Gendrey: "It was always my dream to be a father"

Valentin Gendrey is currently sidelined by an adductor injury. But after just over six months in the Bundesliga, the full-back has well and truly arrived in Germany. The Frenchman is competing with Pavel Kadeřábek for playing time: "I don't see it as a battle. I want to benefit from Pavel's experience around the club and in the position we both play and learn from him. We treat each other very professionally and are team-mates. We support each other amicably, there's no bad blood when the other is on the pitch."

After three years in Italy with US Lecce, Gendrey moved to TSG in the summer. It was a big step for the 24-year-old: "The difference between Italian and German football is huge. I first had to find my feet. It's generally the case in Italy that some teams tend to play in a cautious and restrained manner. Games are often played very defensively and very tactically. Here in Germany it's different, even in my position you're always going forwards, you're always active and on the move, running up and down the flanks more or less constantly. In Italy, the motto is not to concede a goal. Here, it's much more about scoring goals."

An important support for Gendrey off the pitch is his family, with his wife Cassandra and daughter Jaya. "It was always my dream to be a father. The most important thing for me is that my wife and two-year-old daughter are happy. The birth of my daughter has changed me a lot and I've inevitably grown up a lot. My family is a great support for me." 

Also in the February issue of SPIELFELD, TSG Hoffenheim's club magazine: Head coach Christian Ilzer answers questions in "No comment", TSG's U23s are profiled ahead of kick-off in 2025 and we present TSG's shirt-number history.