority about the evolution of the game approximately since 1952 onwards. His testimony is interesting because it provides a different perspective from another medium, with a different mentality from ours. The Peruvian-German colleague Abel Völkner, with generous kindness, was the connection to interview him. Abel has been living in Germany for 39 years and considers Scherzer a source of wisdom. This is the result of the conversation:
-Hartmut, what was your first World Cup?
-It was in Chile 1962 and curiously in the previous tournament I returned to South America, a beautiful continent. I went to Chile when I was very young, at 24. In times when transportation, communication, everything was difficult. How complicated it was to call the newsroom...! It took hours to get a connection to Europe and now, well, I call from my mobile phone, directly to the person or the newsroom, and of course, the Internet as well, which changed everything. In that World Cup, Brazil was the champion. I wanted to see Pelé, but he hardly played and it was Garrincha who stood out, although there I also saw a very good Argentine player who defended the Italian colors: Omar Sívori, a great player.
-You are one of the few journalists who has followed the development of football for so many years and you know that discussion that arises everywhere about whether the football of the past was better than today's.
-It is difficult to compare eras, generations, and styles. But, even so, it can be said that football has undergone enormous transformation in all aspects. While there were supposedly very technical players before, playing football today is more complicated. For example, the national team of my country formerly won titles due to the spirit of struggle and above all due to physical condition; maybe we didn't have the South American beauty but we did have that physical element. That advantage is no longer an advantage, we were almost equalized by all countries; we had to reform our football and be more technical, something we achieved with continuous work for almost 20 years. But, in summary, playing football today is very difficult; the dynamics, speed, marking, management of spaces, physical condition are elements that everyone has now. Football has evolved a lot, without a doubt.
-The list of players you have seen in your career must be very long...
-That's right, since 1962 I have seen Pelé, Garrincha, Sívori, Beckenbauer, Rossi, Charlton, Cruyff, Maldini, Müller, Zico, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Matthäus, Platini, Zidane, and Maradona. Naturally, also the current ones like Messi, Ronaldo, Lahm, etc. There are so many that I have seen that the list would be very, very long.
-I want to ask you a daring question, since you mentioned that you don't like to compare eras or styles. Even having had great players in Germany yourselves, is there a player that for you is the best you have seen in your career?
-Yes, definitely: Lionel Messi. He is above all. I respect all the great players and I have seen extraordinary football battles before, but someone like Messi I had never seen during my career. In a Champions League match, Leverkusen-Barcelona, I devoted myself to watching only him for 90 minutes; I was fascinated not only by what he does with the ball but also by the intelligence and intuition he has to play without it. You get the impression that sometimes he is not participating in the game, he starts moving to other areas of the field, and your football logic leads you to ask, "Why? Where is he going?, he is getting out of the match...!" It's like he becomes invisible; suddenly he appears and not only scores with a goal but also with a great pass. Naturally, his dribbling or the serenity when he scores are remarkable, and that despite the lack of space. And he does it all at high speed. On top of that, he proves it in the Champions League, which is the most complicated tournament that exists today and where he meets the best club teams in the world.
-Do you not consider any German footballer at the level of Messi?
-No, I am very convinced that Messi is the greatest of all. Germany has had many talents, even today, but they are good players, not geniuses; that's what Messi is.
He has written a dozen sports books, several about football and boxing, including one about Muhammad Ali ("The champion of all classes"), who was his friend. A boxer in his youth, he won the German lightweight junior championship, but a blow sent him to the hospital and he switched to journalism.
A few hours before the Mexico 1-Germany 0 match, Hartmut alerted us:
-This Germany does not have the same power as four years ago. My candidate for the title is Brazil.
Before finishing, Hartmut mentioned that recently a survey was conducted among German journalists about which is the historic match of the German national team and the majority said the Brazil 1-Germany 7 in the 2014 World Cup. However, he still believes it is the Italy 4-Germany 3, in Mexico 70. It happens that they lost, he says, and that relegates it to a second place. He continues to wear gloves at 80 years old and publish chronicles in the newspaper of his whole life, Frankfurt Neue Presse. A legend behind the typewriter. (O)