Second division team Hannover 96 defeated Werder Bremen 3:1 during the international break. Finally back on the pitch: Brooklyn Ezeh.
Brooklyn Ezeh has had a difficult six months. At the end of November 2023, the Hannover 96 left-back was admitted to a psychiatric ward after resisting officers on an ICE train. Ezeh was successfully treated for his mental health problems and was able to spend Christmas with his family again.
“Ezeh’s health situation has improved significantly in the meantime. His greatest wish is to return to the pitch,” Hannover 96 announced at the time. It is now clear that this wish has been fulfilled. After two appearances for Hannover 96’s U23s in the Regionalliga Nord, the dynamic left-footer celebrated his comeback with the professionals on Thursday.
In the test match against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, which was won 3:1, Ezeh was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes and put in a strong performance. The Hamburg native acted as if he had never really been away and presented himself in a physically fit condition.
Accordingly, 96 coach Stefan Leitl praised him after the final whistle: “It wasn’t even planned to leave him on the pitch for 90 minutes. But he felt good and gave us positive feedback. He was good in the game, which is why he played 90 minutes.”
Ezeh played for Schalke 04 from 2019 to 2022
Before his mental problems, Brooklyn Ezeh played eight competitive games for the second division club in the first half of the season. Last summer, he moved from SV Wehen Wiesbaden to the capital of Lower Saxony for a reported transfer fee of €500,000. With two goals, six assists and countless successful crosses, the 22-year-old played a major part in Wehen’s promotion to the second division.
The 1.88-meter man is also a well-known name in the Ruhr region. He laced up his boots for FC Schalke 04 for two and a half years from July 2019 to January 2022. Ezeh played 42 games for the Knappen U23s in the Regionalliga West and previously also played for Norbert Elgert’s U19 team. However, it was not to be enough for a professional appearance. They could meet again on April 7 – when Hannover 96 face S04 at home