By Peter Vice @ViceytheSS
Speaking on Sky’s German outfit, Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche has confirmed that, should he wish to, Makoto Hasebe may absolutely sign on for another year with the club.
| Makoto Hasebe. | Photo: Sven Mandel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
The veteran Japanese defender affectionately referred to by his teammates as “Methuselah” can carry on after the season should he wish to. Makoto Hasebe still furnishes a valuable contribution to Oliver Glasner’s squad. Most recently, the 38-year-old has earned consistent praise from the SGE trainer for keeping the team’s back-three organized and effective. Insofar as the club is concerned, this merits a contract extension.
“It’s up to Makoto,” SGE sporting director Markus Krösche said about a tendered offer that will keep Hasebe on the pitch through the 2023/24 season, “We have discussed that. He shall decides whether he wants to continue playing or not. That is entirely up to him. If Makoto says he wants to keep playing for another year, then he’ll keep playing.”
Hasebe, along with fellow club veteran Timothy Chandler, have already made plans to join the Eintracht coaching staff once their active playing career is over. Should the 114-times-capped Japanese international opt to re-sign, he will have a chance to set a club record next year as the oldest player ever to appear for the squad.
Thirty-nine-year-old Rudi Sommer (1997/98) is the oldest player ever to appear for Frankfurt. The record for the oldest player to ever feature in the German top flight belongs to Claudio Pizarro, who made several relief appearances for Florian Kohfeldt’s SV Werder Bremen during the 2019/20 campaign at the age of 42.
“Makoto is a professional who not only has a lot of experience, but also handles his body very professionally,” Krösche went on “That’s what enables him to perform. His experience also enables him to see situations before they develop. For us as a team, he is an important stabilizer.”
