From low point to top form

Andrej Kramarić has lifted titles in Croatia, has two World Cup medals in his trophy cabinet at home and helped TSG Hoffenheim stay up in 2016. Which makes the 31-year-old's admission after the emotional 4-2 win against Union Berlin, which put any relegation concerns for Hoffenheim to bed, even more remarkable. "Now we can celebrate. We've finally done it. It wasn't an easy game; for me, this has been one of the most difficult seasons in my career."

TSG also primarily have their top goalscorer to thank for the fact that the 2022/23 season ended on a tolerable note. When the team dropped to 18th position after 24 rounds of matches, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo made him aware of his responsibilities and labelled him as the man who could lead Hoffenheim out of last place. And Kramarić delivered. Seven goals and one assist represented an impressive haul from the season run-in – and, with four penalties among them, demonstrated the Croat's remarkable mental fortitude. The home game against eventually relegated Hertha BSC, which had been labelled as a final beforehand, is likely to remain in fans' memories for a long time. Hoffenheim won 3-1, Kramarić converted two spot-kicks and kick-started the catch-up. Picking up the ball – and stepping up again after scoring the first goal – was a no-brainer for the 2018 World Cup runner-up, who said: "When I'm on the pitch, I actually always take them. I felt good and wanted to take on the responsibility. I was confident, I know I'm a good shooter and can also beat the goalkeeper twice. You cannot have any fear in a situation like that."

Kramarić has converted 24 of his 28 Bundesliga penalties to date. 85.71% is a remarkable record but despite his recent conversion rate, the forward admits that this specialist skill has become more difficult in recent years. "The psychological component is becoming increasingly important. Goalkeepers know everything about the taker, they know his preferred corners. They study the players, notice distinctive features during the run-up, and you can see how many penalties are now saved and that the keepers almost always go to the right corner. Oliver Baumann is the best example, he has a crazy record and has often saved us."

Kramarić did not solely score from the spot, but also proved himself to be a set-piece specialist from outside the box when he curled home a free-kick in Munich to make it 1-1 and helped TSG towards another important point. A particularly nice goal – and one that ranks right up there on his personal list of favourite goals. "It was an amazing feeling."

He even managed to top it a few weeks later. Another victory, another brace – and once again against a Berlin team. But it was Union against whom survival was secured and two additional landmarks were reached. Kramarić had the Midas touch in that 4-2 win, as Matchday 33 turned out to be the perfect day at the most important moment of the season. He made it 2-0 from the spot, slotting home his 99th Bundesliga goal for TSG. Then he scored the crucial goal to make it 3-1 – his 100th strike in the league – before notching his 50th assist in a Hoffenheim shirt to set up Munas Dabbur for the goal that clinched it. Kramarić celebrated wildly, even removing his shirt after making it 3-1 and standing arm in arm with his striker partner on the pitch long after the game.

He had not had any doubts about staying up, as he had emphasised for weeks. Nor was he worried that reaching the 100-goal mark could burden him – as the record goalscorer tag once did when he had to wait for many matches before notching the record-breaking goal. "I'm experienced enough and did not think about it a lot. In addition, there was much more than personal statistics at stake in the final phase." But once staying up had been successfully secured, his delight at reaching 100 Bundesliga goals shone through. "It was a dream of mine for a long time to reach this goal. After my transfer to TSG, I never imagined that I would find myself in this situation. This is something very special for me."

This special joy is accompanied by a sense of satisfaction, which stems from the feeling that he has once again proved himself to critics, fans and team-mates – after some experts had highlighted the age of the striker, who will turn 32 on 19 June, during Hoffenheim's bad spell and had said they no longer expected him to play an important role for TSG like he has in previous years. But Kramarić has disproved all the theories – and still has big ambitions. "I think these discussions are wrong. When you see what players like Messi or Benzema are still achieving well over 30, one shouldn't talk about age so much. In the course of your career, you change your style of play a little bit – that's what they have done and that's what I'm doing – and adapt it to your physical attributes. Maybe I now play a bit more like a central midfielder. My goal is to always put in top performances."  

Although the pressure of being bottom of the table spurred him on, Kramarić will happily do without that particular form of motivation in the future: "We don't want to repeat a season like this; we want to return to the old days."