Jonas Meffert – a family affair

Jonas Meffert doesn't let his head drop for long. He was recently on the losing side with Holstein Kiel in a 5-1 defeat against FC Köln in the second leg of the Bundesliga play-off, leaving the 'Storks' in the second division. He's familiar with that. In 2015 he was unlucky to lose with Karlsruher SC against Hamburg SV. "There was a lot of bad luck back then. This time it was deserved in the end," admits the 26-year-old. He also has support. His parents came from their home in Rösrath to watch the game in Kiel. As always, you could say.

tentative at first, then off to a flyer

It all started in 2005 when Jonas joined the U12s at Bayer 04. His parents drove him to training in Leverkusen initially – as with so many other football families. Ralph Meffert recalls with a laugh: "I almost had to drag him there. But then it settled down very quickly." The father was an enthusiastic basketball player and he went on to be a runner-up in the championship with his team as a youth coach. When Bayer 04 made the approach there was no question for him that playing football at Leverkusen represented a chance. "The boy had a talent in a certain area. And I was of the opinion: If you can do something well then you should do it as long as you can."

Family trips throughout the land

And there was a lot to do for Jonas. He quickly found his position in central midfield and progressed through all the youth teams. And the family? They joined in. "I think it all went so well because my parents were also very positive towards football," he says.

Whether it was Cologne, Dortmund, South Germany, Brandenburg, Netherlands, Switzerland – whenever Jonas played, his father Ralf, mother Brigitte, the two twin sisters Anna and Kira and – where possible – the dog Bagira were almost always there. "I think my father watched nearly all of my youth games," recalls Jonas.

close connection between family and club

The Meffert family used the long trips to get to know the country and people. "When Jonas sisters were still young, the tournaments were rather like family outings," reports father Ralf. A close relationship developed to the club, to the coaches and to the other parents. The Mefferts were always very open. Ralf Meffert confirms that: "I don't have much idea about the core issues of football. But because it interested me I always looked to talk to the coaches and later with the then youth director Jürgen Gelsdorf . They were always very accommodating." His son Jonas benefited from that. "My father always told me what the coaches or Jürgen Gelsdorf said but without trying to exert any pressure," he recalls.

confidence repaid

Jonas Meffert is aware of another plus point in this respect: "I didn't play much in my first season with the U17s but I knew where I stood and I never thought I wouldn’t make it as a professional player." That confidence in himself, family and club finally led him to his target.

He came on as a substitute for the Werkself in the second half of the Europa League game at Metalist Kharkiv on 22 November 2012. First-team debut at the age of 18. 18 months later he moved on to Karlsruher SC in the second division. Meffert got off to a flying start there, making 28 appearances and just missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga with KSC in 2015. The family were there as often as possible.

support during difficult Phase

That also applied to the most difficult phase of his career. In the summer of 2016, Meffert joined SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. However, it did not work out for the midfielder. "I put myself under pressure for the first time," he says today. He was often on the bench. That was followed by illness and injuries.

"We noticed he wasn't doing that well overall," recalls his father Ralf. His parents and sisters visited him more regularly in Freiburg. "They did everything to see that I was better," says Jonas. When the first serious injury of his career followed in 2017, it was clear where his rehab would take place.

"Half a year with my family, my friends in an environment with lots of trust. It gave me so much strength that I was able to battle through," says Meffert looking back at that time. Bayer 04 were also a help during that phase. Father Ralf often spoke to Jonas' U12 coach Slawomir Czarniecki. Jonas himself found a lot of support and advice from Burak Yildirim, former coach with the Werkself junior teams and now one of the team doctors for the senior squad.

firmly establsihed at Kiel

Two years of suffering ended in 2018 with the move to Kiel, which Meffert talks about today: "That brought me on a long, long way particularly due to the problems and disappointments. I'm a different person now."

He became firmly established in central midfield at Holstein. His contract was extended after a year to 2022. He has played 100 games in three years. "Here the football almost feels like it was in the youth teams," says Meffert – including his family of course: "If my family and my girlfriend are doing well then I'm doing well too. That also helps me deal much better with other things."