Introduction to Jonathan Tah’s Career
When Jonathan Tah suddenly decided to retire, he could already look back on an experienced career. Tah considered one of the best defenders in Europe and played a key role in the unprecedented double of Bayern Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2024.
Hard Work and Dedication
"From now on I did everything to be the best version of me," Jonathan Tah said. "But of course I can and would like to get more and more out of myself." Tah performed again at his consistently high level last season, won 65% of his duels and completed almost 94% of his passports. Such statistics were not lost at Bayern Munich, which signed the defender for the coming season.
Career Ups and Downs
Born in Hamburg, who made his debut under the then national team coach Joachim Löw in early 2016, did not make it easy. After that, however, he was not appointed for big tournaments. It was only since Julian Nagelsmann, as a Germany coach together with Antonio Rüdider, has become an integral part of central defense.
Life Lessons
"It’s like life", there is always a few ups and downs, "said Tah, who always believed in the value of hard work. "I don’t want to sound arrogant, but it was logical that it would pay off at some point." He writes Xabi Alonso, his trainer at Leverkusen, that he helped him get to where he is now.
Credit to His Trainer
"He said I had to maintain this focus and concentration in every game in order to consistently deliver this performance at this high level." Tah signed his first professional contract with Hamburg at the age of 17, but gave it up and sold it to Leverkusen in 2015. "I think talent probably brought me to Leverkusen. But everything that came after that was hard work," said Tah.
Personal Life
Tah likes to spend time from the field with his wife, friends and his dog. "It is good for me to not even talk about football from the role of ‘Jonathan Tah, the professional footballer’, to go into the role of husband and friend." One of his other passions is traveling. Last month he made a trip to a place that is particularly important to him when his father was born there.
Traveling and Inspiration
"The last time I was there, I was 14 years old. I wanted to visit my grandmother again and see what had changed in the country," he said. "Many said they were proud of me and what I had achieved with Leverkusen. I just felt a lot of love from people. It was a very nice experience." Tah was impressed by how "Football Mad" African fans really are.
Pride and Passion
"You just love this sport and you can feel this passion," he said. "It is a different country, a different culture, and yet people still support them. This fulfills them with pride. I think I can inspire and motivate people." Although it was only a short journey, meeting with normal people in the West African country made an impression of tah.
Reflection and Future Plans
"It was extremely reason for me and my wife," he said. "I think: ‘What problems do I actually have here? Are these really problems, are these legitimate symptoms? Or is it actually nonsense to worry about little things?’" Tah plans to visit his father’s home more often in the future, but now his focus is back on football and Germany, since on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League on his future home stand, the Allianz Arena, they will compete in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League.
