The twelfth man

It is just over a year ago that Philipp Pentke was named the most popular TSG Hoffenheim player. It was only a fun ranking list in the online medium "ran", which belongs to the TV channel Sat.1, in which the fan favourite was selected for all 18 Bundesliga clubs. In fact, shortly before, during the 2-1 victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Pentke had been frenetically celebrated by the TSG supporters. It was his "best game" to date in a TSG shirt, said Pentke. "I had the most to do, I could stand out a little and help the team." But is that why he was elevated to the status of the most popular player right away? No, that's not something the Saxony native lives for. "I don't like that. I used to be a real crowd favourite with Chemnitzer FC for a while. I always had to sit on the fence there. Then one day, I said: Well, that's enough for me now," says Pentke, laughing.

Regardless of his position on the popularity scale in media reviews or among fans, he knows his value to the team. "I appreciate my standing at TSG, and I generally feel comfortable in my role here," says Pentke. "I try to bring as much of my experience and passion as possible into the team, to push my colleagues and, above all, Oli Baumann." And Pentke radiates passion and energy. He is not a backup goalkeeper who is at odds with his status as a reserve, who suffers more or less from the fact that he rarely gets to play and – as against Leverkusen and seven other competitive games for TSG so far – take centre stage. "I know, of course, that I am the backup goalkeeper. That's why I was signed and I was told that. I've grown into the role well. It just took me a few weeks at the beginning because I had always played almost every game at all my clubs for 14 years before that. That was a change," explains Pentke.

The goalkeeper, who was born in Freiberg near Dresden, has proved his reliability in person in his previous appearances. He has played nine games (six in the Bundesliga, two in the DFB-Pokal and one in the Europa League) since arriving in the Kraichgau in the summer of 2019, and has sat on the bench almost 70 times: "I always prepare myself as if I were playing. I'm just as warmed up as when I'm really in goal."

But Pentke is always raring to go when it comes to football. That's his natural state – he can't do anything else. His loud voice can be clearly heard in the empty stadiums – be it from the bench or in the stands, where the substitute players have been sitting since the beginning of the Corona pandemic: "I've always done that. It's important that a little bit of something comes from off the pitch, especially this season, because we have had quite a few problems finding consistency," says "Penne," as he is known. His distinctive voice is also often heard during the training sessions in Zuzenhausen. "Some of the guys need someone to give them a boost. I am a goalkeeper who wants to win even during training and try to influence my team with my character. After all, I also demand it of myself to always get the most out of me," says Pentke, describing his behaviour, which he proudly demonstrates: "I also want to reinforce my position."

The oldest player in the squad

Thanks to his presence and experience – he is the oldest player in the squad at the age of 36 – the charismatic keeper has a leading position in the team's internal hierarchy. As treasurer, he also uses his authority to collect penalties for the team's coffers. Pentke knows what he wants, but is also a cooperative guy, which Oliver Baumann appreciates above all. "I try every day during training to help bring Oli to a good level. I think we're doing really well with how we support each other," says Pentke. "We exchange ideas and talk about how the games went from the goalkeeper's perspective." The man in the number 12 top describes his relationship with Baumann as "relatively amazing and not usual for our business, especially for goalkeepers" after 17 years of professional experience. He says he had mostly experienced fiercely competitive environments in the earlier stages of his career. "There, people didn't talk to their competition in the dressing room for half an hour." But with Oliver Baumann, whose apartment he also recently took over in Bahnstadt, Heidelberg, everything is different. "With Oli, I have an outstanding sporting and personal relationship. He supported me in the period when he was injured and I was playing. And he was also pleased about how the games went for me. I hold him in very high esteem for that," says Pentke, stressing that "we generally have a really good relationship and a good atmosphere in the goalkeeping team."

Praise from Michael Rechner

Goalkeeping coach Michael Rechner is also full of praise for the keeper. "Philipp demonstrates his extraordinary character in our daily work together," says Rechner. "He is an absolute team player who takes on a task that is not always the most thankful one with great ambition." Since he came to the Dynamo Dresden youth performance centre as a 16-year-old, Pentke was usually the first name on the team sheet for his teams, as was the case with Jahn Regensburg, who made the leap from the Regionalliga to the second division in part because of his top performances. When the offer from TSG came in two years ago, he took it, knowing that he would mainly be on the bench from now on. "Before that, it was my personal dream to play in the Bundesliga 2. And when a club from the top division comes knocking, you don't think twice. This made even more than my dream come true. I'm still enjoying it."

When the first-choice goalkeeper Baumann injured his meniscus in January 2020 and had to sit out for weeks, it was substitute Pentke's time to shine. At the ripe old age of 34, he was finally allowed to play his first four games in the German top division after 151 Regionalliga games, 174 third division games and 58 second league games. Finally, he experienced first-hand what he had only ever seen on television before. "The first four games in the Bundesliga and this season the game in Bremen and against Gent in the Europa League were great events for me personally," says Pentke. Last year's appearance in the Last-16 of the DFB-Pokal in the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich (3-4) was another highlight.

He did not expect such a career when he joined BSV Freiberg as a young boy. "My mum didn't want me kicking the ball against the wall behind the house so she put me into a club. That's how my journey started," he recalls. A few years later, his talent was discovered at a big indoor tournament in Dresden. In 1998, he moved to Dynamo Dresden, where he joined the football boarding school at 15. There, he had an unusual experience for a goalkeeper. "In the Under 17 Bundesliga, I was a striker for some time because I had broken my little finger. I then scored a few goals and even scored past René Adler, for example," says Pentke. "But then I had to go back in goal and I stayed there. But I'm really sure I would also have become a good striker."

He was put in goal by his first coach in Freiberg "because I always had the longest kick." Back then, goal-kicks still needed to be as long as possible, and Pentke learned the more challenging part of playing out from the back only later. A lot has changed since the early 2000s according to the TSG goalie – especially the young players. "They are no longer the way we used to be when we asked the older guys for advice. Today, we have to approach the young players rather than the other way around, says the "Oldie" of the TSG team. "I don't see myself in the role of the father figure, but I think you sometimes have to give the guys some tough love. I always like to give them tips, because I also want them to get better," explains Pentke and praises Luca Philipp, the 20-year-old third-choice keeper at TSG: "Luca made a real leap forward last year. I trust him a lot." Philipp Pentke will be a member of the first team squad at TSG Hoffenheim at least until 30 June 2022, after his contract was extended by one year at the beginning of December. The goalkeeper does not want to imagine that his career will end at 37 years of age in the summer of next year. "Firstly, I don't feel 36 at the moment and secondly, I love my sport. I want to make it as long as possible," says Pentke, adding with a laugh: "Gianluigi Buffon has always been my role model." And the Italian is still playing at 43.