He was at the bottom, now he has fought his way back. Dominique Heintz is a symbol of Bochum’s season. We have spoken with him.

On August 11, 2022, VfL Bochum announced the signing of Dominique Heintz. The experienced central defender was loaned for one season by Union Berlin, after he was rarely used there recently.

He then made appearances on the second, third and fourth match days. No points were scored against Hoffenheim, Bayern and Freiburg. After that, the 29-year-old’s personal period of suffering began.

Several injuries prevented him from being named to the 2022 squad. And even in 2023, it took several weeks before coach Thomas Letsch had any use for the former Cologne player.

He came on at the break in the 2-0 win at 1. FC Köln and played a rock-solid game as a left-back. Further appearances followed and now he is back in the thick of things instead of just being there. Quasi a symbol of VfL’s season, where Bochum was at the bottom after a terrible start and showed that giving up is not an option.

During the week, Heintz emphasized after his comeback: “In soccer, things move quickly. From the very bottom, it went back up again. I’m really fit again, I think you can see that. I’m back, my body is holding up, I’ve checked off the injury.”

Also important: Heintz has rediscovered the fun of sports, without which it will be difficult to perform at his best. Now he promises, “I will work hard to achieve our goal with the boys. There’s no way I’m going to rest. I’ve also done a lot outside of training to convince the coach that I’m an option again.”

With success, but just now that Heintz is back, he could also be gone again quickly. Because in the summer he has to return to Union Berlin for the time being, where he is still under contract until June 30, 2024.

“I’m not thinking about my future at all at the moment,” he says, adding that the priority at the moment is to stay in the league with VfL. He feels very much at home in Bochum, and his family has also arrived. That’s why Heintz can concentrate on the final games.

His announcement: “We still have six matches. I also never thought I would be back in Berlin. I tried hard to fight my way back to the team. “