‘I’m determined to play at the Euro’

Ottmar Hitzfeld made no secret of his feelings on hearing of Hamit Altintop’s injury. “It’s come as a bad shock,“ the Bayern coach exclaimed after the Turkey international sustained a broken metatarsal. Altintop, an ever-present this term apart from three matches on the sidelines with a previous injury, underwent corrective surgery in Munich last Thursday. fcbayern.de phoned the player in hospital and found him in resilient mood.

Interview: Hamit Altintop

fcbayern.de: Hamit, this is a dumb question, but how are you feeling today?
Hamit Altintop: “I’m lying here flat on my back and the lads are on their way to play Nürnberg, so you can imagine how I feel. The decisive weeks lie ahead. Every game is like a final, and I’d have really liked to help the team. I’ll make sure I’m at the stadium for all the remaining home games, I’ll cheer the team on and offer my support as best I can.“

fcbayern.de: How did the injury happen?
Altintop: “I was playing for Turkey in a friendly against Belarus, and an opponent unluckily landed on my foot in a challenge.“

fcbayern.de: What happened after that in Minsk?
Altintop: “They took my straight to hospital locally. The doctors suspected a break and put me in plaster. My brother then accompanied me to Vienna and then on to Munich, where I saw Bayern doc Müller-Wohlfahrt on Thursday. He took one look at the MRI scan and sent me for immediate surgery.“

fcbayern.de: You’ve already had the operation. How did it go, and how long do the medics think you’ll be out of action?
Altintop: “The operation went very well. Now we’ll have to wait and see how the bone heals. It’s hard to say whether I’ll play again this season.“

fcbayern.de: What about this summer’s Euro 2008?
Altintop: “I’m determined to play at the Euro. Obviously, it would be fantastic if I was able to feature in the match when we take delivery of the championship shield.“

fcbayern.de: Has anyone been assigned to help you mentally over the next few days?
Altintop: “No. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, you have to cope with them as a footballer and find the strength to come back from them.“