SVg Velbert will kick off the 2024 season with an away match at FC Gütersloh. A club legend will not be on the team bus.
When Sport- und Spielvereinigung Velbert kick off their comeback in the Regionalliga West at FC Gütersloh on Saturday (February 3, 2 p.m.), Massimo Mondello will no longer be there.
After almost 15 years, the 32-year-old is no longer a member of the Regionalliga squad. The defender is moving to the SSVg Velbert district league reserve team at his own request.
“The time has come. An outstanding time is coming to an end! To have been part of the first team for 15 years at a club where I started playing soccer is something extraordinary,” said Mondello a few days ago, bidding farewell to his team-mates and fans.
The German-Italian can look back on a whopping 297 appearances (12 goals, 17 assists) for SSVg Velbert, 65 of which came in the Regionalliga West. During his career, he played for no other club than the Sport- und Spielvereinigung – a rarity in today’s amateur and professional soccer.
I found it indescribably difficult to say goodbye to our team. Spending so many years together on and off the pitch, day after day, with so many players, exchanging similarities, fighting out disputes and, at the end of the day, sticking together for one thing: the success of the club!
Massimo Mondello
Mondello: “It was indescribably difficult for me to say goodbye to our team. Spending so many years together on and off the pitch, day in, day out, with so many players, sharing similarities, fighting out disputes and, at the end of the day, sticking together for one thing: the success of the club! Thanks to the team! You will continue to receive my support so that we can achieve the big goal at the end of the season – staying in the league!
SSVg is currently eight points off the safety zone. This gap should be reduced with a win in Gütersloh. “We had a good dress rehearsal. The 1:1 against Wuppertal showed that we have improved over the winter. We now want to prove that in the league and make a positive start to the 2024 season,” emphasized Velbert coach Dimitrios Pappas.
