How Haris Tabakovic became a super clipper: “I put my ego aside”

He became more mature and experienced there, says Tabakovic. «The confidence in my body was back. And it also played into my hands that I was allowed to play in a system where I get the box.” Tabakovic ends up at Hertha this summer via Lustenau and Austria Wien and is expected to lead the traditional club back to the Bundesliga with his goals. A path that many at YB and GC did not believe he could take at the time.

Roots at Wacker Grenchen

But one person always believed in the striker of the penalty area: Beat Lauper. He was junior chairman at Wacker Grenchen, Tabakovic’s youth club. And he saw early on that a player who could do it was coming along: “Haris was already bigger than others then. And technically he was quite superior too. There were also other players who were similar. But in the end he just wanted it more.” Tabakovic says: “That’s what made me stand out. We had so many talented, young players who were technically incredible.” But he believed there was “no need to set boundaries,” the Solothurn resident said.

As a reward, Tabakovic has been a Bundesliga professional since this summer and plays in crowded huts. This weekend there will be almost 50,000 on the Betzenberg. More than 60,000 people make a pilgrimage to the Berlin Olympic Stadium for the cup round of 16 against HSV. They celebrate reaching the quarter-finals on penalties and are completely excited. The last dream? Experienced. Because three favorites, Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig, have already been eliminated. And Leverkusen and Stuttgart will join the parade in the quarter-finals. It goes without saying that a final in their own stadium would be the best thing for Hertha fans, because this has never happened in the almost 90-year history of the competition. “Our goalkeeper, Marius Gersbeck, from Herthan, told me what that would mean for the supporters,” says Tabakovic.

However, the sporting priority still remains immediate promotion to the first Bundesliga. After a weak start to the season, Hertha is only four points behind third place and the Dardai team has not yet lost seven games in a row. “The euphoria is there,” says Tabakovic. He himself played an important role in this, twelve goals in 18 competitive matches speak for themselves.

Yakin and Tami did not report

But it still wasn’t enough for a Swiss national team. Neither coach Murat Yakin nor sporting director Pierluigi Tami contacted him. And this despite the fact that Tabakovic is no stranger to the SFV and has gone through a number of junior levels. In the autumn of 2015, he was part of the attack team of the Swiss U21 team during the European Championship qualifying, and eight years later he made his debut in the A-team of the Bosnians, his parents’ homeland. “I had many conversations with the Bosnian national coach and the sports director and at a certain point I had to make a decision. “I am no longer the youngest,” the 29-year-old explains his decision.

Beat Lauper, Tabakovic’s former sponsor, cannot understand why the SFV has not called up the striker. Still, he is proud that the former Wacker-Grenchen junior has become a national striker. The former junior chairman has collected dozens of newspaper articles. An article from “Grenchner Woche” from 2012 states that Tabakovic has set his sights on the U19 European Championship with Switzerland. Another says that Tabakovic won against Bosnia with the Swiss U21.

“When I’m on holiday, I spend a few days in Grenchen.”

Lauper also submitted the letter that first made Tabakovic dream of a professional career. It says “call for basic training” and was sent on April 21, 2005. Tabakovic was eleven years old at the time. It is the start of a remarkable career that has taken the Solothurn native from Grenchen to the German capital.

Despite his star status, he has never forgotten his roots. “When I’m on holiday, I spend a few days in Grenchen. Then I get the equipment I need for my individual training. Hüetli, a ball,” says Tabakovic.

Because he knows: to stay on the ball, you also have to train on days off. And if you don’t, it can suddenly seem too busy.