Hamburg’s pre-match meeting with visually impaired fan inspires Stuttgart win

A supporter’s story gave Hamburg a different perspective before Stuttgart victory

Hamburg coach Merlin Polzin invited a visually impaired fan to address the squad before the team’s Matchday 6 meeting with VfB Stuttgart, sharing an account of how he experiences football beyond what happens on the pitch.

The supporter, identified as Matthias, has attended matches at the Volksparkstadion for years. With very limited vision, he follows the action using headphones and specially trained commentators. He told the players that the chants, cheers and murmurs of the crowd at decisive moments are central to his experience of a match.

The visit came before Hamburg’s 1-0 win over Stuttgart, sealed by Miro Muheim’s dramatic late goal. Defender Sebastiaan Bornauw said Matthias’s presence helped lift the squad. “Merlin had a fan with impaired vision at the pre-match team meeting, and that gave us a real boost,” Bornauw said. “We wanted to put on a good performance for him too.”

After the final whistle, Matthias was invited into the Hamburg dressing room. The meeting formed part of a series of unconventional motivational ideas Polzin has used over the past year. On earlier occasions, team coach driver and kit man Miroslav Zadach spoke to the squad about the Nordderby rivalry with Werder Bremen, while childhood photographs and youth jerseys were placed in the dressing room to remind players of their journeys into professional football.