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imago images / territory photo
![100 million man: Kai Havertz’s career plan is to leave Leverkusen in the summer.]()
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100 million man: Kai Havertz’s career plan is to leave Leverkusen in the summer.
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imago images / Eibner
![But which club can afford him after Corona?]()
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But which club can afford him after Corona?
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DUKAS
![Europe's top clubs are chasing the Leverkusen star.]()
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Europe’s top clubs are chasing the Leverkusen star.
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![Only when Havertz (20) speaks to the camera, carefully, calmly and without frills, do you feel his inner strength and calm.]()
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Only when Havertz (20) speaks to the camera, carefully, calmly and without frills, do you feel his inner strength and calm.
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He’s on the way to becoming a football hero, but looks like he’s only kissed a few girls. Shy look, beardless face, normal-frize. An unpretentious teenager, although tall, slim and good looking. Only when Kai Havertz (20) speaks into the camera, deliberate, relaxed and straightforward, do you feel an inner strength and calm that is actually reserved for people with life experience.
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The Spanish sports bible “Marca”, which Havertz recently dedicated a cover story to, calls him the “Golden Boy of the Bundesliga”. The creative head of Bayer Leverkusen embodies Germany’s longing for the offensive world star, which neither Mario Götze, the eternal talent, nor Mesut Özil, the dreamy melancholic, or Leroy Sane, the bling-bling-kicker, could satisfy.
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Havertz has been jazzed up on all channels for weeks. For Leverkusen sports director “Ruuuudi” Völler, it is “the future of German football”. Ex-manager Calli Calmund compares him to Michael Ballack (header strength) and Franz Beckenbauer (elegance). And former Bayern star Didi Hamann raves: “I haven’t seen such a talent in 20 years.”
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The youngest star in the German football sky has a contract until 2022, without an exit clause. His career plan is for a club change this summer – in the top floor of European football. It is said that it is not available under 100 million euros.
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What is really there about “King Kai”? A falling star in the feverish transfer business or a decade talent?
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First of all, his carefully constructed career is impressive. He started playing for his home club Alemannia Mariadorf at the age of four, and moved to Leverkusen when he was eleven. In November 2014 he played for Germany for the first time in the U16, after which he broke almost all age records. With a 17 Bundesliga debut, an 18 Fritz Walter medal for the best U19 junior and 2018’s first line-up by Jogi Löw. “I never thought that everything could happen so quickly,” said Havertz. “I can only be happy about that.”
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Havertz is a very talented left foot in front of the Lord. His body language alone, the upright running style reminiscent of Ballack or Socrates, his casual, elegant coolness on the ball – a feast for the eyes. With his role model Mesut Özil (“I copied a lot from him”), he shares the ingenious feeling of space, thanks to which he quickly captures game situations and makes creative decisions. If he waits in the penalty area, checks the opponent and throws the ball into the goal, he demonstrates his greatest strength – the grandiose calm ’. A kicking Zen master who brings inner silence into harmony with the outside.
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Magistrale Vista
It’s astonishing, because its development is certainly not complete, although its performance is already stupendous. “Havertz can play as 8, 9 or 10,” praises “Marca”, “this versatility is testament to its rare class.” On TV you often only see approaches of your talent, the instinct to score, the strength of the header, the speed of action. Havertz also has a magistral vista, goes a long way, does without circus interludes – and is involved in counterpressing, in his very own way: he hardly straddles, he anticipates space and opponents.
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Weaknesses? Perhaps the start, owed the height of 1.90 meters. Havertz should grow Muckis, needs tactical finishing, experience too. The path to becoming a world footballer is difficult, as the comparison with the superstars shows. Havertz has so far scored 35 goals for Leverkusen – Bundesliga record for 21-year-olds. At the same age, Cristiano Ronaldo met 40 times, Lionel Messi 49 times and Kilian Mbappé 90 times!
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Grounded in the family
Last autumn, after three years of unbroken ascent, Havertz got into a creative crisis. He played the first half of the season, was without goals for months. Some experts announced that he was stagnating early, but Zen master Kai remained calm. “Those who cheer you up quickly let you drop just as quickly,” he says. “But I know about my qualities and have not let it get me down.” He has been back since the beginning of the year, most recently five times in four games.
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He benefits from his career. His parents, father, police officer and mother, lawyer, supported him in all matters from an early age. A middle-class family who gave their ball artist that German will that sees adversity as a challenge.
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At 14, Kai mastered a growth spurt and moved to a host family in Leverkusen. At 18, he was about to graduate, parallel to starting his professional career. His parents were willing to give up training for football. “I want to make it,” he said, even if everything went over his head sometimes. Kai struggled through and passed the matriculation examination.
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Otherwise he would be a barber
Havertz appears to be well equipped for the vicissitudes of sports life. All the more so since he recently kisses at least one girl. Sophia, 19 and model, brings some glamor into the life of the boy next door with cheeky Insta posts. He continues to do without tattoos, sports cars and gold steaks. If he hadn’t become a footballer, then he would be a barber, he says. “I find this job nice.” His only extravagance: he plays the piano to “clear his head”.
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Havertz’s buddy, BVB striker Julian Brandt, describes him as an “empathetic good mood person”. For Brandt it is clear why he reacts calmly to success and media ballyhoo: “Kai knows that he has the potential to become a world star, so nothing will knock him over so quickly.”
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Since Corona a particularly valuable feature, because the virus endangers the career plan. Zen masters are said to be present in the here and now. The new reality is: Even the royal family in Madrid cannot and do not want to spend 100 million euros at the moment, as Marca writes. And Barcelona is vying for Inters Lautaro Martinez, Manchester United for Jadon Sancho.
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Bavaria? Barça? Leverkusen?
And the Bavarians? Coach Hansi Flick lures with an angel’s tongue. “I would like him to be sporty in Munich,” Uli Hoeness said, “but I can’t imagine it as it stands today.” It is possible that the Bavarians are playing poker to push the price down to a morally acceptable level. Perhaps Havertz will ultimately stay in Leverkusen, sign a new contract with an opt-out clause and change in 2021. Not necessarily to the league croesus, because Havertz allegedly feels little interest in the media “Munich Elbow Society”.
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His heart club? Barça pictures used to hang in his room, there are said to have been loose contacts in the junior age. Now he says calmly: «I am ready to take a big step, I like challenges. This includes abroad. »
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Does Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge remember his beginnings in Munich? He often got red cheeks and was called “fair fly”. A shy teenager who rose to become a world star and powerful soccer impresario.
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The Bundesliga cracker between Bayer Leverkusen with Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich will be live on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the ticker at BLICK!
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